Potter Mania

Harry with his Godfather Sirius Black © harrypotter.warnerbros.com

It was Friday night and as I wait for the 5th HP movie (The Order of the Phoenix was my favorite HP book) to start, I wondered if the the rest of the world will release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at midnight July 21. It was almost 8pm, and I thought, hmmm, my sister could be holding her copy right now. I reached my cell and typed a message:

Did u get the Potter book? Did Hermione die?

I found out my dear sis was in review class, and later found out that Manila bookstores began selling at 7am local time on July 21.

I then had a late dinner with A after the movie and we both agreed to check out the nearby Barnes & Noble to see the Potter anticipation. I was actually just craving for the Starbucks Green Tea Latte. It was almost midnight. The parking lot was packed. And there was a long queue of Muggles and Muggles in disguises (to look like witches and wizards). Turns out, I really can't get my latte until the doors open at midnight. And heck, I might as well just get my copy of HP 7. So I got in line and let A get the latte.

Almost an hour later, coffee on hand and trudging through B&N ultimately leading to the check-out counter, I was almost regretting why I had lined up. I sent another text message to my sister:

I can't believe I'm going through this.

It was 1:03AM. Saturday. No reply. She's probably in class now. I thought: I could just go home and get the copy the next day (err, later that day). But not finishing what I've started is not something I do. Maybe the caffeine was kicking in.

Finally, I got it. But I never got past Chapter 4 and zonked out.

But I finished reading today. Some of my theories panned out. I was right about Ron and Hermione not dying (J.K. Rowling won't be too cruel as to let the two closest friends of Harry be murdered not after the deaths of Sirius and Dumbledore!). I was wrong about Dumbledore not being really dead. I was right about Harry surviving. I was right about Harry not doing the Avada Kedavra curse on anyone. And I was right about Severus Snape! He is not evil! He was perhaps the bravest of the Order. I really felt sad he had to die without telling Harry how much he had loved his mother, and how much Harry had meant to him.

Harry Potter survives. And the magical world lives happily ever after.