On July 21st, 2007, the new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released to an eager witch and warlock audience worldwide. Who would survive the ultimate battle, Harry or “You-Know-Who”? Everyone has waited 10 years, since the first book was released, to find out. Here are the books in order:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
I drove down to the local Barnes and Nobles around 10:30PM, an hour and a half before the book went on sale. To my amazement, I couldn’t find parking anywhere. As I looked up, there was a line stretched all the way around the building of at least 250 people. Amongst the lines of Harry Potter fans of all ages, were several fans who went the extra mile, dressing up as Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy, and many other characters representing the 4 houses of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Below you will find many pictures of some of the fans that I met. As you can see, the world of Harry Potter is far more than literary genius, it’s a secret world within our imaginations.
Many came in groups, and even had to designate drivers, so that the others could the book. Some, being very generous, offered to read the book aloud so that the driver didn’t have to miss out. Still others held contests to see who could finish the books first. As I spoke to some people waiting in line, one very important topic kept on coming up, imagination. Everyone felt as if Harry Potter and his magic world had reminded them that it was ok to imagine again. People also spoke about possible endings to the series that they have come to love so much. One person gave a scenario of Harry waking up and it all being a dream. Once he said this, those around him who had heard, all felt so passionate that they all said that if the book did indeed end that way, they would feel almost betrayed by J. K. Rowling.
The one thing that I learned was that the world of Harry Potter no longer belonged only to J. K. Rowling, but rather to all of us Muggles (Non-Magical People), or rather to all of our imaginations. Imagination, or Visualization as us adults call it, is a lesson that every single personal development coach, speaker, and author talks about. Visualization is like a movie that is being played for our sub-conscious. The more you visualize, the move your sub-conscious watches those movies, the more these movies will become true.
Thank you J.K. Rowling for helping the world recapture their imagination!