A BERKELEY FIRST: Berkeley will have a movie night of the new film Fantastic Beasts at AMC Westshore, which opens on Nov. 18th, the first time the school has planned such an event.

If you’ve ever wondered what a boggart really looks like, pondered on the limits to the magical properties of Mad Eye Moody’s eye or stressed over which house the Sorting Hat would put you in, then it is time to rejoice. Berkeley’s Student Library Proctors will be hosting a community showing of the Harry Potter Universe’s latest phenomenon — “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Make no mistake, this event is not some SLP conspiracy to raise money or recruit for their club (although, as Head Student Library Proctor Anjali Kapadia ’17 noted in an interview, “it’s a really cool thing to be a part of”). Library Assistant Allyson Fletcher , the mastermind behind the event and an ardent Griffyn-Puff (also known as a Hufflepuff who doesn’t want to admit they’re in Hufflepuff), explained her goal for the movie night as “just trying to get more of the students involved in activities and provide a fun way for students to unwind and de-stress before exams.”

They have clearly succeeded in this goal, planning an event that should be almost as much fun as an afternoon in the Room of Requirement. Not only will students have the opportunity to see the film with the entire Berkeley community, but they can also enter a raffle, which will include prizes like Universal Studios tickets, Harry Potter collectibles, candy and (as rumor has it) one of Voldemort’s horcruxes. Plus, it will be a great opportunity to spend time with friends, and perhaps to meet new ones. About 200 Berkeley muggles are already expected to attend, and ticket sales are still open. And after all, who would pass up the opportunity to have a movie night with Dr. Morris in attendance?

The prospect of seeing this film should make even the most casual of Harry Potter fans shiver in their robes. Rowling rarely (cough, Cursed Child, cough)  disappoints when expanding the Wizarding World, and expect Fantastic Beasts to be no different. It will be the first movie whose screenplay was written by J.K. Rowling, and it looks like a real zinger. It tells the story of Newt Scamander, who you may know as the fictional author of the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them if you’re a true Potter nerd, who is traveling the world with a magical case full of wildlife from the Wizarding World. But what happens when a multitude of said fantastic beasts are accidentally set loose in New York City? You’ll just have to come to the movie night to find out. Lame cliffhangers aside, this event should be a ton of fun, and will be all the more fun if all you Berkeley Potter fans come out in droves. Let’s make this occasion (the first of its kind in this school’s history) special.