Have you ever seen the movie Fever Pitch? Even though I had never seen a baseball game when I first saw it, I knew that Ben was one of my kind: as a grown man his apartment is everything Red Sox: the bedding, the towels, the Yankees toilet paper…it reminded me of my childhood room, except replace the Red Sox with Harry Potter.

A couple of moves back and forth across the ocean – from Boston to England to Boston to Scotland – and I firmly identify as a “minimalist” [Full story in my book]. Part of this means that I live with only the essentials. The other, more important, part means that I live with only what I love, with what “sparks joy,” as Marie Kondo describes it.

So no, my piles of Harry Potter collectibles are not practical for everyday use – at first glance that is. With every visit home to Boston, I bring back a few more pieces, and infuse them into my adult life, finding ways to allow Harry to subtly and completely take over my flat.

First of all, the above banner, complete with collectible Hermione ornament, hangs in our dining room.

This Butterbeer mug from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park serves as a watering can. One day I hope to replant some herbs in it too.

This Gryffindor patch I picked up at Leaky Con is pasted on my Passion Planner, reminder of how I am a member of quite simply the best house at Hogwarts.

I brainstorm all my ideas for Lumos Your Life in the Hogwarts notebook on the left. I wrote two of my favourite Dumbledore-isms in the back as an invocation to read before each work day, an idea inspired by Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art:

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

“We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”

Another Butterbeer tumbler, this one from the Warner Brothers Studio Tour in London, holds my toothbrush.

Severus, my kindle, wears a Harry Potter sleeve (together they are Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Get it?), and an old school Bertie Bott’s pouch holds my pills and medication. Perfect for travel too.

Anyone remember the Harry Potter Collector Stones? My lightning bolt-shaped Gryffindor stone sits nicely with my citrine and amethyst crystals.

When I led Dumbledore’s Army at Oxford Prep, we shared the burden of this evil object [purchased at Waterstones on Cornmarket Street], and the students agreed that I should keep it after the programme ended. So I sleep with the Horcrux locket safely tucked on my bedpost.  Sometimes the Monkey or I slip it on to tell the other that we’re feeling particularly grumpy.

We picked up these house coasters at the Harry Potter shop at Kings Cross. The Hufflepuff one is usually on Monkey’s side.

Of course this stuff is made for children. But why on earth should that man that it does not belong in your grown-up living quarters? Take your favourite fandom stuff out of the closet or off the shelf and use it.

P.S. If you’re yearning to infuse more magic into your life, you might just love Lumos Your Life. Board the Hogwarts Express  for a tour through how the houses can help you light up your daily rituals and find your magical mission.