As the final Harry Potter book was released at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Emily Power took a drastic measure: she went into hiding.
Minutes after buying "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at a late-night release party in St. John's, N.L., - located in the first time zone in North America to get the book - the 15-year-old and a few friends were heading to a nearby provincial park for a weekend of camping and reading.
"We didn't want the media to influence the outcome of the book for us, because there are spoilers popping up everywhere," said Emily, referring to apparent plot leaks that surfaced online in the days leading up to the release.
"We've made a pact that we're not opening it until we get to Butter Pot (Provincial Park)."
Emily won a contest to skip near the front of the line at a local Chapters store, and said about 1,500 people behind her were counting down the seconds before the clocks struck midnight and the books started selling.
Release parties for the seventh book in J.K. Rowling's astoundingly successful series about a boy wizard were in full force Friday at bookstores across the country.
In Toronto, hundreds of Potter-loving families packed a downtown street that was closed off for the release. Many were dressed in homemade Hogwarts uniforms.
"I feel happy and sad because it's the end," said seven-year-old Max Schindler, who sported a wizard hat.
His sister, nine-year-old Emma, said her favourite character in the books is Potter's friend Hermione "because she's so smart."
At the front of the line was Charu Dhavakkar, an 18-year-old from New Jersey visiting Toronto with his parents. He hoisted two books into the air as he approached the cash register, shouting: "Number 1!"
"I love the books. I love everything about them. I've read them so many times, you can ask me almost anything and I'll know it," he said.
Dozens of fans - a mix of children and adults - began filling up a Halifax-area Chapters in early evening, partaking in various Potter-themed activities.
Kelsey MacDonald, 15, of Dartmouth, N.S., said she's been addicted since she started reading the books last year.
"I'm really excited because I really want to see what happens," MacDonald, who was dressed up as Hogwarts headmaster Dolores Umbridge, said before the midnight release.
"I'm a little sad, though, because it's ending and I'll have nothing to do for the rest of my life," she added with a laugh.
At least one muggle in Edmonton admitted she'll be a little relieved when she reads the final chapters of "Deathly Hallows."
Noreen Hansen, co-ordinator of children's books for Greenwoods Bookshoppe, said while the final instalment brings is a sad end to a decade of Pottermania, it may be time to bring the series to a close.
"I think a lot of people do want to get to the end. You don't want a series that goes on and on and on," Hansen said.
"I think there will be a lot of people staying up all night and reading this book. I think that's when I'm going to be sad, when I get to the end of the book and I'm going 'OK, that's it, that's done."'
On Friday night at Capital Ex, Edmonton's annual exhibition, Potter lovers could ride a mini Hogwarts Express steam train or create their own magic wands.
At Vancouver's Van Dusen Gardens, thousands of people showed up for an evening of Potter-related fun put on by local bookstore Kidsbooks. Spokeswoman Phyllis Simon says the event proved so popular they were turning people away at the gate.
While hundreds enjoyed the parties, other Potter fans didn't have much choice but to wait.
For 10-year-old Liam Hearn, who lives in the small Cape Breton community of Cleveland, there were no late-night parties and no opportunities to get the book at midnight.
Instead, Liam and his family were set to drive to nearby Port Hawkesbury first thing Saturday morning. Upon his return home, Liam planned to hunker down in his bedroom - below a mix of hockey and Harry Potter posters - to start working his way through the mammoth novel.
"I've been really impatient - I've been asking for the book everywhere," he said.
It will be a bittersweet read for Harry Potter fans, many of whom have been following the young wizard for years.
Rowling has said numerous times the seventh book will be her last - and while some readers are preparing to say goodbye to Harry and the intricate world Rowling has created, others are still holding out hope.
"She's an author that deals best with surprise," said 13-year-old Regis Irving of Kentville, N.S.
"So I'm sure she might write some more - but I think we might have to wait a bit."
