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At Platform 9-3/4, Harry Potter Fans Mark 20 Years of Magic


A woman poses for a photograph with the Harry Potter trolley at Kings Cross Station, in London, Britain, June 26, 2017.
A woman poses for a photograph with the Harry Potter trolley at Kings Cross Station, in London, Britain, June 26, 2017.

Twenty years to the day after the first book in the Harry Potter series was published, fans gathered online and in the real world to express their enduring love for J.K. Rowling's magical creation.

Since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone came out in 1997, with a first print run of just 500 copies, the series of seven novels has sold 450 million copies worldwide in 79 languages and spawned a blockbuster movie franchise.

The book appeared in the United States a year later as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

On Monday, some fans took the day off work to celebrate the anniversary, heading to significant locations such as King's Cross train station in London, which in the stories is one of the gateways into the world of witches and wizards.

The real-life station features a mock-up of Platform 9-3/4, the departure point for trains to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The mock-up is a bustling spot where tourists and fans queue to pose for photos wearing Potter-themed scarves or costumes.

"Harry Potter, I think, still means so much to so many people even though it's 20 years now," said Clara Carson, whose job at the nearby souvenir shop involves taking photos of the fans and holding up the scarves to achieve a windswept effect.

Harry Potter fans pose for a photograph at an anniversary presentation at Waterstones bookshop in London, Britain, June 26, 2017.
Harry Potter fans pose for a photograph at an anniversary presentation at Waterstones bookshop in London, Britain, June 26, 2017.

"I'm a fan myself, so it's really nice to come in and be with people that are all into the same things that you're into," she said. "Whether they're kids or my age or even adults, they're always just so excited."

Childhood friends Charlotte Keyworth and Joanne Wylie, both 26, had come down to London from northern and eastern England for the occasion.

They were part of the first generation of Potter fans, having read the first volume as young girls and then endured the agonizing wait for each new episode as they were published over a period of 10 years.

"We've grown up with it, with Harry Potter," said Keyworth, who was sporting a Hogwarts T-shirt. "We're planning on going to the studio tour this afternoon and celebrating in our own little way," she said, referring to the studios where the Potter movies were shot.

Wylie, who has a permanent tattoo on her forearm of the Deathly Hallows symbol, an important element in the story, said the Potter stories still bring her joy and comfort.

"It was always something that just sort of boosted your spirits and made you realize you could get past the dark points," she said.

Her sentiments were widely echoed on social media, with legions of fans posting their favorite quotes or video clips, or just thanking Rowling for the happy memories.

"After all these years... Always!" wrote Twitter user Anu — a reference to a moving moment in the story when it is revealed that Harry's nemesis Severus Snape had always loved Harry's dead mother, Lily.

Rowling, who has 10.8 million followers on Twitter, also took to the medium to mark the anniversary.

"20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It's been wonderful. Thank you," she wrote.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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