My 8-year old daughter wanted a Harry Potter Sleep-Over party. It was her first sleep-over.  I told her since it was a sleep-over, it was going to be a SIMPLE party: craft, pizza, movie, bed...but I never can keep it simple!  INVITATION: I just printed out a simple invitation with a downloaded graphic of the Hogwarts School Crest, inviting them to a party there. Nothing complicated. CRAFTS:  When the kids arrived, we sat down and made magic ingredient bags. I had pre-cut circles, about 15 across of fleece (two patterns: cobwebs and stars/planets) and pre-cut holes around the edge with a hole punch and I had red or white rounded ribbon pre-cut to the appropriate length.  The kids wove the ribbon in and out of the holes then slid the two ends of the ribbon through a lace-stop (like you find on drawstring bags - easily found at the local fabric store) then they added a few beads to the ends of the strings and tied a knot to keep them on.  You could also safety pin a small jingle bell onto the bottom of the bag. We ate delivery pizza. Then we had a second craft: my husband had cut dowels to appropriate 'magic wand' length and the kids just used washable markers to decorate them.  I was afraid they would find this 'lame' but they loved it.  GAMES: When that was done I was announcing it was time to watch a movie when low and behold a wizard appeared from the back telling everyone to bring their wands and get in line! (My husband in my choir robe a fake beard and pointy hat. This particular wizard has appeared at other parties...but that's another story.)  He announced that he was Professor Vlad the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! He quizzed the kids about their knowledge of several dark creatures...such as Jumping Jigglers...and when they couldn't tell him anything about them he decided he needed to give them a tour of the Forbidden Forest to show them these creatures. We marched out to the car port and he had them try to light their wands but pointing them and yelling "lumos!"...but it was no good they wouldn't light.  Luckily I had a muggle light (dollar store flashlight) for each child so they took their lights and followed Vlad to underneath our tall deck where I had set up a very simple 'haunted house'.  DECORATIONS: There were lots of 'cobwebs' and plastic spiders (Jumping Jigglers) a few scary masks in the windows or on nearby trees and at the far side of the decks...an extra large spider which Vlad announced was Aragog and he held the spider off with his wand while the kids ran past. (Again I was afraid the kids would think this lame but it seemed to be just right...they hugged each other and kept exclaiming "ooooh this is creepy!") So the kids get back to the carport and as Vlad starts to discuss spells...out of the dark comes Professor McGonagall! (My old college roommate in her best witch hat and glasses.)  She announces that this wizard is an impostor!  He isn't Vlad...he is Thad the evil Wizard! Thad starts to curse her with his wand she points her wand and yells "Expelliramus"...and the wand SHOOTS out of the wizard's hand into hers...(My husband had put a small slit in the bottom of his wand and strung a rubber band through it...you pull it back and bam-it shoots out!)  Thad yelled he didn't need a wand to curse us!  He threw out his hand and there were several loud pops on the pavement (Party Poppers - available at any party store).  He announced we would all turn into bats at midnight and ran off cackling into the night. (Where he was supposed to re-enter the house through the back door but I forgot to unlock it...but that's another story...) Professor McGonagal pulled the kids close checked their eyes and announced them indeed cursed. She waved her wand and said some words but was unable to break the curse.  All we could do she said was try to find Hippogriff Eggs with a magical water stone inside.  (Plastic easter eggs put together with different colored tops and bottoms with a fancy marble inside ... like you use in fish tanks or clear plant pots.) She sent the kids to the Shrieking Shack (our outdoor play structure) to search for the eggs which I had salted around earlier along with some candy. The kids used their flashlights - each was allowed one egg and plenty of candy which they put in their ingredient bags.  Then they came back to the carport sat in a circle around McGonagall and carefully followed her instructions.  You had to SLOWLY open the egg ready to shut it again quickly if there was actually a baby Hippogriff inside. Then you touched your nose and each elbow with the stone then spun around in place 7 times fast.  If you were dizzy the spell was broken!  CAKE: After all that the rest was pretty simple.  We all trooped in to decorate a cupcake then put the cupcakes together each with candle for my daughter to blow out. Then they went to the TV room spread out sleeping bags watched "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and went to sleep. After a breakfast of pancakes they spent the morning running around the house with their magic wands going through the 'haunted house' over and over again. FAVORS:  The kids each left with the Muggle light a magic ingredient bag stuffed with candy and a magic water stone and a magic wand.  "