Chapter 171: Finally

Chapter 171: Finally

(3rd Person POV)

Harry Potter sales were climbing as people rushed to read it after seeing the trailers. Many soon regretted this - not because the book was bad, but because it was so good they wished they'd waited for the film.

This led others to hold off on reading, preferring to see the story fresh in theaters.

Meanwhile, other studios tried releasing their own movie trailers, but none could match what Harry Potter had shown.

The anticipation surrounding Harry Potter prompted most studios to adjust their release schedules, avoiding direct competition. All except Titan Pictures, who scheduled "Great Knight Conqueror" for June 22, 1273 - mere days after Harry Potter's June 18 release.

Titan Pictures seemed blind to the situation, with their director openly declaring in newspapers that their film would surpass the "hyped" Harry Potter.

Many industry watchers saw history repeating itself - Titan Pictures once again refusing to back down from a clash with Hellfire Studio.

The rivalry sparked widespread speculation about which studio would prevail. At Wall Street in Apple City, USE, investment brokers even set up informal betting pools.

"Which one's getting your money?" asked James Wheeler, a veteran broker managing the bets.

"Harry Potter," replied a trader, straightening his collar.

"Not backing Titan's new film?" Wheeler's eyes crinkled with amusement.

The trader shook his head. "Look at the facts - Harry Potter's popularity is through the roof. Besides, remember how Titan's 'Desired Crown' fell flat against Hellfire's western movie? Even with that massive budget, they couldn't compete."

"Fair point," Wheeler chuckled, noting down the bet.

Not everyone was convinced Harry Potter would dominate. Some backed "Great Knight Conqueror", partly because betting against Harry Potter offered better odds, though a few genuinely believed the hype was overblown.

Arguments erupted across Wall Street trading floors.

"This Harry Potter thing's just a kids' movie," one trader scoffed. "People are only excited because Arthur Morningstar made it."

"Arthur Pendragon," his colleague corrected. "He changed his name. And don't write it off as just a kids' film because the cast is young. Mark my words - it'll be something special."

"I'm not buying it," the first trader shook his head, but couldn't deny the world's growing anticipation for Harry Potter's release.

***

June 18th arrived before we knew it. Standing outside Pendragon Theatre with my wife and bouncing children, I felt the crowd's anticipation. We found our seats among the buzzing audience, my own excitement building.

Whispered conversations filled the theatre until the lights dimmed. As darkness fell, the murmurs faded to silence. The moment we'd traveled so far to experience was finally here.

The film opened simply with "Hellfire Studio" - quite different from the usual parade of studio logos.

Must be because of Arthur's split with his distribution partners, I thought, recalling the recent industry gossip about his falling out with previous collaborators.

The story followed the novel closely, though I noticed subtle differences.

Harry's character felt different - less mischievous than in the novel, more innocent as he endured Dudley's constant bullying. The audience around me grew increasingly frustrated watching these scenes.

"If that fat kid was my son, I'd teach him some proper manners," someone muttered behind me.

I had to smile at their protective reactions. The whole theater seemed to share a moment of satisfaction when Dudley found himself trapped behind the snake's glass enclosure.

"Ha! That's what you get!" a man in the front row called out, drawing scattered laughs of agreement.

The mood lifted considerably when Harry's Hogwarts letter arrived by owl. My kids practically bounced in their seats at this first real sign of magic in Harry's life.

When Hagrid finally arrived to take Harry away, a demon in the audience couldn't contain himself. "Thank demon lord. Those Dursleys were driving me crazy."

"About time someone stood up to them," his neighbor agreed.

Their reactions were understandable. After watching Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin mistreat him for so long, there was something deeply satisfying about seeing the massive Hagrid terrify the Dursleys into giving Harry his first-ever birthday cake.

As Harry left Privet Drive, the audience leaned forward in anticipation - the trailers had shown us his destination would be King's Cross station, where everything would change.

When Harry reached King's Cross, he was surrounded by ordinary humans until he passed through that mysterious wall to find the Hogwarts Express.

"I had no idea King's Cross had a magical barrier," whispered the man next to me.

I turned with a smile. "You're from Wales?"

He nodded proudly. "Born and raised."

I held back a chuckle, not wanting to spoil his imagination of secret passages in his local station. As a fan of the novel, I shared his wish that Platform 9? really existed.

The scene shifted to Harry aboard the Hogwarts Express, surrounded by young elves and demons his age. The setting radiated magic - Arthur had captured the wonder perfectly.