Midnight, June 21st - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ohmygodohmygod.

I got to Pritchards about a quarter to twelve, and the queue was already stretching halfway round the shop and to the door. Paddy let me in, gave me a wink and dragged me along to the counter. I had the job of crossing off names, stacking books and putting them into the special Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix bags they'd got from the publishers. The girls at the front of the queue were in Gryffindor robes, and this guy from the Southport Visitor snapped pictures of them and of Tony, Paddy, James and me. I doubt we'll be in the newspaper but we just might be!

James rang up the speaking clock at a minute to twelve. We all counted down from ten together, gave a cheer and started handing out books. I took in so many names I lost count, and by this time the queue was stretching out into the street and down towards the post office. Pritchards was the only place lit up in the entire village. We just kept on handing out books and commenting on costumes, although Tony did get up on a chair and shout, "Who do you think will finish it first?"
Universal consensus - me.

The bags ran out after about a hundred customers, so they put aside the last one for me, and after about half an hour, the queue slowed down to a trickle of slower people and people panicking because they hadn't registered in advance - that wasn't a problem in the event, they just paid up their money and got their books. They ran out of adult copies - that was the only thing that went wrong, despite the fact we had an actual police presence. At half twelve, the flood of people had just about stopped. Tony picked up the last bag, with book inside, and presented it to me with a flourish. He wouldn't let me pay for it, said it was for all my help, and then Pedar arrived, so I bid goodbye and started babbling to him like an idiot.

When I got home, I looked in the bag, pulled out the book and found one of the shop's promotional posters in it as well. It's been written on:

"To Iona,
Thanks for your help,
love,
Tony and all."

I'm walking on air.

335 pages

All right, here's the deal. I understand I'm being an uber-annoying fangirl. But no-one is going to drag me down from my cloud until I've at least finished the book. I just want to be eleven again, dammit - eleven and fangirlish. I've read 335 pages - stayed up til two last night and got up at eight this morning - but I'll have to stop soon, I'm going out today.

I also refuse to be spoiled/spoil for other people - however, I have learnt something from fragility_lily which is leaving me in the quandary of whether I want to kill her or kiss her right now.

( Here be spoilers )

But yes. I just want to be a fangirl in peace.

"It's all around you now..."

I haven't got any further with reading it - actually, just a little bit. Might be up to page 400 now. I can't look at my friends page! Spoilers spoilers spoilers! Although... this is the first time ever I haven't taken spoilers when offered them. I just didn't want this to be spoiled, in any sense of the word.

By the way, osiris13 - I love you and freely take all the blame.

Today - went to town with Becca and Hannah, which was fun although we didn't do anything. We talked for ages in Starbucks, as it was hot enough for frappuccinos all round. We talked, and talked, and talked. OotP was a favourite topic, although I had to avoid spoilerage.

And I'm now going to interrupt my own entry to say something else:

I love Becca. I really, really do love her. She just rang to tell me she knew very well that the last thing I wanted was to go to that party tonight, and it really won't be that big a deal if I don't come, and she hopes I feel better about things.

As she says, she knows me too well, and I love her.

Yes, where was I?

We wouldn't stop talking. I think a good time was had by all, even though I was a little depressed and we were all three very, very tired. Becca wanted to go shoe shopping, so we went, and she moaned about the lack of pretty shoes in the world, and we all got very paranoid and started wondering if there is this secret shop that everyone else but us knows about where pretty shoes can be bought. The wedding (for which she needs the shoes) is next week.

We also went to Subway to buy (footlong!) sandwiches, and spent ages there talking, too. I don't exactly what we talked about, but talk we did. About many things, about cabbages and kings...

We bid goodbye to Hannah - who I will see on Wednesday, I think - and then got the train back together. And then I came home, found it was raining and my parents were still out, and then Becca rang.

I plan to spend the night reading. Can't start now, as Pedar has the book, but still. I look forward to it.