Oh no! You’ve been invited to a last-minute Hallowe’en party and you have absolutely nothing to wear! Never fear. We’ve come up with some incredibly lacklustre Harry Potter dress-up ideas that you can just about get away with.

Harry Potter – Get some round glasses and a pen

First off, let’s start with the classic: grab your mate’s spare glasses (we hope their prescription isn’t too strong) and a pen. Boom, you’re The Boy Who Lived in under 30 seconds.

You know what you have to do: draw a lightning bolt on your forehead and mess your hair up a bit. And look confused and/or stressed. Harry, more often than not, either looks confused or stressed due to his little Lord Voldemort problem. You’re going to look great.

Snape – Don’t wash your hair, grab a bed-sheet

He's a surly dude and the perfect Hallowe’en mood. Yes, you’re going to your spooky soiree as Potions Professor and all-round-grump, Severus Snape. Now, Snape isn’t what you would call a dedicated follower of fashion – often known to be floating around Hogwarts in a big black robe and generally just emitting a dark, bat-like vibe.

Good news for you, then. All you’ll need to conquer Snape’s greasy aesthetic is some sort of large piece of fabric (got any dark bed sheets?) to wrap around you and a distinct lack of effort when it comes to your personal hygiene for the next couple of days. We respect your commitment to the bit.

Hagrid – Grab a friend and get them to sit on your shoulders all night

Ah yes: old faithful. When in doubt for a costume, there’s always the never-not-funny routine of putting your friend on your shoulders and putting a giant coat over the top of you both. It’s hilarious! Look how tall you are! What a laugh riot.

And our loveable half-giant Hagrid is the perfect subject for such tomfoolery. Preferably, if you can find a bearded friend – even better. And if they can do a west-country accent – you are truly in business.

Hermione – Tease your locks and grab a big load of books

She’s our brilliant bookworm, probably the reason Harry Potter is still alive, and incredibly easy to wing it for a Hallowe’en costume. Our lovely Hermione has big curly hair and usually a book under her arm.

Sometimes several. So why not put your hair in rollers, purge your bookcase, and see what happens?

Dobby – We hope you like putting giant pieces of lettuce on your ears

Our wholesome house-elf Dobby is an absolute sweetheart, and this makeshift Hallowe’en costume attempt is an absolute insult to him. With apologies, little guy. Famed for his floppy ears and (in his Malfoy days) a sad, dirty pillowcase, you can’t deny that’s a pretty easy costume to put together.

Now, this is just an idea, but if you just happened to have any big lettuces in the fridge (think Romaine or Iceberg, something extra leafy) you could quite simply clip these to your ears and pop a pillowcase over the top of you. Look, it’s just an idea. You’re the one reading this article, so we know the situation is pretty desperate.

Any Hogwarts portrait – Just grab some cardboard....

The Hogwarts halls are adorned with many a fascinating portrait, full of great witches and wizards of times gone by. Now, it’s your chance to join that legacy, by grabbing four long pieces of cardboard, sticking them together in a square shape, and holding it over your body awkwardly. Voila: you have framed yourself!

One small snag: you do kinda have to hold this frame over yourself for a long period of time to maintain the portrait illusion. And if you’re trick or treating, you might need a chaperone to hold the sweets because – pal – your arms are going to get pretty tired.

But we must all suffer for our art.

Some (dis)honourable mentions

Professor Trelawney: Grab some incense and a cup of tea and look mysterious for a good long while.
Newt Scamander: You’ve probably got a briefcase from a failed job interview knocking around somewhere, right? And you could even raid your garden to find a twig to represent Pickett the Bowtruckle!
Argus Filch: Hold a broom in a grumpy manner and maintain a perpetually exasperated attitude.
Neville Longbottom: All you need is a red apple to be your Remembrall and your own natural, adorable energy.
Lord Voldemort: A shower cap. Some white face paint. Some bad vibes. And you’re good to go!


Happy dressing up and have a frightfully fun time, won’t you?

Illustrations courtesy of Pottermore Publishing