Shell Shocked

A normal day, i thought, when i woke up this morning at 10; "4:30 am" ringing at the back of my mind. "Harry Potter and the half blood prince" would now be officially on sale, at all major bookstores. I wanted the UK edition badly, so had booked my copy at Indiatimes 2 weeks earlier, which they promised to deliver a day after the official release. "I can wait that long" i had thought then, and only yesterday i had been to work wearing a custom made Harry Potter t-shirt :D, the euphoria still alive and kicking.

Feeling rather lazy, i started browsing through the day's newspaper and as i read i found, not so surprizingly, the paper full of Harry Potter news. After having a go at the day's news, i was brimming with curiosity about what the book would be like this time around.

I am rather notorious at the office as well as among my friends, for being a bit of a , if i can say, staunch supporter of HP books.

After a few quick calls and chat with friends, most asking me whether i have already bought the book, and some suggesting me places where i could get it at a discounted rate, i got all the more edgy to get my hands on the book.

....the book would reach me a day late, and i will have to wait, i told myself, with a lone voice in my mind hoping i would get it this very day.

All was going fine, when i was informed that my book would arrive a week late owing to some transportation issues. The News on TV was full of the mad rush for the book, and my hopes started to wane. I would have none of it, a weeks wait would be suicidal; while everyone at the HP club at office would be discussing the story, i would have to just sit and try not to hear anything. I decided to scourge around the city for the book, but not before cancelling the damn booking at Indiatimes.

I had been idle the whole day, and now i was ready to leave for jayanagar, hoping a few books would be lurking around for me to latch on to. I got a call from ashwini, asking me if i had plans for the day. I had the only plan, and i told her the same, but she would have none of it, and told me that our group would meeting at crossword near Brigade road immediately. I would not need to cancel my plan of buying the book, since i could buy it near brigade road. After getting another call from ashwini about change of plans, and that the group had decided to meet at gangarams book store i couldn't have asked for more.

except rashmi and myself, none in my group are known fans of Harry Potter stories :D. I thought it was a lucky coincidence that they had chosen to meet at gangarams, and also left me wondering if ashwini had suddenly developed a taste for HP books :D.

After wading through some serious evening traffic i finally reached Gangarams, and there stood ashwini, karthik and pothnis enjoying bhel-puri and giggling ear-to-ear on seeing me. After parking my bike, i got ready to barge into gangarams-already overflowing with ad's on Harry Potter, but held back thinking that i should meet my friends before hopping in. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, and the still giggling ashwini, i jumped the gun and proclaimed that i had to urgently go to gangarams to get the book. still giggling, ashwini putforth a plastic bag handing it over to me. puzzled, i looked into it. There it lay, neatly placed, a book, the letters on which read "Harry Potter and the half blood prince" !.... the words "it's for you !!" took time to reach me, but it only aggravated the pleasant shock i got.

while my friends let me savour the moment, i stood there, like a kid who had had his wish fulfilled the minute he asked for it and shocked beyond belief !

I opened the book, after karthik guided me to the first page, when i had instinctively had moved to the last page, and there on the page were written the words:

To Jaggs,

Science is a Sham :-).

It is one thing to buy a Harry Potter book, but to be gifted one, it becomes priceless.

Thanks guys !