Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows launch party

All good things much come to an end. I am in denial that Harry Potter's saga is over. I don't want it to be.

But at 12:01am on July 21st my saga into the end was just beginning. However, before we must take the time turner about three turns back to about 10pm on July 20th. All decked out like Cho Chang (the only Asian character that I could be) I attended the book launch party that was held at the Indigo at Bay and Bloor in Toronto. The streets were backed with large inflatable slides and a bouncy castle and a double decker bus that acted like the Knight Bus. There were balloon dragons near the front entrace of the store. Getting into the store was tricky, throngs of people going in to get their bracelets to be one of the first people in the story to buy the book at one minute past the stroke of midnight. I thankfully preorderd the book and avoided that crowd to pick-up my bracelet at the special orders desk. After my friend and I took several pictures around the store. We settled ourselves in the pre-order line-up at around 10:30pm. We were near the beginning the line-up so I would get my book fairly quickly. While waiting, the line-up snaked longer and there was general excitement in the air. I think that it is amazing that it was all for a book. As midnight drew nearer, girls were screaming as if this was a rock concert or that JK Rowling herself had entered the store. People were also counting down as if it were New Year's Eve. Then balloons fell from the sky and you knew it was the Witching Hour. The line moved and I was nervous with anticipation, I reached the head of the line, my wrist band cut off and I proceeded to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

It was about two hours later at around 2am that I final cracked open the book to beginning reading Harry's last adventure. Let me tell you that I am still exhausted after just finishing reading the novel about 24 hours ago (This is Monday July 23). At the same time, I am also exhalirated and still on a high after reading the book. No spoilers here but let's just say that I got the answers to all the questions that I had.

Now that it's over, I am in mourning. I just watched the trailers to the movies again. And I cried because I have finally come to the realization that there will be no more Harry Potters and watching the films will take on a whole new meaning now that I know the fates of the characters that sometimes puts a smile on my face or a tear in my eye.

The only thing to look forward to now are the two movies then after that I truly will be mourning.

As for what I will read next after Harry Potter, I don't know. A friend of mine had mentioned a news story about a boy who said that he might not read a book ever again after Harry Potter. Part of me feels the same way. I don't think that I will ever find a book again that had captured my imagination and my heart. Harry Potter is truly my liteary love and I will miss you.