Five Harvard Locations and Their Hogwarts Equivalents

Hogwarts and Harvard are the pinnacles of magical and Muggle education, so it’s not much of a surprise that there’s some overlap between the two. In all of our sprawling campus, these are the spots that seem most magical (not necessarily in a good way).

5. Annenberg

Doesn’t Annenberg look a lot like Platform Nine and Three Quarters? Just kidding. Everyone knows Annenberg and the Great Hall are actually the same place.

4. Steam Tunnels

The tunnels that run under the whole campus, all the way to the Business School, are perhaps even more impressive than the tunnels running from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. And at Harvard you don’t even have to brave the Shrieking Shack in order to get out of them.

3. Cambridge Common

Ok, there aren’t very many trees (or man-eating spiders), but this is the closest we have to our very own Forbidden Forest. Watch out for the dangerous locals (centaurs, giants, muggers, etc.).

2. Memorial Hall Tower

If Harvard had a need for one, this would make a perfect Owlery. It’s already been taken over by birds, and it’s an ideal location for them to sweep through Annenberg delivering Howlers, broomsticks, and credit card spam.

1. Widener Lower Entrance

Does anyone else get a big Chamber of Secrets vibe in the corridor leading from the Mass. Ave. entrance to Widener? It’s semi-underground, the walls have a greenish tinge, and at the end there’s a statue of a bearded guy who looks like Salazar Slytherin. This place creeps me out.

—Chris R. Kingston is an outgoing Comp Director and Pizza Exec. He bought that t-shirt three years ago and was glad to finally find a socially acceptable reason to wear it.