Wizarding World Homepage

The wizarding world cryptic crossword #4

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Try our latest cryptic brainteaser for those with Hermione-level brains.

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For more puzzles, crosswords and wordsearches, [visit our puzzles hub.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles)

Our previous cryptics can be found here!

[Cryptic Crossword 1](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/wizarding-world-cryptic-crossword) <br>
[Cryptic Crossword 2](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/another-wizarding-world-cryptic-crossword) <br> 
[Cryptic Crossword 3](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/cryptic-crossword-3) <br>

The socks quiz

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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and the Chamber of Secrets

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In honour of Dobby the house-elf’s birthday we thought we should do a quiz based on his most favourite thing (apart from Harry of course) – socks! Test your wizarding world sock knowledge with our quiz…

The Cheering Charms wordsearch

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Once you finish the puzzle, feel free to play more. 

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***

[See our latest wordsearches, crosswords and Number Magic puzzles over at our hub!](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles)

Or if you're in need of some more cheer, here are some of our favourite [funny Harry Potter moments.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/funniest-moments-of-harry-potter)

WATCH: Our history of the Hogwarts house founders video

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Delve deep into the annals of Hogwarts history with us. 

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Fancy extending your Hogwarts house education? Join us on our [Hogwarts house pride page](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-house-pride) where we celebrate Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin in equal measure.

Enjoy an early Halloween haul with this week's offers

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Celebrate Christmas with the return of Hogwarts in the Snow at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London

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Ready for a bit of Christmas cheer? We have just the thing. On Saturday 11th November, the much-loved Hogwarts in the Snow returns to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London with everything from snowy scenes to festive feasts.

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Experience the Great Hall dressed in all its finery with the glittering gold decorations from *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* alongside mistletoe, holly, a mouth-watering banquet and Christmas trees – well it would hardly be Christmas without them! Take in the snow-covered Forbidden Forest and Hagrid’s Hut. Stroll along the cobbled stones of Diagon Alley and admire the frosted shop windows. Learn the dance steps that Neville so diligently practiced before the Yule Ball and don’t forget to discover more about one of Harry’s most important Christmas presents… his invisibility cloak of course.

That’s not all, from the Gryffindor boys’ dormitory to the common rooms, you can discover how your favourite sets were turned into Christmassy wonderlands with handmade Christmas cards created by the crew during filming and Christmas trees decorated with glittering skulls. 

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There’s also the opportunity to get hands-on at the snowmaking station where you can uncover the filmmaking secrets of the snow that doesn’t melt but still crunches underfoot and glistens like ice on-screen…

We also can’t forget the Hogwarts castle model that has been transformed by filmmakers with a covering of snow from above, like the icing on a cake. If you pay close enough attention you might be able to spot the snowmen hidden amongst the grounds.

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Once you’ve explored all the festive offerings of the tour, you can browse the Studio Tour’s Christmas shop packed full of exclusive festive souvenirs, gifts and the perfect stocking fillers for your friends and family. 

Excitingly, Dinner in the Great Hall will also be returning this year with a festive feast and exclusive after-hours access to the Studio Tour. You will begin with drinks and canapes in the lobby, then a delicious two-course meal in the Great Hall, followed by a visit around the Studio Tour with treats along the way – including a souvenir gift from the Christmas shop. To top it all off, the evening will end with a disco in the lobby under the giant Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon.

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This particular event will be hosted on Tuesday 12th December and Wednesday 13th December from 6:20pm to midnight, is open to over 18s only and will cost £275. However, for families the Studio Tour has something brand new for 2023…

For one night only, on Friday 8th December the Studio Tour is hosting a Dinner in the Great Hall event for families with young children. Each child ticket will include a fun souvenir gift bag crammed with Harry Potter goodies!

Running from 6:30pm until 11:45pm, this is a family-friendly event, catering to families with children aged 12-17. Tickets will cost £275 per adult and £250 per child and will go on sale at 10:00 am on 13th of September. Tickets can be purchased from the [Warner Bros. Studio Tour London website](https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/whats-on/dinner-in-the-great-hall/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=wizardingworld&utm_campaign=ditgh) or by calling the Studio Tour’s Visitor Services Team on 0800 640 4550).


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So, if you want to visit Hogwarts in the Snow, it will run from Saturday 11th November 2023 to Sunday 14th January 2024. All tickets must be pre-booked. For all the details, visit the [official website](https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/whats-on/hogwarts-in-the-snow/?utm_medium=web&utm_source=wizardingworld&utm_campaign=hits).

Scholastic celebrates 25 years of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

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A young boy dressed as Harry Potter holds a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in his hands and is looking at it happily.

