Bewitched and Besotted by Book 7

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Potter Mania
The final Harry Potter book went on sale, as the wizardly hype reached fantasy-epic proportions.

At 12:53 p.m. in the District, there was a crush at the Potter check-in table at the Borders at 18th and L streets.

"I should've kept that purple wand," said Kiera Armantrout, 7, of Phoenix to her father, Jim, and sister, Alea, 10, after learning that the bookstore would have a "Grand Hallows Ball" costume party.

David Lee Ridley, 23, had dashed over to Borders from a nearby foreign policy think tank in the afternoon to secure the silver wristband that meant he would be in the second group to get his 784-page Potter fix after midnight. "I'm going to stay up all night to read it," Ridley said.

At 5:50 p.m., Adam Rice, 32, of Alexandria arrived at A Likely Story Children's Bookstore, which was organizing a party in Old Town. He said he spent the week "a wreck," avoiding news Web sites that might ruin the ending. "I've been honestly kind of freaking out about the spoilers this week," Rice said.

At 8:27 p.m., at The Potter's House cafe and bookstore in Adams Morgan, bookstore manager Tom Taylor breathed relief: He had found and retrieved 70 "Deathly Hallows" copies that had been mistakenly delivered elsewhere. "That would have been a lot of angry customers," said Taylor, dressed as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in long blue gown and hat.

Back in the kitchen, manager Meade Hanna, dressed in the black gown of Professor McGonagall, mourned the series' completion while brewing pumpkin juice and preparing Chocolate Frogs.

"Would you be up for holding the ceremonial cauldron at the procession at midnight?" she asked another Potter fan.

At 9:10 p.m. , hundreds of people gathered at King and Royal streets in Old Town Alexandria to watch a crowd of Harrys, Hermiones and other characters compete in a costume contest.

Trevor Moore, 9, of Fort Washington separated himself from the pack by limping across the stage in a full-length brown leather jacket.

Yes! Mad-Eye Moody it was, the Hogwarts professor.

Trevor's performance moved him to the front of the line at A Likely Story to claim his book. "I'm getting the book right at midnight, and I'm going to start as soon as possible," he said.

About 10 p.m . , more than 1,000 people jammed Diagon Alley in Silver Spring, a.k.a. Ellsworth Drive. McGinty's Public House became the Leaky Cauldron, serving up "Deathly Hallows" shepherd's pie, Fizzing Whizbee ice cream and Butterbeer, which was actually Boddington's ale. A caped robe thrown over a mannequin turned the Marimekko shop into Madam Malkins' boutique. And Muggles (non-magical folks) mingled with wizards and witches.