For Harry Potter fans, the witching hour arrives Sunday at 12:01 a.m.
Nine years after the release of the seriesâ seventh and final book, âHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,â readers will be once again lining up outside bookstores across the globe for the debut of author J.K. Rowling's latest story.
âHarry Potter and the Cursed Childâ is a stage play in book form that picks up where Rowlingâs last novel left off. The story follows Harry Potterâs son, Albus Severus, who feels overshadowed by his fatherâs fame while studying magic at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Sunday night release is a major event for fans and a bit of a throwback for Canadian bookstores.
âBack in 2007 for the release of âThe Deathly Hallows,â it was enormous. We had thousands in all of our stores across the country, and in fact, well over 10,000 outside one of our Toronto locations,â Jeremy Cammy, vice-president and executive producer of events marketing and music for Indigo, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel on Saturday.
More than 140 Indigo stores across Canada will throw premiere parties for the books and begin selling copies at midnight. The parties will be celebrations of everything Potter, with magical trivia and costume contests. One store will even have a nine-foot wizard walking around on stilts.
But itâs yet to be seen whether fans will be as excited for âThe Cursed Childâ as they were for the novels.
âWill it be as big as 2007? This is a script, itâs not a book, we donât know. But what we do know is that the fans of Harry potter are rabid. Theyâve been waiting for this for nine years. Thereâs a new generation who wants this,â Cammy said.
Magical return
The latest story begins, rather appropriately, at the epilogue of the seventh book. Harry and his two best friends â Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley â are adults with young children who are preparing to head off to the legendary school of magic.
Itâs a natural place to revive the story, according to English professor Karin Westman who said the series has always been concerned with inter-generational perspectives.
âWe begin our world experience with Harry, but of course we learn about his parents and the maraudersâ generation, we learn about those before them, and so it seems perfect to be able to pick up where the epilogue leaves off,â said Westmount, who teaches several Harry Potter-related courses at Kansas State University.
The book is a script for a play that has already been on stage for several weeks in London for previews. The script is written by Jack Thorne from a story that he, Rowling and the playâs director, John Tiffany, wrote together
Westman said the fact that the story is written as a play will force readers to see the series through a new set of eyes and will expose them to a new genre.
âItâll mean, of course, using more of your own imagination as youâre reading since youâll be staging the play in your head as you read,â she said. âI think fans are going to be thrilled to have a chance to hear more about the world that Rowling created.â
Some fans initially feared the play's previews would spawn spoilers. But to assuage those concerns, audience members have been given small buttons after the play encouraging them to âKeepTheSecrets.â
I cannot believe how magical is hugely delighted and blown away. Totally determined to
â Nick Coveney (@nmjcoveney)
I want to tell the world, but will ! Amazing plays. Want to go again!
â Calista Lewis (@CalistaLewis1)
This will be the hardest 24 hours ever! I just want to see the rest now!
â Beth Ferguson (@bethferguson92)
And while a few spoilers have been leaked in some online forums, most of fansâ swirling questions â Is Voldemort back? Is Harryâs son the so-called âCursed Childâ? Are Ron and Hermione getting along? â remain unanswered.
The well-kept secrets have been a sigh of relief for Rowling. During the playâs official gala opening on Saturday, the author spoke candidly with reporters about her fears that her latest story would get spoiled.
"It is the most extraordinary fandom, so I'm kind of not surprised, because they didn't want to spoil it for each other," she said. "But I am so happy we got here without ruining everything."
Rowling also said she has big plans for the play, which has been rumoured to possibly be considered for a Broadway run in New York City.
âIâd like it to go wider than that,â Rowling said. "I'd like as many Potter fans to see it as possible."
With files from the Associated Press