All Good Things

Weeks ago I purchased three vouchers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at our local Joseph Beth. It just seemed like the thing to do; my mom, my sister, and myself would go stand in line to receive our books at midnight. I pictured a buzz of little kids in wizard hats milling around the store as we waited to get our copies. Not the case at all.

By ten o'clock there was hardly room to stand in the store. Voucher holders queued outside on the sidewalk, a giant box truck filled with the books and surrounded by police tape at the head of it. People in line speculated, shouted, showed off for the local news crew. The size of the crowd suprised me as I have not personally met a single Harry Potter fan since I've moved here. So sad.

Oh the costumes! We saw dementors and death eaters, house elves, Dudley and co., every professor ever mentioned, and even a group of kids dressed as a complete Quidditch set (snitch and broomsticks and all)! It was very festive. For someone who loves Halloween, I felt fortunate to have a true taste of it in July.

The crowd counted down to midnight, we pressed in toward the truck, and we took hold of the Deathly Hallows. I could have ordered it off of Amazon, actually slept that night, and still had it by noon the next day. But the experience was magical and now I feel I was a little part of Harry's history right before his story came to an end.