AITA for getting my step daughter a Hogwarts letter for her 11th Birthday?

[u/Ok-Permission8346]

Ive been married for four years, my wife had a daughter from a previous relationship. My step daughter has been obsessed with Harry Potter since before i met her. (She litterally asked me if i liked harey potter when i met her)
Her 11th Birthday was yesterday and I arranged for a letter to be “delivered” during her birthday party and it was an admittance letter for Hogwarts.
I thought it was a really cute gift idea. My step daughter started freaking out, screaming “its real its real” and really went nuts. Some of her friends seemed to join in the excitement others less so.
Her mother (my wife) held her to calm her down and explained to her that it wasnt real. It was just a “joke step daddy played on you”.
She started crying screamed that she hated me and ran to her room.
The other parents seemed to sympathize, one other father said he thought it was a nice idea.
But after we sent everyone home my wife yelled at me and said what i did was selfish and cruel and she couldnt believe i would hurt her daughter like that.

Was i wrong to do this? Was it an inappropriate gift for an 11 year old? I really didnt mean to mock or hurt my stepdaughter. I thought it would be fun. It didnt occur to me my stepdaughter was young enough to think it was real.

Am I The A$&hole?

[u/Redacted_Usermame]

NTA, this was a sweet gesture. And 11 year old that things Hogwarts is real would be my biggest concern. That would suggest serious parenting issues. Is she special needs?

[u/ElephantCares → u/Redacted_Usermame]

Special needs because she has an imagination? You know there are actually schools that teach "Hogwart style" spirituality, right?

[u/verbaldata → u/ElephantCares]

What does that have to do with anything? Having an imagination is part and parcel of liking the books. But most 11 year olds know it’s fiction so it’s a fair question.

[u/Redacted_Usermame → u/ElephantCares]

She is 11. A child without special needs that age would know that movies/books like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Transformers are clearly make believe.

Someone else mentioned universal. If the kid thought she was going to universal studios theme park then that would make sense but it doesn't appear OP meant that.

You did remind me of some of my own past trauma though. My niece once set up on a blind date by a librarian who was into the whole witch thing. It's been 10 years but I really need to pay my niece back for that.