By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer
Wrapped in a red robe and waving a wooden wand, Shannon Brown considered some questions about her favorite fictional character with fellow Gryffindors.
Some facts escaped her at first. For instance, was the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets lined with human bones or animal bones?
The Slytherins got it wrong. If Gryffindor goofed, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw would get a turn.
Finally, Brown took a stab.
"Animal bones," the 5-year-old said.
"And a point to Gryffindor!" said Ann Hornbach, manager of the Torresdale Library.
Like millions of fans the world over, Brown and other wee witches and wizards gathered Friday in celebration of the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series.
Since British author J.K. Rowling published the first installment in the magnificently popular series in 1997, readers have marked each subsequent release with fistfuls of fanfare.
But the series’ finale — along with concerns that its protagonist might meet his own end — added a bittersweet element to the tradition.
A bespectacled orphan who discovers he possesses wizardry abilities after spending a neglected childhood with his miserable Muggle aunt and uncle, Harry Potter bewitched children and adults from the very beginning.
When the 11-year-old embarks on his enchanting endeavors at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he learns that he is no sod, as his revolting relatives would have him believe.
In fact, Harry finds he is a fairly famous boy. He is the only person to have survived the casting of the Avada Kedavra killing curse by Lord Voldemort, the villain of the series who murdered Harry’s parents. The only remnant of the attack is a lightning-bolt scar branded on Harry’s forehead.
Throughout the series, the oft-misunderstood Harry must tap into his talent for survival as he endures tests of courage and passes feats of daring that will lead him to his final battle with Voldemort.
The series, the first six volumes of which have sold more than 325 million copies, didn’t always tread on treacherous ground. Harry got his kicks with some other quick-witted Brits, namely rowdy, red-haired Ron Weasley and smart, sometimes snooty Hermione Granger. The trio and their various acquaintances experience conflicts, crushes, challenging schoolwork and everything else the teenage years are made of.
Many credit Harry Potter with luring the children and teens now known as the "Harry Potter generation" back to the written word.
"It definitely brought children back to reading," said Peggie Finkbiner, a volunteer at Torresdale Library. "It’s more like the stories I had as a child."
Though the books often dealt with the theme of death, even small children managed to sort through them. Parents admitted that the five movies, along with the multiple toys and games the books have spawned, provided the initial attraction.
"We read them together," said Kelly Vanskiver of her 7-year-old daughter, Kellyann. "She has all the toys. She has all the posters, the video games."
With her fluffy blonde hair, Shannon Brown resembles her favorite character, Luna Lovegood, an odd yet optimistic witch with a penchant for pudding who appears five books into the series.
"I like when Luna says she wants to eat some pudding," she said.
During a midnight release party at Borders bookstore in the Neshaminy Mall on Friday, fans of all ages lined up to get their copy of Deathly Hallows.
Store manager and Northeast resident Erin Gallagher said more than 1,000 people had preordered the book, which wound up selling more than 8 million copies across the country during the first 24 hours after its release.
"This has been the biggest buzz so far," she said.
Fans had various reasons for seeing the series through.
"I love the world she creates," said Northeast resident Eamon McIvor, 22, of author Rowling. "It’s a rich world."
Bensalem resident Kevin Kutner, 14, began reading the series in first grade.
"I’ve always been a pretty decent reader," he said of his early plunge into the books. "I just kept reading them every summer."
Clad in her school uniform, Mayfair resident Victoria Van Buskirk, 9, looked like lead female character Hermione Granger as she awaited the release with her dad and brothers. She shares something in common with Harry’s studious sidekick.
"I don’t think Harry’s cute," Van Buskirk confessed. "I like Ron."
Mayfair resident Marianne Godfrey, 19, was one of the few fans who did not plan to read the book over the weekend.
She only just finished the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the movie version that is now in theaters.
"I’ve been a fan, just not hard-core," Godfrey said. "I’m into the book, not the hype."
Gallagher, the Borders store manger, thinks the hype was warranted. Looking out into the crowd of fans, she expected some to feel a little lost after they turned the final page of Deathly Hallows.
"They’ve never known a world without Harry Potter. They’ve grown up with him," she said. "It’s a sense of loss." ••