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First up, prepare to get a little bit teary at this new sizzle reel put together by Scholastic, rolling back the years…

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And here’s everything you need to know about how Scholastic are celebrating. Including a rather illuminating moment in New York…

## The Empire State Building will light up in Hogwarts house colours 
On 27th September, the world-famous Empire State Building will light up Gryffindor red, Slytherin Green, Ravenclaw blue and Hufflepuff yellow to commemorate this huge milestone in the Harry Potter calendar. If you live in the city that doesn’t sleep, you’ll definitely not want to miss this one. 


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The cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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## Scholastic will donate 25,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to schools
Across the US, kids, teachers, and school librarians will receive free copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in collaboration with the Scripps Howard Fund. The national literacy campaign “If You Give a Child a Book...” focuses on providing free books to low-income students. Additionally, all seven Harry Potter books will be gifted to school libraries in underserved communities.

## Get ready for the “Welcome to Hogwarts” National Contest 
“What class would you take at Hogwarts and why?” – that is the question being posed to young fans with the chance of winning an incredible prize. Competition entrants simply need to answer the question – then three lucky winners and their guests will be whisked off to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ at the location of their choice, Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort. Other prizes include a Harry Potter book box set and a classroom set of Harry Potter books to donate to a school of the winner’s choice, among other magical items. If only Felix Felicis was available to help you win! You can grab all the details [here](https://www.scholastic.com/hp25contest).

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## Free Harry Potter “Welcome to Hogwarts” Book Kits 
The Hogwarts goodies don’t end there. To bring communities together and to encourage kids and families to start their own reading journey, Scholastic this month will be distributing thousands of free Harry Potter “Welcome to Hogwarts” Book Club kits to schools and libraries around the country. Each kit will feature fun activities, discussion guides, stickers and bookmarks. All the downloadable magic can be found right [here](https://www.scholastic.com/HarryPotterBookKit). 

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A cartoon of Harry flying on his broomstick. The text says 'Harry Potter, Welcome to Hogwarts, Book Club Kit'. All seven book covers are below the image of Harry.

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## A new paperback box set 
Enjoy the Harry Potter books with refreshed covers, featuring the iconic Harry Potter logo from artist Mary GrandPré – the incredible talent behind the artwork on the original US Harry Potter books.


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An image of the scholastic Harry Potter boxset. 

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## And many more exciting tomes 
There are three more titles to take a look at this year to get in on the excitement, from creative cooking to an encyclopaedic exploration of Harry Potter.

[The Official Harry Potter Cookbook](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/take-a-look-inside-new-harry-potter-cookbook) (Out now!) 
[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, illustrated by MinaLima](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/take-a-look-at-prisoner-of-azkaban-illustrated-by-minalima) (Out 3rd October) 
[The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/the-harry-potter-wizarding-almanac-coming-soon) (Out 10th October)

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An images showing all seven of the Scholastic Harry Potter book covers.

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***

And finally, 25 years calls for [25 fun facts about the Harry Potter books](http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/files/25%20FACTS%20ABOUT%20THE%20HARRY%20POTTER%20BOOK%20SERIES_1%20DOC.pdf). See how many of these you knew!

Everything that happened on Back to Hogwarts Day at King’s Cross station in 2023

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It's that time of year once again. Here in London, we once again flocked to King’s Cross Station (just like a young Harry Potter once did) and readied ourselves for the departure of the [Hogwarts Express](https://www.wizardingworld.com/fact-file/magical-miscellany/hogwarts-express) at 11 o’ clock – something we, and the fans, have been doing for many years, counting down the famous moment from the books and films together.

But it’s not just about the countdown! There was Butterbeer, a giant wand spinner and even some bewitched trunks. Read on to discover all the magical happenings. 

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## Sam Thompson was our Chosen One  
With so many Harry Potter fans flooding a functioning train station, you’re going to need a friendly face to help keep order. Thankfully, we had the always-joyful Sam Thompson with us to keep spirits high and guide us through today’s festivities. Thank you, Sam! Maybe there’s a Hogwarts Headmaster job in your future. 


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## A special guest joined us for our famous countdown 
You may have heard that we recently put on an extremely enchanting competition, inviting one lucky Harry Potter fan to lead our countdown at 11 o’ clock. We tasked fans to send us videos of themselves performing their best countdowns from 10 to 1 – and we received many iconic and creative entries. Our lucky winner? The charismatic and wonderful Arnav! Arnav, you smashed it, mate – fancy doing New Year’s Eve next?  


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## Frank Skinner said hello! 

Hello Frank Skinner! Yes, the comedian and host popped down to King's Cross alongside hundreds of fans - and we couldn't resist a little photoshoot with him. We didn't force him into a singalong of Three (Gryffindor) Lions though, promise.

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## The fans excelled themselves with their Wizarding World outfit choices 
Back to Hogwarts Day is an excuse to do many things (re-watch the Harry Potter films back-to-back, treat yourself to a Wizarding World trinket, or simply refresh our website over and over…) but for some fans, the best way to celebrate was through the power of fashion. We always look forward to your fabulous ensembles on the 1st September, and we were not disappointed this year. 

