It was July 30th 2016. The official premiere of the play was kicking off in London. And for the first time in nearly a decade, we were having a midnight release party for a J.K. Rowling book. We had made it. No more waiting. The dense fog of Harry Potter hype rolled steadily across the earth, healing the magic-deprived with euphoria.

Lines formed, costumes were donned, and we connected with old and new fans alike while the countdown to midnight began at our local bookstore. Some of them hosted games and giveaways, impromptu performances, sorting ceremonies, and mock duels. Personally, I wanted to dress up like an obliviated Gilderoy Lockhart, but I chickened out.

I heard some rumblings in the crowd that it was confirmed there would be no novelization of the play script and that the publishers released a statement that JKR wasn't planning to do a book signing, but I honestly couldn't care less about any of that. I got my reserved time and waited for my copy with the rest of the Potterheads.

Here's where I went: the Barnes and Noble in Los Angeles. It's at a place called The Grove, which is this famous farmer's market that has now grown into an outdoor entertainment complex with a huge musical fountain that could have easily been the Fountain of Magical Brethren from the Atrium of the Ministry. The Grove was feeling especially magical that warm night, with the double decker trolley coasting noiselessly over the cobblestones like the Night Bus on Polyjuice.

Once inside, I discovered that all three floors were packed with costumed Potter-fiends. The atmosphere in that bookstore was intense. It felt like we were all about to sneak a baby dragon to the astronomy tower for Charlie Weasley at exactly midnight!

It was hard to deny that some of us were still nervous going into the book release parties. There had been so much back and forth, and we really didn't want to admit that there were whispers of "continuity errors" slithering through the fan sites like a Parseltongue-spewing basilisk behind the castle walls. No, there would be no ruining this night. No matter what could happen to our favorite characters, nothing was allowed to dampen our excitement. Because we were extremely grateful, if for no other reason than to be given a chance to, once again, attend a midnight release party for a Harry Potter book and relive some of our fondest memories.

When my group was called, I got in line and waited. When the book reached my hands, I almost forgot to pay. When I turned to join the throng of fans who were too eager to even leave the checkout area before cracking the cover, I tuned them all out and rode the escalators down. I hardly recall the walk back to the parking garage. When I got home, I went directly to the couch, kicked off my shoes, and started reading.

It took six hours.

The sun was rising when I closed the book.

It was July 31st, Harry's birthday.

And all was not well.