Comic-Con 2007

Fans began lining up at 12:30 p.m., the panel was supposed to start at 1:30, but by 1:55 there were still no signs of the Mugglenet.com staffers who were scheduled to lead the discussion of all things Potter.

So finally a fan stood up and bravely addressed the packed room: “Anyone who hasn’t read the seventh book, raise your hand.”

About 10 people put their hands in the air only to hear, “What’s your problem?!” yelled at them by the crowd, as after all, they’ve had a whole week to read it. A few of the slow readers begged for the discussion to focus only on the first six books, claiming they’ve been savoring every page, but this crowd didn’t buy it, and the talk delved right into “Deathly Hallows.”

Lacking an official panel, this fan-led discussion was impressively orderly considering its spontaneity.

Some fans raised their hands to share interesting trivia, like the fact that “Severus Snape” is an anagram for “pursues Evans” (unfortunately, the closest it gets is “persues Evans” – sorry to disappoint).

Others spoke up to share their frustration at the excessive and seemingly unnecessary deaths in “Deathly Hollows” – these sentiments were invalidated by a fan who reminded them that this was a war and it had to be realistic.

The crowd cheered when the self-appointed discussion leader declared the chapter on Snape’s background to be “the best chapter in the whole book.”

But the comment that was met with the loudest approval was a comment by a teenage boy who shouted out from the back of the room, “Molly Weasley is my hero!”

-Amy Crocker