SPELLBOUND

July 22, 2007

By J.J. Harrier/Frontiersman

PALMER - OK, Harry Potter fanatics, it's safe now. You have the book. Finally, the answers are at your fingertips.

The world welcomed one last visit from the Hogwarts hero when &#8220Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh and last of J.K. Rowling's supernatural series, touched down at midnight Saturday and wrapped up the most extraordinary literary series of modern times.

Since this is the last dance, Rowling went all out.

It may not be the longest book in the series, but at more than 700 pages &#8220Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” definitely packs the most punch.

With book seven, Rowling brings her phenomenally successful series about the young wizard to a close.

And what a close it was in downtown Palmer late Friday night as local Potter fans awaited the witching hour.

Round, black-rimmed glasses and orange hair littered the sidewalks outside Fireside Books as hundreds of dedicated Potter revolutionaries came early to celebrate the final round of adventure for Harry and his friends - and to get their copy of the long-anticipated book.

Children and adults alike dressed up as their favorite characters, wearing wigs, uniforms, make-up and carrying props. Harry was the most popular choice, but there were scores more who came out as other wizards, witches, goblins and even costumes not related to the series. Some came bearing previous Harry books and DVDs, holding popular Harry sayings on signs, playing the parts. Others just came to see what all the commotion was about.

&#8220I saw this line and thought, what the heck, looks like a party!” said Chris Tremblow, an Anchorage resident in Palmer for the weekend.

The late evening gala began with a Palmer Arts Council concert at the old Palmer train depot. The Palmer Youth and Percussion Band played sets full of magical melodies as people began to nervously watch Fireside Books' growing crowd swell.

Then there was the Quidditch matches held at the Palmer Public Library. Competitors carried potatoes around between their legs, trying to score through strategically placed hula hoops.

Across South Alaska Street, 18 Palmer merchants were gearing up to get ready for the Calling All Wizards trivia contest, where participants collect Marauder's map and start visiting each store, or Diagon Alley Shop looking for questions and clues to answer before the 11:30 p.m. deadline. Each store transformed into a house of magic, bearing names like Diagon Alley Hotel, the Leaky Cauldron, Quality Quidditch Supplies and a slew of others.

David Cheezum, owner of Flourish Blotts (Fireside Books on any other night), was tickled pink at the sight of hundreds of local Harry Potter fans lined up outside his store, all waiting patiently for their copy of &#8220Deathly Hollows.” He's no stranger to throwing Harry Potter book release parties.

&#8220We got it right this time around,” Cheezum said. &#8220Third time's definitely a charm!”

Cheezum, along with his devoted Potter volunteers, jumped in full force to make the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book an event to remember. As the sun went down, the line outside was growing. One hundred, then 200, 300, all lining the business walls of South Alaska Street. Vagabond Blues served espresso. Valley Hotel fed the hungry. The Completed Quilt, which donated a Harry Potter-style quilt to the first-place trivia contest winner, was also open.

Fifteen minutes to go.

Inside Flourish Blotts, employees scurried around placing copies in the aisles for prepaid and in-store purchasers.

&#8220I'm wondering if we'll run out now that I look outside,” said Kyle Fox, a volunteer for the event who nervously counted his stack of books. The book store had 600 copies on hand, and the crowd was still growing.

Meanwhile, the trivia contest winners were announced outside the store. Contestants had to answer at least 15 out of 18 questions correctly and then have their scorecards picked at random from the witches brew pot to win.

Angel Remaley of Palmer took home the best costume award dressed as Sirius Black, the wizard wrongly accused of killing Potter's parents in &#8220Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

&#8220I kind of hope he dies in

this book,” Remaley said, holding her prison number. &#8220It would be the ultimate twist to the story!”

It's the question on everyone's mind: Does Harry die at the hands of Voldemort? The crowds discussed various plot endings and theories to mysteries left uncovered from Rowling's previous installment, &#8220Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

The 784-page adventure carries a $25.22 price tag, but fans of the boy from Hogwarts were ready to pay. Some came with pre-paid receipts, hoping they could get their copy at midnight and leave without hassle, only to find there was a special gated area for them to stand and wait as well. Patience for all. Midnight was just around the corner.

Sean Herrmann, 11, of Palmer could barely contain his excitement.

&#8220I think he dies,” Herrmann predicted.

Herrmann has been reading Harry Potter books since he was 8 after receiving the first book from his grandparents as a birthday gift. He now is a self-proclaimed expert on everything Potter.

&#8220I like how the books are written,” he said. &#8220They're fun, and the movies are good too.”

Five minutes to midnight.

Cheezum checked his watch and looked around for any possible last minute changes to the store's setup.

&#8220I don't expect we'll run out of books, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if we did,” he said.

At 12:01, the doors opened and the crowds flooded in. They had their Potter book. Some hugged each other, high-fived or clutched the hard-bound pages to their chests, as if to say, &#8220Don't even think about it.”

On Saturday morning, Cheezum is tired. He's at Fireside Books setting up round two of the trivia contest that was held at 10:30 a.m. He is surprised how clean the streets of downtown Palmer are after taking on more people than anyone expected.

&#8220We had 700 people come through the store last night,” Cheezum said. &#8220More than 400 books were sold and the day is still young. I'm tired, but polite and happy today.”

Cheezum also said no one spoiled the evening by announcing the anticipated ending, something they had a problem with last time.

&#8220We had to shush people last time,” Cheezum said.

Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.