Anticipation the name of the game at Potter party Hundreds gather at bookstore to get hands on final installment BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer EDISON - If you're reading this, you may already know what has happened. You may have already learned of the mystery and excitement, death and sorrow that has surrounded the final chapter in a decade-long adventure. You may have indulged yourself on a spoiler or spent the last four days holed up on a cozy couch, putting to rest the story of a young wizard who has captured more than just the world's imagination. But for those counting down the hours before the clock struck midnight, July 21, anticipation was the only game in town. "It's like waiting for Springsteen tickets," said Maryann McGuire from Edison, who had been waiting on the first of two lines at Barnes & Noble at the Menlo Park Mall for over an hour waiting for a bracelet that would secure her a spot in the real line for a copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Many Barnes & Noble bookstores throughout the country held Harry Potter parties where fans of the teenage wizard could come and wile away the hours before the book's release by playing games, doing crafts, participating in trivia contests and reminiscing about all things Potter. "It's like our 'Return of the Jedi,' " said Charity Kamp, 17, of Edison who was waiting in line with friends and younger brother Caleb. "For the last few weeks it is what everyone has been talking about." Caleb Kamp, 15, said waiting in line was like being at the end of a long trek through the desert. He wanted to quench his thirst as soon as possible. "Wouldn't you want to grab that glass of water?" Caleb asked, knowing full well the "glass" would be there the following morning. Steven Strauss, 30, of Bedminster said he was excited to see the end of the saga and showed respect for author J.K. Rowling's task of creating the whole world where Harry Potter has lived for 10 years. Alyssa Bergman, 17, and her mother, Kathy, had been waiting in line for themselves, and then with friends, for four hours. PHOTO BY TOM CAIAZZA (Clockwise from top) Faithful fans of the teenage wizard, Harry Potter, wait in the first of two lines at the Barnes & Noble in Menlo Park to get a copy of the final installment of J.K Rowling's epic saga, on Friday. Chrysanthe Haliotis, 11, of Fords creates a "magical" picture frame dressed as "Hermione Granger." A man who wished to be called "Hagrid" dressed up as the loveable "half-giant" from the novels. "I've been obsessed since I was 10," Alyssa Bergman said. Her mother confirmed it, saying that the two of them waited in line two years ago for the sixth installment and that she would read the book as soon as her daughter finished it. "We'll stay open until the last person leaves," said Genevieve Monette, manager of the Barnes & Noble in Menlo Park. Monette said that she has been planning the Potter party since May and expected thousands of people to walk through the door that night, though she would not say how many copies of the book she had in stock. "We have to keep some things in the Chamber of Secrets," Monette said. This is Monette's third Potter party since becoming manager and finds it thrilling, if a bit exhausting. Mostly, she said, it makes the booksellers feel special to take part in an event like this. "We're like the rock stars for one night," Monette said. "Tonight, you're it." Monette said that the booksellers were bound by rules and restrictions regarding the handling of the books, many of which became talked about topics during the run up to the release. She would not speak about the security procedures they had in place for the books but said that knowing the book had been leaked onto the Internet was disappointing to those working hard to maintain the integrity of the release date. "It's a lack of a code of ethics," Monette said. "I find it sad that you would read a photocopy." Conjecture was in the air in the hours leading up to the release of the final Harry Potter novel. Many waiting in line were sharing their well-thought-out theories about how it would end, who would die, and whether or not Severus Snape was as evil as he seemed. But for children and adults alike, there was a sense that Harry Potter lived outside of the pages. Dav Morgan, of Woodbridge, said that he has waited in line for every book since the fifth installment so that his daughter could have a copy. It is this father/daughter tradition that has given him his favorite Harry Potter memory. "I remember reading the first Harry Potter book to my daughter before she was able to read," Morgan said. Sheila Burns, who had received her bracelet and was waiting for the second line to begin with her daughter, Danielle, and friend Elizabeth Stevens, said that she wants the Potter series to end happily; it would be important to reinforce hope for a change. "This has appealed to so many age groups," Burns said, "that you have to let the kids know, and sometimes the adults, that the good guy wins sometimes."