July 7, 2011. I bid goodbye to the magical world of Harry Potter as I came out of the cinema hall after watching 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2'.
I had mixed feelings; I was happy for Harry and his friends, especially after the epilogue scene. But I was sad that it was the end of the story. Now, I get it that most Potterheads, who grew up with the books, may not like my approach to the saga. In my defense, hailing from a small town in northern Maharashtra, we had a better chance of watching the movies than getting our hands on the books. Imagine this, I was only able to get a copy of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' after I was done watching 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. I may fall short in understanding the pain of waiting for years for the next book to come out, but I do know and can partake in the excitement of getting the first-day-first-show tickets to the movies.
Five years have passed since the last movie was released. In the meantime, I have followed the Pottermore franchise, excited to see 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' turn into a trilogy.
And then one day, she told us! Out of nowhere, JK Rowling had announced an eighth book chronicling the adventures of the boy who lived.
By now, I was a journalist and it was an honour to spread the word. 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' was going to pick up the story 19 years after the last book. Harry's second son was about to go to Hogwarts and so were we. The play is being extended until 2017 in London. And readers were to be treated to the screenplay on July 31.
This time, I was in Mumbai and finally part of the frenzied lot of fans waiting for the book! Tumblr's dashboard was spilling with gifs, memes, and theories! Stories of how people will pre-order and even cosplay as they wait in line for the midnight release, were being discussed with the same enthusiasm that the Order may have discussed Harry's return to Hogwarts.
A copy had already been booked for my best friend, the biggest Potterhead I knew, for her birthday. I was saving more money to buy mine.
Then came the opportunity right to my door. Our features editor asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing the book! I nodded like a calf happy to see his mum.
In the week-long run up to the launch, I coordinated with the publishers to get the book at a certain drop point. I was also warming up the readers with related stories and feeling giddy with excitement to see the cosplayers in full steam, and the parties with butter-beers on the menu.
On D-day, I was up early, in fact, I don't think I could sleep much at all. The play was officially opening in London, and I was devouring the #CursedChild trend on Twitter. The first thing I did was talk to the good people at Hachette to confirm the drop point and then look outside. The Mumbai rains were relentless, with little bother about my excitement. Grey skies poured undeterred all morning. I raise two fingers (the Jake Bugg song, you should listen to it) at them and got on with selecting the outfit and accessories. If no cosplay, I will at least look my best for this magical moment.
All set, I'm ready to leave. With little hiccups here and there, I finally reach the destination, and no one's there! This is my first rodeo and I don't know what to do. I wait. 45 minutes, getting drenched in the rains, penning this article. This was going to be my story “How I Waited for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child like a true fangirl" My phone buzzed. The driver had arrived. I showed him my office ID. Got the package. I'm still catching my breath.
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 "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child")
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