The End

The doorbell rings.

I jam my hat onto hopefully-presentable hair and adjust my glasses one last time. Bag slung over my shoulder, I walk quickly to the door.

I fumble with the lock for a moment, able to see her face beyond the door, before it finally releases. I wrap my arms around her in a big hug, careful not to poke her with my hat or glasses. I don't want to think about how long it's been.

We both step back, and she makes introductions between me, her boyfriend, and my parents. There are a few sentences of small talk exchanged before my parents wish us well, and we leave.

I hold my hat; my glasses and cloak are stuffed in my bag as we walk to the entrance. No one questions our tickets, but direct us through lines of caution tape to join the waiters.

It's 5:45 PM, only six hours and 17 minutes to go.

The tile is cold and hard, but then the Boyfriend remembers he has a sleeping bag in his car. So that's what boyfriends are for!

Marginally more comfortable, we kick off our shoes, prepared to wait.

I do my best to not look at the time every five minutes; I know it will just make the wait that much longer. We play Harry Potter Uno and I can't keep track of the direction we're supposed to be going.

A man in a Gryffindor scarf yells at us to stand up, so the whole line dutifully picks up their stuff that has magically expanded in the last hour and walks forward through the maze. After five minutes of standing, it is apparent that is all the movement we will get for a while, so the sleeping bag is set back down, shoes are kicked off, cards are reshuffled, and the time is checked.

Another round of Uno is played. The Friend and Boyfriend have a pretzel and pizza, while I attempt to read my book. People are talking loudly, and it seems that with each new person that joins the line, everyone feels the need to increase their volume level.

A quiet couple are behind us.

In front of us we see friends from school. The Friend and Boyfriend know the people who camped out last night in front of the theater and have now claimed the coveted first spot in line.

I see a golden snitch, and a Platform nine and three quarters. A few Bellatrixes, a Snape, multiple witches and wizards. My hat and glasses have long since been discarded, in the hope of becoming slightly more comfortable.

Our new spot is next to a wall, which is lovely to lean against, at least in theory. But my back doesn't seem to think it's much better.

I make my way through several rows of people, and stand in line to buy a four dollar coffee. I need all the caffeine I can get.

By the time I get back, it appears we're going to move again. Anything for a change of scenery. And it's only 8 PM. I don't want to think about the next four hours.

We end up on carpet this time, but by butt is already numb and can't really tell the difference. My knees are complains loudly, whether curled up or out straight. My back is long gone, and my hips are starting to ache. I'm trying really hard not to think about all this.

The Boyfriend comes back, disgusted with the new policy of no free refills. I read a few more pages. We discuss the movie.

We sit. We wait.

Finally, we stand again. Four friends come and join us. People are surprisingly fine with people joining the line. I'm just a little put out that they get such a good spot, only because we've been waiting for the past three hours. I go to the bathroom, again. When I come back, the hall is empty, quiet. It's nice for about two seconds, but then I realize I'm going to have to find my group in the theater, and I don't have my cell phone.

I find them. After freaking out only a little.

We sit. At least I'm semi-comfortable now. We wait. We cheer every hour, as 12:02 creeps closer and closer.

We talk. I entertain the idea of dozing off, but it's not going to happen. This had better be a really good movie.

The lights dim. A cheer that makes my head hurt rises up from the hundreds of people in our theater. I add to the noise, clapping and cheering.

The music begins. We quiet down. And wait for the magic.