First, the movie. Off we went, including a friend who has apparently been living under a rock since he had no idea about the books, movies, plot. They all laughed as they heard me explaining in not-so-hushed tones what was going on: “That fat kid is his cousin, very painful,” “So, the bad guy Voldemort killed Harry’s parents,” “Those are the Dementors, they suck the happiness out of you, I rather thought they’d be less... corporeal,” “I need a new hairdryer” (yes, I am easily distracted). And then when Hermione goes on a rant, blowing up Harry and Ron for being idiots and not realising all the various layers of thought Cho was going through as she kissed Harry, the boys laughed — “this sounds like you-know-who, doesn’t breathe between sentences and goes through a million different things like a truck out of control on a busy highway!” We come out, to the pronouncement from the friend who formerly lived under a rock, “Well, that’s an interesting concept!” Indeedy.

A day later, the boss comes in with great enthusiasm: quickly, do something on the spoilers all over the net. That entails reading them, I realise. Oh no. Now — two days before the release — I’m armed with all kinds of Harry information — true or otherwise. So what should I do? It’s only fair to ruin everyone else’s fun. I call a few friends who I know will definitely not want to hear this. Many phones are slammed down on me. Yes, I know. I’m going straight to hell. So I figure, I’ll read the Half Blood Prince again, soak it all in, then get to the last one. I’ll make a weekend out of it. This plan sounds good, calm, bordering on boring. I should have known my tryst with Harry was not done yet.

... contd.