Fans burn midnight oil for final Harry Potter adventure

Published 6:00 pm Saturday, July 21, 2007

FREELAND — Chances are, if you’re reading this, you don’t have a copy of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” The book, the final of seven in the wildly popular series by J.K. Rowling, went on sale today.

The Potter books, of course, chronicle a young wizard’s life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In response to the popularity of the series, The Book Bay in Freeland hosted a midnight party and celebration for dedicated Potter fans who put their names on a waiting list for the book early this morning.

Barbara Muzzy of Freeland was one of the first people on the list. She left her job Friday night and rushed to the store to get her copy.

Muzzy received her indoctrination to the world of muggles and goblins when her son Rickie received the first four Potter books on his fourth birthday. It was all over for her.

“I started reading them to him and I got kinda interested myself and I got carried away,” she said. “After that, they took off, and as soon as they come out, I have to have them.”

For Muzzy, the series has reflected a healthy change of pace from the other styles of reading she enjoys, such as true crime and horror.

“It’s not that the books aren’t dark and evil — they have the evil aspect, but not all of it,” Muzzy said. “There is fun. There is friendship. I like to read them because you go somewhere else.”

Early this morning, however, Muzzy wasn’t planning to go anywhere but to her reading chair. She was hoping to get answers to intriguing questions such as, does Harry live or die? Who is a bad guy and who is good? What happens to Lord Voldemort?

Like other Potter fans, she’s avoiding news coming from the premature release of Potter books this week.

“I don’t want the plot to be spoiled — I want to see how it goes. I know I will be flipping out through the whole book because it is probably going to take me about two days to read it,” she said.

“I am wondering what the outcome is going to be between Harry and Voldemort because they really pushed in the last book, that one can’t live if the other does. So I am really wondering how that’s going to happen.”

Muzzy also said she is troubled by a potential plot twist at the end.

“J.K. Rowling says there is a big plot twist at the end, that someone else has possibly died. I am kind of concerned about that.”

While Muzzy wouldn’t say she is disappointed that this is the last of the series that has captured the imaginations of people young and old, she did say she would like to see more of Harry.

“I wish she’d continue writing Harry Potter in the next phase of his life,” she said.

The fact that Harry is to be no more, regardless of whether he lives or dies, is the reason a midnight celebration was required, said Susan Barrett, co-owner of The Book Bay.

“This has been a big hit. People are waiting to see if this book is going to have the answers to some of those questions; if Harry Potter lives or dies. Who is really a bad guy and maybe who isn’t?” said Barrett, who put herself on the list to receive an early book as well. “I am just as excited to read the book as anyone else is,” she said. “I have three copies held for me.”

As of Friday, Barrett had nearly 100 people on the list for the party.

Jenny Barrett, her sister and co-owner of the store, sees the value that Harry’s character has had on young readers.

“I think for children, the main draw of the book is that the main character is a young person, a young person who is able to make choices, good and bad. And they watched that character grow up,” she said.

“And they kind of identify with that. Harry is a kind of role model for kids and they need that,” she added.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is available for $30 after a 15 percent discount at The Book Bay in Freeland.