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Portus 2008

Dallas, Texas

Day Three and Four - July 12-13, 2008

Toni Gras

HPFZ Reporter

Final thoughts on Portus 2008…

The Death Eaters Have Arrived!

It was a bit startling to be walking through the luxurious Hilton Antole and see not just one, but at least SIX Death Eaters. They huddled around Lord Voldemort played by (s/he who shall remain nameless). Their costumes (or were they?) were so realistic that one could feel the chill in the hot and sultry Dallas air when they gathered in the lobby. When I interviewed His Lordship, he explained to me that they all met on Live Journal and planned to convene together for this conference - in fact, more were due to arrive at any time. As I studied the intense make-up work, I could tell this was not an amateur costume. Much hard work and painstaking effort had been taken to cover every little detail, down to the non-nose and red eyes of His Lordship. As we talked, I could tell these were die-hard (no pun intended — or perhaps there is!) Potter fans intrigued with the dark forces of the Potter movies.

I was impressed with the amount of dedication and work it took to re-create these characters and applaud this dedicated group for adding a bit of spice to the conference — many turned heads and flashing cameras ensued whenever they walked by; as I understand, the Christian church group in the same hotel had many prayers coming our way!

Muggle Masquerade

July 12 saw one of the biggest events of the Portus 2008 conference and one which most attendees look forward to as a highlighted event - the Masquerade Ball. This is an event in which you can let your costume fantasies become real for a night, becoming whoever you may desire either in or out of the Harry Potter world - and no one laughs - but instead applauds and takes your picture. Costumes were plain and simple as the Hogwarts school robes to elaborate such as Dumbledore with his long flowing white beard, Snape with his very pronounced nose and black-as-black hair, Lucius with his white-as-white flowing hair and ?Wizards and witches of all genres, as well as fairies and princesses. Various potions disguised as alcholic beverages were available for purchase including ones entitled "Sevies Love Potion" (for chocolate liquor loveres) and "Ravenclaw" (for Red Bull and vodka lovers!) to name a few.

The center piece of the ball was the giant Portus 2008 ice sculpture surrounded by a table of finger foods. The stage was set with purple and silver balloons and attendees danced the night away to Wizard Rock while lights flashed on and off around the ballroom. A true Remember-all Potter celebration of the last night of the conference.

Wizard Rock

What is a Harry Potter conference without Wizard Rock groups?! Portus conference attendees were treated to many musically talented young Wizard Rock groups. Moaning Myrtles, Mudbloods, Whomping Willows and Remus Lupins played hard and intensely to enthusiastic cheers from their young (and young at heart) audience. Heads bobbed, bodies jumped up and down and couples and singles danced while the Rock groups played during the opening night, masquerade ball, unplugged in the Common Room, and on on the last night for a fantastic conference farewell concert.

Interview with MoM (Minister of Magic), Bekki Oliveri

As the conference was winding down on the fourth and last day of the conference, I had the opportunity to interview one of the main forces behind the conference, Bekki Oliveri, Minister of Magic of Harry Potter Educational Fanon (HPEF), the group that has gone through hours and hours of tireless effort to put together a conference of this caliber for Potter fans….following is an abbreviated version of the interview - the entire video interview will be broadcast shortly…

Q: In one word how has the conference been?

A: AMAZING!

Q: Please expand:

A: Great group of attendees, alot of excitement in the air, great costumes and presenters - everyone together sharing their love of the Potter books.

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of organizing something of this nature?

A: Getting the amount of volunteers that are needed. Being a non-profit organization (501(c)3), HPEF relies on volunteers to put the conferences together. Without volunteers, it could not happen.

Q: How many people are involved in the organizing of this conference?

A: 14 chair people and 75-100 volunteers.

Q: Did you get the participation you had anticipated?

A: We were a little lower in numbers this year comparerd to last year, but we still enjoyed those who attended.

Q: What is in store for the future?

A: "Azkatraz 2009" in San Francisco - yes, close to the island that was used as a real prison in San Francisco Bay called Alcatraz! And in 2010, the conference in conjunction with the opening of Universal Studios "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" in Orlando, Florida.

Thank you Bekki!

Ending Comments

Even though the books have finished, no one wanted Portus 2008 to finish. I saw conference attendees with sad faces on the last day of the conference, getting ready to check out of the hotel and into the "real" world. Some I almost did not rezognize without their robes and hats on. Many commented that this was a wonderful escape for them, a true vacation from the realities of life. Much had been learned (after all, this IS an educational conference!). A closeness and strong bond had been developed — we are not alone in our admiration for the world of Harry Potter - we are not freaks — perhaps a bit eccentric - but, hey, wouldn't life be bored if we were all the same….. Thanks to the organizers of this wonderful event, the presenters, the Wizard Rock groups, the volunteers, the panelists, the keynote speakers, and the attendees - we are all captured by the magic!

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