Just as I was about to log off of my computer last night, one quick glance at the Yahoo! homepage stopped me in my tracks...
"Photos of Harry Potter Book Leaked on Web"
Yeah, I know, if I didn’t want to know, I shouldn’t have gone there. I did.
After clicking on the Yahoo! News story (Yahoo! News is actually, perhaps sadly, a big staple in our house), I was re-directed via links therein to the actual site(s) containing the purported "leaked" photos from the book. Before me, lay photographs of the alleged Table of Contents and Chapter 7 and, oh yes, the Epilogue of the book. This "book leak" story is so big that even J knows the details. J asked me what I thought about the validity of the photos with *almost* the same seriousness as J asks about cases I am working on. Alas... Anyway, together J and I just perused the various Webpages touting their own "authentic" photos of the book. As far as I can tell, however, there are few of these sites still up and running.
I have absolutely no idea if any of the photos I’ve viewed or pages that I have read (yes, again, I know, I know) are legitimate. I think that the theories about all of these versions being the brainchild of Scholastic/Bloomsbury Press are somewhat far-fetched. I do think that if any of these are "hoaxes" that no matter who created them, the time, energy and creative thought that went into fabricating these examples is commendable.
I will, however, say this; If, indeed, one of these versions is the legitimate one, shame on the spoiler. Children have so little left as innocent surprise anymore. Why do it? Are you a disgruntled Barnes and Noble lackey? Were you not loved as a child? Do you need attention and constant validation?
And, for those who say (as one of the photo-posters remarked), "this is crap and there is no surprise and the book is a disappointment", I remind you that the HP series is, after all, a children’s series. Some modicum of what can be called a ‘happy ending’ should be expected.
As for me, whatever joy I had in reading the HP series might be over as soon as I walk into a bookshop sometime over the weekend and pick up a copy. If the first line of the Epilogue looks stunningly familiar, I’m afraid no spell will be able to bring that magic back.
