For Laura Mahoney and three of her friends, Harry Potter and his cohorts have been like siblings they've grown up with over the past decade.

Now sophomores in college, the four young women planned to reunite last night at Hastings, dressed as students from the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to be among the first to get their hands on the seventh and final novel in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

"We all went to the first movie together, and since then we've gone to every release party that they've had," Mahoney said, adding that the girls were just 9 years old when the first book in the series came out. "It was something we wanted to believe. It brought us together in our own make-believe world."

After getting the books, Mahoney said the quartet would reunite at an apartment and read until dawn or beyond.

All around the world Friday night, Harry Potter fans jammed bookstores to see how the storyline wraps up.

Stores in the U.S. were prohibited from selling the book before midnight, and many held release parties that kept readers up long past their usual bedtimes. Sellers had to sign contracts that forbade opening boxes of the books until Friday.

Some media outlets spoiled the surprise, though most on hand at Hastings said they went to great lengths to avoid learning how the series ends.

Hastings manager Robin Auchterlonie said the store presold nearly 500 copies from its 1,000-book alottment, believed to be the most presales for any store in the company.

Guest services manager Jeni Harnden said the series is so popular because author J.K. Rowling effectively combines fantasy with issues that all teens face.

"It touches on things kids deal with, like being persecuted in school," she said. "There are a lot of real-life situations in a very imaginative and fun and engaging environment."

Laura Ferguson of Helena came to Hastings with her out-of-town sister and four children; all six dressed as different characters from the books.

"We all wish Hogwarts was real," said Ferguson, decked out as Mad-Eye Moody from the fifth book in the series. "And the sense of adventure -- she creates such wonderful characters."

The Montana Book Co. on Last Chance Gulch presold nearly 300 copies, according to co-owner Jan Peccia, who expected nearly a third of those buyers to be on hand at midnight when the store reopened to pick up their books.

"I think because it's the last book in the series, there's an increased level of interest," she said. "People really look forward to it; it's beome kind of a tradition. A number of people stay up and read the book all night together."

Special events at the downtown store included jugglers to entertain customers waiting in line for the store to open, lots of Harry Potter decorations (with an assist to the Lewis and Clark Library) and treats and goodies straight from the book, including butterbeer and peppermint toads.

Peccia said the hype and midnight parties began with the third book in the series, with each release bigger than the last.

It's a trend she's happy to see.

"It's great to have people so excited about a book," she said. "You couldn't ask for anything more as a bookseller."

Reporter John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or

john.harrington@helenair.com.