Moncton — She may be just a muggle but if Mayor Dawn Arnold has her way, the Hub City will soon be working its magic on the province of New Brunswick.
Only days after purchasing the Castle Manor grounds, Arnold is announcing the second part of an ambitious plan that will see the city also purchase Castle Manor itself. On Monday, she announced a plan to fulfill her long-held dream to transform the derelict building into a satellite campus of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“No, I’m not yanking your wands,” laughed Arnold. “I know some people think that my fire’s lit but the cauldron’s empty. I assure you nothing could be further from the truth. We have an opportunity to bring new wizarding and Wiccan distance learning programs to our region, and Castle Manor is the perfect spot.”
Mayor Arnold concedes that she is a bit of a Harry Potter “fanatic,” and has pledged to take a leadership role in bringing Hogwarts’ magic to Mountain Road.
“Trust me, I’m not counting my owls before they’re delivered. I’ve given this a lot of thought,” she said, setting her broom aside. “The grounds that we just purchased will be perfect for Quidditch, and we are in negotiations to allow the Hogwarts Express to use the Via Rail station. And, the houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin will be allocated space in nearby buildings owned by Killam Properties.”
When asked if she may be considering enrollment at the new school, Arnold did not provide a clear answer. “Ha, we’ll wait and see I guess,” she laughed. However, when asked which house that she’d join, she replied without hesitation. “Well, that’s really up to the Sorting Hat, I won’t have much to do with that decision.”
Under her breath though, she was heard whispering, “Not Slytherin.”