An unusual procession of snakes (that were alive), a train engine and a horde of noisy muggles. What else could it be but Carlsbad High’s very own Harry Potter-themed parade?

The procession not only won the approval of Harry Potter fans — but also that of the seniors who won the House Cup. This year’s floats were dedicated to the wizardly school of Hogwarts: seniors were Gryffindor, juniors were Slytherin, sophomores were Ravenclaw and freshmen were Hufflepuff.

“I think it is a cool idea, but sucks for those who aren’t Gyffindor because everyone loves that house,” sophomore Lindsey Nipper said. “Though overall, a Harry Potter-themed parade will stand out and be an enjoyable sight to watch.”

ASB wanted to make the float-building a student-effort only, so float-building was open to everyone this year. On Thursday, Sept. 19, students helped place the finishing touches on the float after school and during lunch.

“I’m really excited to build the float this year,” sophomore president Kyra Badiner said. “The spirit of our class has definitely increased, and the float should be awesome.”

To increase their chances of winning, Badiner kept the design a secret until last minute and only revealed the plan to the people who were involved with the sophomore float-building.

“Not uncovering the float will hopefully give us an advantage,” Badiner said. ”We won last year, and we can do it again.”

At the parade, tons of people lined the streets, including elementary and Sage Creek students, to view the floats. Ravenclaw revealed its float topped with a brown sorting hat and a shield of the Ravenclaw symbol. It was the only float that did not break during the parade.

“I wanted the sophomore float to win,” sophomore Sophia Molinar. “It looked awesome, but in the end, the Gyffindor float won.”

When the person announced that the senior float won, the seniors in the loud crowd went crazy, happy that all their hard work paid off. As seniors are at the top of the school, their float’s theme was the house of Gyffindor, but the design of the entire float was of King Cross station, the  9 3/4 platform. They built a train and went as far as to stick a shopping cart in the side of the float.

“The Lancer parade has always been fun, but this year — our senior year — was topped off by winning,” ASB president and senior Courtney Benner said.