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## Our AR filters caused much amusement 
Forgot to wear a costume? Not to worry – we’ve launched two special Back to Hogwarts filters this year on Instagram and TikTok to help you transform digitally. Our [Chocolate Frog filter](https://www.wizardingworld.com/linkout?destination=https:/www.instagram.com/ar/1364027944509987), which invites you to discover your famous wizarding future, is fresh out the box and available for you to try now. – while our [Mis-Spelled filter](https://www.wizardingworld.com/linkout?destination=https://vm.tiktok.com/ZT8FvmaW3/) will finally answer the question you’ve always asked yourself: “what would I look like if I was magically vomiting slugs”? We don’t think a certain Ron Weasley would approve of this one. 


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## The cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came to visit for a special Q&A…
London Cursed Child cast-members Michelle Gayle (Hermione) and Tom Aldridge (Ron) popped down to King’s Cross to answer fans’ burning questions, alongside Cursed Child Illusion Designer John Bulleid, the man behind the magical sequences you see in the play, such as the beautiful Patronus effect. 

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## Anyone for a Scavenger Hunt?
If the King's Cross festivities weren't enough, it was revealed that a scavenger hunt had been set up around London, with the chance to win tickets for the play at the Palace Theatre. Equipped with stamp cards, fans set about the capital solving clues, determined to snap up the grand prize.

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## We encountered some very funky trunks… and a giant LEGO® one!
Packing your trunk is an integral part of Back to Hogwarts preparation – but at King’s Cross this year… we bumped into some cases behaving rather strangely. Well, we’re pretty sure trunks don’t usually hiccough or sneeze?! Thankfully, the trunks were, in fact, not bewitched by an unruly stranger, but a fun surprise for our King’s Cross visitors. A huge thank you to our well-dressed King’s Cross porters for keeping a handle on them! 

Once the trunks had calmed down… we were greeted with the pièce de resistance: a lovely life-sizedLEGO® trunk full of prizes! And yes, spoiler alert, the prizes were also LEGO®! The LEGO® Group’s Master Builders are like wizards in their own right, creating a huge Hogwarts-style case  to the delight of the King’s Cross visitors. The perfect spectacle for anyone out there who is guilty of not being able to travel light! The trunk is inspired by a real LEGO® Harry Potter set you can actually buy – the [Hogwarts™ Magical Trunk](https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/hogwarts-magical-trunk-76399). Although not quite as huge, naturally.

This wasn’t the only LEGO® love we saw around the station. A LEGO® Lord Voldemort even cropped up, casting a (thankfully harmless) LEGO® curse. You can see more of The LEGO Group’s fabulous products at their [official website](https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/harry-potter), and see some of their most recent launches. 


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## Wait a minute, who let Buckbeak in?! 
Look, we’re not Hippogriff experts like Hagrid, but we’re pretty sure King’s Cross Station isn’t their usual habitat. Nonetheless, we were thrilled to see that a giant version of Schleich's Buckbeak paid the station a visit! We hope everyone bowed accordingly when they stopped for photos…


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## Hogwarts Legacy bring Hogwarts to King’s Cross 
What happens when you can’t get to Hogwarts from King’s Cross? Bring Hogwarts to King’s Cross instead! Earlier this year, our minds were blown by the power of Hogwarts Legacy – the open-world RPG game that brought the wizarding school to life like never before. And for this year’s Back to Hogwarts Day, WB Games kindly obliged us with a set-up of the game for fans to play in the station. Let’s just hope people didn’t get sucked in too much and missed their trains.

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## Bloomsbury’s wand spinner made us dizzy with excitement 
We’re only a month away from discovering the delights of The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac, Bloomsbury’s cheerful compendium of the wizarding world, complete with beautiful illustrations, infographics and fun Harry Potter facts. At King’s Cross, the team brought us a wand spinner, to help fans decide which wand was best for them – with prizes to be discovered along the way. Step aside, Mr Ollivander! 

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## And finally… a magical proposal! 

Will you...Harry me?! Yes, this year we got our first Back to Hogwarts proposal, with Sam Thompson ushering up the happy couple on to the stage area to pop the question, via a Niffler. It's a long story. And before you ask - the answer was yes! Love really is the most powerful form of magic.

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***
And with that, another Back to Hogwarts morning flew right by, quicker than you can say Quidditch. But don’t be sad that it’s over! Smile because it happened… and tune into our friendly [showcase](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BOZcYPMriI&ab_channel=HarryPotter) to enjoy our special year in review of the Wizarding World.

And with all of that said… a huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for Back to Hogwarts Day in 2023, wherever you may be, however you did it. Not to get all soppy, but wherever you are in the world, we Harry Potter fans genuinely feel your presence stronger than ever on this day. It must be some kind of magic.

Full steam ahead to next year!  
