Masses of Muggles Muster After Midnight

The Release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince It's midnight ... somewhere. Now it has officially become July 16. No matter the weather, something is happening at this hour. Crowds are gathering. It's the time so many have been waiting for. It's the time that countless muggles are clamoring to get their hands on the new J.K. Rowling book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Just what is a Muggle anyway? Well, anyone familiar with the story of Harry Potter would know that a Muggle is not a witch or a wizard, but merely a non-magic person ... common folk. Many bookstores were open past their normal closing time, in expectation of the masses of common folk waiting for the latest arrival, and the next escape into the magical world of Harry Potter. So, with tickets in hand, Muggles arrived at the local bookstore to find their places in line. Like most stores, anyone who had previously reserved copies of the book were given a ticket to save a sacred place for this magical event. The crowd was thick and seemingly endless, however the store personnel were doing their best to keep things moving smoothly. All the while through this wait, there was talk of the previous books, the speculations of what the new book might contain, and how long most will stay up to read it. At this particular location, like many others, there was a lead-in to the after-midnight purchase, with activities, games, and crafts all in support of the world of Harry Potter. Previous years saw the closing of this store for a couple of hours before a midnight re-opening. This time it remained open, and therefore was completely filled with those in wait. Many even dressed in character for the event: some wearing Hogwart's school uniforms, and some wearing witch or wizard hats. One source said that the previous year they had to cut off the sale at 3:00 AM, sending the rest home until the store could re-open several hours later. This year the plan was to end the sale at 2:00 AM. The tickets were numbered, with groups of fifty lined up at a time. Signs were observed, carried by store personnel, displaying the numbers currently being called. By 1:00 AM, ticket-holders between 351 and 400 are called to the line, but there were yet some present holding tickets numbered in the thousands.

It's a phenomenon, this story of Harry Potter, and one not fading, only growing. It is the great storytelling of J.K. Rowling that has brought many to the joys of reading, both children and adults alike. Each and every new book in this series brings more excitement, introduces new characters, and delves deeper into the mysterious world of Harry Potter. This is the sixth installment of the series, and Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It brings hope of questions unanswered in previous books, and more surprises unveiled in the unfolding fortunes of Harry. It is the search beyond Harry's past, for answers to his future. Just what lies in those pages, and where will it lead?

Many want those answers now, standing in lines in bookstores everywhere. Why wait for daylight on the official release date, when those answers are here, now, right now, just after midnight? To many it seems like forever since the release of The Order of the Phoenix. The new one is here now, fresh, ready to be held, opened, and spilling forth the continuing story from its pages. Do you have your copy?