ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
July 23, 2007
The Magic Moment
At midnight last Friday, millions got their hands on the final Harry Potter book. Kid Reporter Madison Chapman was one of them.
On July 20, Harry Potter fans across the world gathered at bookstore parties to await the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling’s popular series about adolescent wizard Harry Potter. Potter diehards, dressed as their favorite characters, discussed and shared their latest theories about Harry and his friends. And they realized that this would be the last time they would gather for such a special event.
 |  Madison Chapman The Costume Contest Grand Prize Winners: "Moaning Myrtle, Nearly Headless Nick, The Fat Lady, and Rita Skeeter." |
Though the release of the book symbolizes a momentous time in fans’ lives, the excited atmosphere at midnight parties could not help but be tinged with sorrow. “It’s really sad that it’s the end. I grew up with (Harry Potter) and it’s sad because it shows that my childhood is coming to an end,” said 14-year-old Cahill Armstrong, who was dressed as Mad-Eye Moody at a Barnes & Noble midnight party in Sarasota, Florida.
So what has drawn fans to the magic of Harry Potter in the first place? “All the characters are fun and they have a lot of personality. Anyone can relate to them,” said Kaitlin Riti, 16. Though Harry Potter fans span over a large spectrum of ages, even the youngest can grasp the spirit of the series. “Harry makes me believe in more than just the plain, old world,” 9-year-old Grace Gordon said.
As hours, minutes and seconds were counted down, midnight party muggles reminisced about how Harry Potter had changed their lives. Finally, at the stroke of midnight on July 21, the lavishly costumed fans were able to dash from the stores, books in hand, hastening to get home to learn the true fate of the wizarding world. “I plan to stay up all night and read it… with a Frappuccino!” 13-year-old Jeremy Kemp said, smiling.
|  Madison Chapman The arrival of the books at Barnes & Noble midnight party in Sarasota, Florida. |
With over 12 million copies printed in the U.S. alone and nearly 2 million books being delivered by the U.S. postal service on July 21, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was destined to be a classic long before it came out. Although author J.K. Rowling insists that this very well may be the last we ever hear of Harry, her “never say never” attitude about returning to Hogwarts, and the prospect of two more films, are destined to keep Harry living on in the hearts’ of fans.
Who lives? Who dies? Who is good? Who is bad? You will have to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to find out!
