On Friday night, I had the good fortune to attend the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book launch at Edinburgh Castle. Here’s my story:

My friend and I arrived in the early hours of the morning in Edinburgh city. Flying above, we realised that it's not that big - about a fifth the size of London. The locals were friendly but not great when looking for directions; I found the Scottish accent very hard to understand. We arrived at our dingy hostel at about 10am on a street humorously named "Cockburn St.," but pronounced "Co-burn."

The day passed slowly, all-the-while our excitement for the book’s release later that day increasing, especially when we arrived at the tourist-packed Edinburgh castle for a quick tour. Outside the castle were dozens of construction workers adding the finishing touches to the temporary esplanade that would seat the two thousand Edinburgh school children and their parents that night. As we entered the castle and then the Great Hall, at the top of the steep hill, we imagined what it would be like when Jo and the cub reporters arrived that night.

After venturing off on some more sightseeing tours, we were beginning to worry about our plans for the night ahead. We, unfortunately, had not been invited to the castle’s launch, and were unsure of how we could get in on the events that night. Then, after phoning MuggleNet staffer Jamie, we headed over to his and Emerson's hotel room at the Grassmarket. We were delighted to hear they had acquired press passes so we could watch the events outside the castle. Also in the hotel at the time were Emerson's mum, Maggie, Melissa (TLC) and two of her friends. Everyone was incredibly excited for the night ahead.

We then went out to eat and before long, Emerson had to rush off to where the cub reporters and Bloomsbury employees were assembled. Walking up the “Royal Mile,” a long, old-fashioned street leading up to the castle, we noticed that there were already about a thousand earnest Harry Potter fans queuing up to enter the castle grounds. Several were dressed as characters from the books and were animatedly discussing their favourite scenes from the series. I don’t believe I saw one face that wasn’t utterly excited! As myself, Maggie, Jamie and my friend made our way up the hill we saw horses being strapped to carriages by their trainers. These would later carry the cub reporters into the castle grounds. At this point it was roughly 9pm and we were told that the “events” would kick off at 10pm.

The queue moved quickly and after about five minutes, we were inside the castle grounds making our way into the esplanade. There was an enormous screen perched right in front of the esplanade and we were curious as to what would be displayed on it. There were two different esplanades opposite each other with the castle between them. The esplanade opposite us was not in use for that particular night. In the center of these esplanades was the red carpet with the press on the right hand side and fans, who had been given VIP passes, on the left.

A presenter of UK children’s TV show, Ministry of Mayhem, was there and announced that the events, most importantly Jo’s midnight reading of the book, would be broadcast “live” on ITV. Another Scottish presenter entertained the crowd explaining what would be happening that night, reminding us that “Jo will be here very soon;” that statement never failed to receive a tumultuous cheer.

Every so often, a countdown from the number 10 would appear on the screen and we were to "practice" counting down from 10 seconds to midnight. Also displayed on the screen was ITV’s contest show to find the ultimate Harry Potter fan. He or she would then get to interview Jo one-on-one. So, at about 10:30pm, the presenter asked us if we heard hooves, and, sure enough, within a few seconds we received our first glimpse of the cub reporters arriving in chariots pulled by horses, much like the scene at the beginning of the Hogwarts’ school year. Then, at around 11.20pm, we were informed that Jo would be arriving in five minutes! The crowd went ballistic at this news and we practiced our cheering her arrival.

A short time later, she arrived in a black Mercedes! The tumult did not cease for literally five minutes! She was dressed beautifully in a blazer and skirt, both black. From where I was seated, I could not see her face in detail and so looked in the direction of the screen, which had a close-up. She was positively beaming! She walked up the red carpet, still elated-looking, talking to reporters confidently as though this were an everyday occurrence, while photographers took photos relentlessly. The atmosphere was incredible.

She then turned her attention towards the fans on the other side and began signing autographs. I saw her giving this 25-year-old parent a high-five and I just couldn’t help but think how cool she is. After what seemed like 20 minutes, she continued towards the castle doors, enveloped in colourful smoke, and turned around to face the crowd, waving for the last time...

The time past quickly until we realised it was 11:55pm – five minutes to go until I the book I most looked forward to was released! 11:59pm and 50 seconds. We began counting down - “TEN – NINE – EIGHT…”

The Great Hall appeared on the screen. There were dozens of cub reporters seated on little cushions, similar to Professor Trelawney’s attic. The Hall was dimly lit with a reddish colour at the top. A moment later, Jo emerged. The crowd went wild. She sat down on a chair facing the reporters and began to read. The faces of the cub reporters were remarkable: transfixed. The minute she finished reading from “Chapter Six: Draco’s Detour,” the crowd pushed and shoved out of the esplanade simply unable to wait to get their copy from a local bookshop. Jamie and I headed back to the hotel to pick up the video camera in order to grab a few fan interviews.

We grabbed our copies, headed back to the hotel and read! I stayed up until 5am, Jamie until 9am (even after having about 10 cups of coffee!) and Emerson, who would be interviewing Jo at 2.30pm that day (and wanted to have the book read before then) fell asleep also at 9am but got up again and read an hour and a half later. We stopped every so often to discuss the different surprises (and randomly we'd hear Melissa scream from the room down the corridor).

My friend and I returned later that day, after doing some more sightseeing, to find a happy Emerson. He said that the interview went on for two hours instead of one and, upon hearing this, I knew it must have been good. And I can assure you, after listening to a snippet, it is! Jo's voice rocks.

Later that day, the MuggleNetters and TLCers headed out for dinner, all of us exhausted. It was a lot of fun but unfortunately I had to leave for the airport at 8:30pm and at that time it was about 7:50pm.

Overall, I have to say that this weekend has been one of, if not the best weekends of my life. I’m so grateful to Jo for arranging it this fantastic release party (and especially Emerson and Jamie for all their help) and also writing the series. I’m not even finished yet and still have the book to look forward to!

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