It has been years since the last Harry Potter novel came out and yet, the love for the works of JK Rowling about the boy wizard continues. The film versions of the novels made even more followers and these enthusiasts seem to want more. If you’re one such fan, you can create your own Hogwarts acceptance letter template to try and get into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogwarts Acceptance Letter Templates
What is a Hogwarts acceptance letter?
A Hogwarts acceptance letter template is first and foremost an acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sent to British Witches and Wizards before their 1st year at Hogwarts. The special quill that writes down the name of each magical child in Britain at their time of their birth really does exist and this allows the letters to reach all of these magical children at an appropriate time including those who are Muggle-born.
To those who aren’t familiar with Muggle-born children, they are either witches or wizards born to non-magical parents. The Hogwarts acceptance letter written in green ink consists of an acceptance note from the Deputy Headmistress or Headmaster of the school and it comes with a list of the materials and textbooks required that the students will use in school.
Written on parchment paper, Hogwarts letter templates get delivered by owls except for the Muggle-borns, whose letters are personally delivered by members of the school. The assigned faculty member acts as a special messenger whose job is to explain everything to both the student and the parents.
printable Hogwarts Letter Templates
What to include in the Hogwarts acceptance letter?
All Happy Potter fans still remember that the Harry Potter acceptance letter was a turning point in his story, as it offered him the opportunity to escape from the dismal sitting room of the Dursley family. Two decades after the first novel, personalized Hogwarts acceptance letters have now become an iconic symbol for the fans as these encapsulated their first introduction to the Wizarding World.
Aside from symbolizing the start of Harry’s journey into wizardry, the Hogwarts letter template is also the first graphic prop created by Miraphora Mina, the graphic artist who has worked on every Harry Potter film since first one. Here are the things to consider when making your own Hogwarts acceptance letter:
- Think about the design
As the first magical object to give a recipient, the Harry Potter acceptance letter should have a design that helps tell the story. This means it has to feel significant with a design that’s both simple and distinctive. Harry’s original letter featured green ink to give it some sort of quirkiness while the wax seal signified authority.
The inclusion of Harry’s address makes us remember the humor we now all know so well from the books. From the first time we saw this address as contrasted against the letters for Muggle, we already knew the contents of the letter would be extremely momentous.
You may also recall those hundreds of copies of the Harry Potter acceptance letter that were digitally printed on thin paper so as to allow them to flutter on the ground. In actuality, Mira handwrote about 20 copies of the letter to use for close-ups to make sure all of them would look completely authentic. - The letter
When making your own personalized Hogwarts acceptance letter, you have to decide on what you want to do. Will you write a customized letter or create a movie prop? Will you handwrite the letter or type and print it? When thinking of the wording, you may use similar wording to the original one that says:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster
Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the 1st of September.
We await your owl by no later than the 31st of July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Of course, this would have been what the letter would look like if Dumbledore didn’t die. But you can fix this by either keeping the wording or revising it according to your own preference. - The list of requirements
Included in the Hogwarts acceptance letter template is a list of required items for the students to purchase. You can add this list along with your letter and include the following:
Uniforms
1st year students need:
3 sets of plain black work robes
1 plain pointed black hat
1 pair of protective gloves made of dragon hide or any similar material
1 black winter cloak with silver fastenings
All of the student’s clothes must have name tags.
Coursebooks
All students must have a copy of these books:
A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration
A History of Magic
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Magical Drafts and Potions
Magical Theory
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
The Standard Book of Spells
Other equipment
Students must also have:
1 cauldron made of pewter (size 2)
1 set of crystal or glass vials
1 set of scales made of brass
1 telescope
1 wand
An owl, a toad or a cat
Parents should also remember that students in their 1st year aren’t allowed to bring a broomstick.
How to make your own Hogwarts acceptance letter?
Many people would want to get accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and if you have a friend who’s interested, making a Hogwarts letter template for them will make their day! If you’re in charge of young kids, you know that they would surely feel delighted to receive such a letter for their birthday. Here are some steps to guide you when making a Hogwarts acceptance letter:
- Gather all of the materials you need for your letter
These materials depend on how you plan to write and present your personalized Hogwarts acceptance letter. - Choose the right font
The font should look realistic. You could download this font online by searching for “Harry Potter font.” You can also search for a high-res image of the school’s crest on the internet then save this image to your computer. - Start writing
If you don’t know how to start the letter, get a copy of the 1st book then copy the wording. You can also refer to the wording in the last section. To remain realistic, use emerald green ink on parchment paper, just like the original letter. But instead of Harry’s address, replace this with your friend’s and put a description of your friend’s room too. - Print the letter
After printing your letter, you could also make the envelope by hand. To make it more look authentic, print the school’s crest on the left top corner of the envelope or you can print the crest, cut it out, and glue it on the envelope. Now, write the address of your friend on the envelope with your best handwriting.
If you are not good at it, ask a friend with good handwriting to write the address. If you know calligraphy, this will be the perfect time to use it. Don’t forget to add Hogwart’s return address underneath the crest or at the back of your envelope which is the tradition in Britain. - Deliver your letter
Think of a creative way to deliver your letter. You can slip it in your friend’s locker, you can slip it in a stack of birthday cards or even dangle it in a room using a piece of string.
Hogwarts Acceptance Letters
What to do next?
Things are not yet done after you have created your Hogwarts acceptance letter template as there are other things that you need to do to complete the entire experience of sending the letter template:
- Order or purchase parchment paper
Printing the letter on standard white paper might make your letter look crummy. Use parchment paper available in most craft stores in different sizes. Use this type of paper to make your letter look cooler and more authentic. - Create a cool envelope
Go online and search for websites that offer really cool Hogwarts envelopes. Just download the image and print the envelope of your choice. If you prefer to type the address manually, you can easily do that using word processing software. As for the wax seal, you can also print this out and glue it on the envelope. An even better idea is to print it on a sheet of sticker paper and stick it on the back of the envelope. - Print a ticket for Platform 9-3/4″
What you have so far accomplished will look really nice in full gold and other colors. But even with just parchment paper printed in black and white, it can look just as good while saving you a lot of ink. For an added finishing touch, draw an owl on a balloon with markers then wrap the letter in twine, and attach it to the owl balloon. Just practice care because the balloon might pop while you draw the owl or if it rubs against twine.