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| Author | Grace Ann Parsons, as proudhousewife (authorship disputed) |
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| Language | English |
| Series | Harry Potter (non-canonical fan fiction) |
| Genre | |
| Media type | Fan fiction |
Hogwarts School of Prayer and Miracles is aHarry Potter-basedfan fiction, serially published onFanFiction.Net by Grace Ann Parsons under the username proudhousewife. The fan fiction rewrites theHarry Potter series as anEvangelical version and replacesmagic withprayer andreligious phenomena.[1][2] The fanfiction wentviral because of its extreme religious overtones and unpolished writing style, and subsequently became the target of online criticism and analysis.
Hogwarts School of Prayer and Miracles recastsHarry Potter as an American orphan raised by hisatheistic, career-driven Aunt Petunia and meek Uncle Vernon Dursley. Harry is converted toChristianity when Hagrid, anEvangelicalmissionary, knocks on the Dursleys' door and proselytizes. He attends Hogwarts School of Prayer andMiracles, where he learns how to use prayer as incantations from HeadmasterAlbus Dumbledore and meets Dumbledore's wifeMinerva and daughterHermione. The story is interspersed with moral lessons and the author's interpretation of certainBiblical verses. The students at Hogwarts are divided into four "hats" (Gryffindor,Slytherin,Hufflepuff andRavenclaw) based loosely on real-worldChristian denominations (Evangelical Christianity,Catholicism, "lukewarm" Christianity and an "extremist" Christianity). As the plot advances, Harry and his friends uncover the evil plans ofatheist Tom Riddle (best known by hisRedditusername "u/voldemort"), a figure who appears to be lobbying to make Christianity illegal.
The fanfiction went viral in 2014, and garnered an almost universally negative reaction from critics for its plot, writing and message. Many commentators considered the work and its supposed author to be part of an elaborate satire,[3] withRelevant saying it "smacks of an Internet hoax from a prankster curious to see if anyone will swallow his or her story."[4] David Mikkelsen ofSnopes concluded that "while there is indeed a Christian Harry Potter fanfiction story circulating the Internet, the writer’s intent was satirical and was not part of a plan to create a published set of Harry Potter books suitable for Christian readers and stripped of troublesome references to witchcraft and wizardry."[5]
Laura Turner, writing forReligion News Service, considered it to be a work of satire written by an author who wanted to lampoonEvangelicalism. Turner pointed out that the author had no other online presence, and that the name "Grace Parsons" seemed like a thinly veiled gag. Commenting on the use of negative stereotypes about Evangelical Christians, Turner concluded that the work was probably a hoax.[6]
Chris Ostendorf ofThe Daily Dot was critical of the writing, grammar and plot of the work, saying that the author "makesE. L. James look likeShakespeare."[7] David L. Garcia ofSF Weekly sharply criticized it for having a poor grasp on the original source material, saying "Regardless of your beliefs, if you've read the books you're probably going to laugh at how much Grace Ann gets wrong."[8]
Madeleine Davies ofJezebel criticized the author's "Christian-friendly" plot, including revision of female characters, its rejection of the theory ofevolution, and its unflattering portrayal ofChristian denominations such asCatholicism andEpiscopalianism.[9] Rachel Rosenbaum, writing forThe State Hornet, said that it "takes once intellectual and brave female characters and demotes them to nothing more thanBetty Crocker because our nurturing and loving traits, she states, 'serve… best in the home'."[10]
Carolyn Cox ofThe Mary Sue took the fanfiction more seriously, calling it a "Chick tract" full of "idolatrous Weasleys, a Southern Dumbledore, and thinly-veiled comparisons between Voldemort andObama."[11]
In 2025, Shelby Holihan and Madeleine Malcolm adapted the fanfiction for the stage in a one-nightblack box performance at Crash Acting Studio.[12][13]
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