Now any Muggle with Internet access can learn magic.

Hogwarts is Here, a fan-created and volunteer-run website, offers nine-week online courses, including Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The site offers seven years’ worth of classes, each with textbooks, professors, graded homework and tests. There is even an electronic version of Gringotts Bank which awards students galleons based on academic performance to purchase course material.

Students who enroll in the program are placed in a house and dormitory. Students may earn points for their house. Currently, more than 134,000 students have registered, according to the website.

“I think it’s cool that pop culture is broadening into academics,” said Megan Dipo, a junior in history and religious studies.

Although Dipo does not follow Harry Potter, she said she would be interested in the concept of taking classes based on fandom for series that she followed, such as “The Lord of the Rings.”

Sharu Kannan, a freshman in biology, said she was excited to look into the courses and might start over the summer. She became interested in Harry Potter after reading the seventh book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows while on a trip.

“It didn’t make any sense, so after I got home from the road trip, I bought the book set,” Kannan said.

Few students have already begun participating in the courses, as Hogwarts is Here is only a week old.

The website also attempts to integrate the online experience with physical communities, such as the Harry Potter club at the U.

The Harry Potter books have always been an escape for Pascal Bhatti, the president of the Harry Potter club and a junior in computer engineering.

He looks forward to enrolling in the courses and furthering his interest.

The Harry Potter club held weekly meetings this year. They discussed the books, watched movies and participated in other activities.

k.tao@chronicle.utah.edu

@TaoKevin