Willow Glen Resident
News
The magic moment has arrived and Harry is back
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
Downtown Willow Glen was alive with witchcraft and wizardry and quite a few muggles as a line of anxious Potterheads snaked down Lincoln Avenue from Hicklebee's Books, waiting for midnight to strike.
The seventh and final installment of the 10-year-long Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released July 20 at the popular children's bookstore.
Full costumes, hats and all that glitters showed throughout the line. Many fans donned black-rimmed glasses and the familiar Griffyndor gold and burgundy scarves. The excitement and costumes were not restricted to youth as adult fans were also decked out for the night.
The doors opened at 11:30 p.m. and people filled the small bookstore.
Music from the movies played, and the late hour kicked off with the chanting of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry anthem.
Bookstore owner Valerie Lewis and three other employees read excerpts from the first six books, and at midnight, a procession of the books made a grand entrance prior to the opening of the sealed boxes that housed the final chapter of the saga.
First in line were Willow Glen residents Alexandra and Robert Espinosa.
"We ordered our books as soon as they were available," Alexandra says.
The 14-year-old freshman at Notre Dame High School had just finished reading the first six books for the fifth time in order to be ready to read the last book.
"They're really fun," she says. "The emotions the characters go through are realistic. They're the same emotions real teenagers go through."
Her brother, 16-year-old Bellarmine College Preparatory student Robert, says jokingly of the last book, "I have nothing to live for now."
He says, like the series' hero, he is experiencing much the same things--minus the wizardry.
"I can relate to him," Robert says. "All his personal struggles are similar to my own."
Anna Mazer made the 30-minute commute from her home in Aromas to secure her spot in the growing line outside Willow Glen's Hicklebee's Books. She had been waiting since 1 p.m.; once inside she was the fifth person to pick up the book.
The 17-year-old wore a black robe with the traditional striped scarf. She's already seen the latest movie.
"We used to live in San Jose, and Hicklebee's was our family store," she says. "I've been coming here since I was 8 years old."
