Standing in line - no spoilers yet

[Mike & Susan Gray]

So. After writing a nice long post, then losing it, then writing a
completely incoherent mumble, I've switched back to individual emails - time
for a second try!

First off, I'm sad that the series is over - if nothing else because there
won't be any more midnight book-buyings. Last night was great. I shared my
bit of line with the following personages:

- Two 17-year-old Swiss girls (one speaking superb English - I don't usually
let Swiss people speak English to me, but she insisted, and she was doing
great, so I let her.) They were the least chummy of the bunch, however -
though they were impressed when I pointed out that I know people from TLC,
Lexicon and the like. 
- Mom (molecular biologist), Dad (genetic engineer), daughter (about nine,
dressed up in homemade robes with an iron-odd Hogwarts emblem Mom got from
the internet and printed onto special paper). Mom's a big fan and has
actually been reading the books since the first one came out - and giving
them to her nephews (who have never yet read a single one!) until her kids
got old enough to read. Dad's out of work because of Swiss skepticism about
genetic engineering. He hasn't read the books yet; but now that they're all
out and he's out of a job, he might give it a rip.
- Their friends (with two children) who don't speak English and hence
weren't actually going to buy the book but had just come for moral support.
They won't get to read until the German edition comes out in October. They
plan to stand in line at midnight for the German edition.
- Two ladies in their mid 50s to early 60s. Dressed very nicely, quite
formally - no Potter gear. They may possibly been with a well-known
high-brow newspaper, but they didn't actually say so. They had been to the
film before coming to the book shop. Seemed very excited - red cheeks and
bright eyes. The elder had a slight Slavic accent. Did extremely well on the
quiz questions about incantations - though I think it was more because they
know Latin than because they knew the books. Fun to stand in line with. Nice
discussion of archetypal fairy-tale patterns.
- Mom (non-fan) with just-turned-13-year-old son, who happen to be from my
church. They were right in front of me. He's in the perfect age, I would
say, and he's a HUGE fan. He'd been to the film the day before and was so
excited I thought he might float off. He thinks writing a doctoral thesis
about HP (what I'm doing) is the world's most noble and amazing calling.

I'll say it again: I'm gonna miss having that to look forward to. I've done
it four times in all and every time it's been unique.

Second off: I'm really getting too old for all-nighters. I got the book at
1am and was done a bit before 9am. (Had to stop reading between the train
station and our apartment block since the street lights were off, but once I
got to the stairwell I could read again.) At 10:30am a newspaper called for
an interview, for which I was not particularly coherent. After that I felt
like a total wreck. Too wired to sleep and too sleepy to do anything else.
Yuk. Eventually I fell asleep and spent the rest of the day taking naps and
wandering around in a daze. But it was a nice sort of daze. And by evening I
felt normal again.