Proud to be a Potterhead
This Harry Potter fan has even turned a bedroom in her home into her wizardry corner
Tay Suan Chiang
If YOU score a sleepover at Cheryl Ma’s home, you won’t be spending a night in a typical guest room. Instead, you will be in Ma’s wizardry corner, a nickname she has given to the space, because it contains all things related to Harry Potter.
Written by British author JK Rowling, Harry Potter is a series of 7 fantasy novels that chronicles the lives of young wizard Potter and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, who are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In Ma’s wizardry corner, there is a bed for guests with a quilt cover featuring emblems from the four houses of Hogwarts.
One wall in the room is lined with wallpaper that is a print of The Marauder’s Map, which reveals every classroom, hallway and secret passageways in Hogwarts. Other items adorning the wall include prints from the movies as well as several replica wands.
Standing at the foot of the bed is a replica of the Mirror of Erised, a magical mirror that reflects a person’s deepest desire. The mirror had cost Ma about US$400, with another few more hundreds spent shipping from the US. “I was so worried that it might get lost along the way, but thankfully, it arrived safely,” she says.
While it may not show Ma’s desires like in the books, it allows her to check her reflection before she heads out.
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On the other side of the room are floor-to-ceiling shelves, filled with more Harry Potter merchandise, including an impressive collection of Funko Pop! figurines, such as those of the three main characters in their sorting hats, as well as others.
Ma has dedicated another shelf to displaying items used in the Dark Arts, which is any type of magic that is used to cause harm. No surprises then to see that Ma has replicas of all the 7 Horcruxes such as Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring, Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup and Rowena Ravencla’s Daidem. In the Harry Potter series, destroying the horcruxes is the way to kill off Voldemort, the main antagonist.
And just like how Hogwarts has a wall of photographs along its grand staircase, Ma too has created a mini version of it. Here, she has put up family photos in gilded frames as well as one of her at the famed platform 9¾ in London’s King’s Cross station. In the series, Potter and his friends get to the platform by dashing through a brick wall between platforms 9 and 10.
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In the Muggle (non-magical) world, Ma is a deal advisor with one of the Big Four accounting firms. The 32-year-old has been a fan of Harry Potter after she caught the first movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, in 2001.
“I was 11 when I watched the movie, about the same age as the characters. Over the years, I feel like I’ve also grown up with them,” says Ma, of her love for the series. “Also, there are lessons to be learnt, such as always staying on the right path.”
She adds, “and when life or work gets too stressful, it is always a treat to retreat to the magical world”.
With her wide array of memorabilia, it is hard to believe that Ma only started her collection actively in the last two years.
This coincided with the time when Ma and her engineer husband, himself a Marvel and DC Comic fan, moved into their home. There was no space for a collection when she was still living with her parents.
Besides Harry Potter, Ma is also a big Disney fan. “I grew up watching Mickey Mouse & Friends cartoons and the Disney Princesses movies, so I have a soft spot for them,” she says.
Her Disney collection, including several mini replica castles, as well as more Funko Pop! figurines, are on display in the living room.
Ma’s love for Harry Potter and Disney go beyond display items. She also has them as bags and clothes, and has been fortunate enough to be able to wear them to work.
“My colleagues are so used to it now when I turn up in a Disney print top. They say I bring a positive vibe to the office,” she says. “But of course, when I meet clients, I’m in proper office wear.”
The couple got married two years ago, but no thanks to Covid, they haven’t had the chance to go on their honeymoon.
That will happen at the end of the year, when they head to the Harry Potter and Disney theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando.
Ma has already planned outfits for the both of them. “We are definitely going as our favourite characters,” she says.
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