Cheryl Gamache saw it as a cool mom move to get her son reading more books.
The house near South Orange Blossom Trail was undergoing a major renovation, with walls being knocked down and rooms redone.
But the space under the stairs was neglected. Why not turn it into a Harry Potter tribute?
Gamache envisioned it as a reading nook for her 8-year-old son, Jordan, where he could pretend he was in a cupboard under the stairs where poor Harry lived over the summer with the terrible Dursleys. It would be a quiet escape from Jordan’s younger siblings, Connor, 3, and Charlotte, 1.
After the construction work was done, Cheryl, 36, crouched inside the room and painted the walls as her three children slept one night this summer.
Clint took them to a movie while she hung up the pictures, including one that says, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good” — a line from the Potter books. She installed a bookshelf and accessorized with the wizard essentials, such as stuffed owls and a sorting hat. The Potter series lined the shelves, of course.
It felt like a secret hiding spot. Walking past, if the door was shut, you would never know the nook existed because there was no door handle or knob.
“We have our own little wizarding world,” said her husband, Clint Gamache, 34, creator of ThrillGeek, a theme park blog that covers Universal and Disney.
On Jordan’s 8th birthday last month, they surprised him.
“I don’t know what to say — everything was really cool,” Jordan said on a recent day.
His father posted pictures on social media for the rest of the world to admire.
“I don’t know you, but I’m moving in,” a stranger wrote back.
“This is next-level wizardry,” another responded.
Other people daydreamed of their own home improvement projects to match the Gamaches’ space.
“Now I want to knock out the wall under my stairs so I can do this!” one woman wrote on Facebook. “I’m sure my husband will be thrilled at the suggestion.”
Already, the magic of the cupboard draws Jordan in. His parents noticed him slipping inside on his own to read — a case of mischief managed.
To read other stories in this series:
Florist’s home blooms with theme-park decor
New York family tries to jog memories of 38 visits in 14 years
At Universal Studios, college student says he rode E.T. Adventure 56 times in one day
Canadian family ties Disney to engagement, wedding, honeymoon
Lakeland man plays Walt Disney World mini-golf course 564 times
Trips to Disney remind Indiana man of his beloved wife
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