We left at 2:30 EST in the afternoon. We got there by 6:40 and picked up the tickets. We were in the last row.
We couldn't see much, but they projected it onto a screen so we just looked at that. There were seats behind us, but no one sat in them.
She read the part where Ron comes back. She's a really good reader. She had different voices for the characters and showed their emotion through her voice. It was awesome
We would have been the last ones to get our books, but some people wanted to go last, so we weren't last but close to it.
I said 'hi' and 'thank you'. I really couldn't think of what to say. But she made eye contact with me and my mom. It was so awesome. One good thing about going close to last was they had a lot of extra books, so me and my mom each got a signed copy and an unsigned copy. Now we have 5 copies of DH in the house.
Now for the part you're all anxious for! The answers to the questions people asked! I didn't get to ask a question, but the other questions were good. (I don't remember word for word what she said, so all the answers are in my words).
1) Did Neville ever marry?
Yes, he married Hannah Abbott and she became the new owner of the Leaky Cauldron.
2) Was Dumbledore ever in love?
Yes. (this one I remember word for word). "I've actually always thought of Dumbledore as gay." Yes, it's true. And he was in love with Grindelwald.
3) Why did you decide to have Molly kill Bellatrix?
To have 2 different kinds of love face off. Molly's motherly love and Bellatrix's sick love for Voldemort. And to show that even though Molly's always been the one to take care of the house and cook, she's a powerful witch.
4) Did Hagrid ever find love?
No, Hagrid never married or have kids. Madame Maxime was too sophisticated for him.
5) What jobs did Remus, James, Lily, and Sirius have?
Remus never worked before he was DADA teacher. No one would hire him. James, Lily, and Sirius were full time Order members and lived off the gold that James got from his parents.
6) What were the illegal charms performed on the goats?
An 8 year old asked this one, and JKR said the charms made the goats cleaner. But then she basically said that what the charms really were were inappropriate to discuss in front of an 8 year old.
7) How did it feel finishing the 7th book as compared with the 1st?
Very much the same. Although there was a big let down after the 7th and she was really sad for a few weeks. She said her husband deserved applause for putting up with her.
But he never went on stage. He was there.
8) What question are you surprised that nobody ever asked?
What Dumbledore's wand was. But she was glad nobody ever asked it, because it would have spoiled the last book.
9) How did Dumbledore convince Petunia to keep Harry?
He appealed to the side of Petunia that always wanted to be a witch.
10) Were the WWII references intentional?
Yes, they were. She wanted to inform the younger generation about bigotry and intolerance and how wherever you are, it will be there. Then she said how you should always question authority and never assume that the government and the press tell you the whole story. She also mentioned 'current regimes' when she said that. *cough, Bush, cough*
11) Was Malfoy in Harry's debt since Harry saved Malfoy's life a few times?
No, because Malfoy wasn't a weak character like Pettigrew was. Pettigrew was a very weak character and he actually felt some remorse for what he did and that's why he loosened his grip on Harry's neck. However, the worst thing that could have happened to Malfoy was have Harry save his life since Malfoy hated Harry.
12) Why wasn't the Horcrux in Harry killed when the basilisk bit Harry?
Because of Fawkes. Fawkes healed Harry before him and the Horcrux could be killed.
13) Why couldn't Harry have just asked a portrait of Dumbledore about the Hallows?
People in portraits can only move to other portraits in the same building or other portraits of themselves. Dumbledore also wanted Harry to learn things along the way of discovering about the Hallows because Harry's usually very reckless and would have wanted to find the Hallows right away. Harry's moment of growing up was when he decided not to look for the Hallows. Plus, there wouldn't have been much of a plot if he could have just asked Dumbledore.
14) Since Ron spoke Parseltongue, is it a language you can learn?
No, there aren't many people who can speak it, so there aren't many people to learn it from. Ron heard Harry say 'open' in Parseltongue in the 2nd book and he just imitated that.
15) How would the books have been different if Arthur Weasley had been killed off in the 5th book?
Very different. Part of the reason he didn't die was because then Ron would have been a half-orphan and that would have take attention away from Harry. She wanted Ron to stay immature right up until the end. Ron's moment of growing up was when he came back to Harry and Hermione.
Also, she wanted to end the book with an orphan (Teddy) but show that he turned out okay. He didn't suffer like Harry did without any parents because he had Harry as a godfather.
That's all that I can remember. If I think of any others I missed, I'll post them.
And pics! Flash photography wasn't allowed, although some people were using it. They announced that they wouldn't start until the flash photography stopped. I did get a few bad pics on my phone (that has no flash) of the throne she sat in before it started, but I was so far away they were all blurry.
I do have pics of my finished Gryffindor scarf! Modeled by Benny.
There are also pics of the books. Just click the link, they're all in this section of my Photobucket.
http://s131.photobucket.com/albums/p301 ... %20Potter/
