Potter's magic spell hits Jakarta's streets

A magical mood filled the air on Saturday around midnight when publisher Gramedia Pustaka Utama geared up for the first midnight launch in the country of the Indonesian translation of Harry Potter dan Orde Phoenix (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) by British author J.K. Rowling.

Around 100 people, including members of the media, wore black clothes and witches' hats, while some even carried broomsticks before they set off in a convoy of 15 vans along Jakarta's streets.

Some Gramedia bookstores in Greater Jakarta also staged special events to welcome the book launch. The event was scheduled to continue from midnight until 3 a.m. on Sunday before the books go on sale nationwide.

Those buying three copies were entitled to a special Harry Potter bag. The book is available in hardback (Rp 140,000) and paperback versions (Rp 95,000) -- cash only.

Following the success of the previous four books in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix tells of Potter's fifth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Helped by friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Potter's encounter with nemesis Lord Voldemort is more thrilling than the other books in the series.

Rowling's local fans read the English-language edition when it appeared in bookstores in June 2003.

The series, created by Rowling on board a train on her way from Manchester to London, became a instant hit worldwide when the first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone appeared in bookstores in 1997. It was followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The first two books have been made into a film and reaped a great profit, while the third is due to be released in June this year. -- JP