Muggles around world celebrate return of Harry Potter which JK Rowling says is the last
Midnight launch parties celebrate the return of wizards, witches and magic while author says 'Harry is done'
Midnight launch parties were held around the world to celebrate the eighth instalment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter saga, called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which the author says will be the last for the series.
Stacks of the new Harry Potter tale were piled high at a midnight launch party in central London early Sunday. Many book stores remained open overnight so fans could get their hands on copies as soon as they were released.
Fans of all ages
Two longtime fans hold on to their copies of the book in London, England. While the latest release ushers in an entirely new generation of Potter fans, many people have been reading the stories for the last 20 years. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first novel in the series, was released in June 1997.
The latest story comes in the form of a script for a five-hour, two-part play that's being held at London's Palace Theatre. In the story, Harry Potter is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, as well as a husband and father of three children.
Meanwhile in Canada ...
Neesha Hussain-Shamsy got her first Harry Potter book in 1999. She remembers the launch party for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban being in the middle of the day. Since then, she's attended every midnight launch party for the series, including one in Toronto Sunday morning.
An estimated 12,000 people of all ages attended an extended Harry Potter party in Winnipeg, complete with music, food, and the fictional game of Quidditch.
Costume play
Eva Engel, 10, reacts after being sorted into the Gryffindor house at an event Saturday in Durham, N.C.
Fans line up, many in costume, to get their copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, parts one and two, at a bookstore in London, England Sunday.
'Harry is done now'
A cosplayer dressed as Ginny Weasley is shown outside a book store in Bangkok, Thailand holding a sign celebrating the latest launch, which also falls on the birthdays of both Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling. At a preview for the play, Rowling told Reuters that this will likely mark the end of Potter's journey. "Harry is done now," she said.
Keep a lid on the magic
While it's easy to spill the story's secrets with the official release of the book and play, Rowling implored her fans to "keep the secrets" via a video message and a social media hashtag — a bid to prevent spoilers.
Rowling's books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and have been adapted into eight films.
