Fête Harry Potter

Harry Potter est sorti !

Oh mon Dieu but was the party awesome. I will start from the beginning, mais bien sûr.

I left around 6 with Madame’s Assistant, to go set up the party. It took place UNDER the Alexandre III bridge, right across from the Grand Palais and with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower. Madame’s Gentleman Friend dropped us off right on the side of the road and we took the stairs down to the river and then went in through the back.

Nothing can do justice to the place—it was incredible ! It’s squeezed under the bridge itself, on the Grand Palais side. Everything is in stone with vaulted ceilings accentuated by eery lighting. There were stages scattered around, with banquets for sitting and eating. The bar was on two levels and accessible from most parts of the open room, and the side hallway was filled with tables absolutely heaving with food. Because this is France, there was a whole table solely for cheese, with a huge loaf of bread baked with Harry’s face on it.

There were images from each book projected on all the walls, and there were sound clips from the movie soundtracks and the audio books playing all night. There were stations all over the place for the kids to take part : Quizzes, guessing games, costume competition, and magic shows. There was even an awesome photo-booth where people could sit and a Sorting Hat (le Choixpeau* : it kills me with its brilliance) would appear on a huge flatscreen in front and sort them into houses. I am a Slytherin ! (Yes, I got sorted… it was after the owl was done for the night, and after the line of kids died down a bit… I still maintain I am solidly Gryffindor, or possibly a Ravenclaw on a good day)

I was there as an intern, so I ended up running around a lot. The Assistant was insane, doing all the work and answering questions, putting out fires. A very stern-looking man basically started ordering me around when he saw I wasn’t doing anything, using the « tu » form from the first second I met him (it’s considered rude to do that, unless the person you’re talking to is a child). Of course, by the end of the party, he was winking at me every time I ran into him, and making sure to remember my name everytime he asked me how I was doing.

I sort of floated around for a while, occasionally getting brooms, distributing capes and hats, and trying to help solve little problems. Madame came about 10 minutes before the doors opened, and it was fabulous : she appeared suddenly, with a high-necked stiff shirt and her grey hair in a tight ponytail. She was smoking a cigar, posed perfectly in her hand, and she drifted over to the coat people as the sea of waiters and hostessed parted, and imperiously handed them her Dior bag. Everyone snapped to attention : capes miraculously got retied, hats were mysteriously straightened. I was so impressed.

When the doors actually opened, I was ready to go, with my cape, hat, and polaroid camera.

I was situated right in the main room, underneath the stage with the white owl (Hedwig). I was there to take pictures, and it went pretty well. It was definitely hectic, especially after the kids started figuring out they could take pictures with a big old famous owl for free.

During the owl’s first « break », I took it upon myself to go figure out the open bar. I ended up having quite a nice time with all the free champaign—several people, including a waiter I met backstage and one of the Assistant’s friends, complimented my French.

After the owl was done, Monsieur Gallimard himself gave a speech and pronounced the book released ! I gathered up my Polaroid camera and went around taking some pictures for myself. I especially love the ones of the witches on stilts. Not to be missed.

I ended up meeting Christopher Little, JKR’s original British publisher. I talked to him a bit about my situation in Paris, and he was such a nice man. I also happened to be standing near Madame when she was handing out extra signed copies of the book to the main webmasters of the fan sites, and I got one ! (She was a tad smashed) So I am now the proud owner of a signed-by-JKR Harry Potter et les reliques de la mort.

After six hours of running around, drinking free champaign, and chatting up random French people (especially the kids—they are super friendly and polite. One boy offered me some of his cotton candy after I asked him if it was good), my feet were killing me. I smuggled out a few posters, made sure I had my signed book, and got a ride home from the Gentleman Friend.

The party definitely wasn’t what I expected—no fabulous celebrities (except for Christopher Little, and I know I saw the French translator walking around), but plenty of super attractive waitstaff, and incredible venue, and just a great time.

*Combination of « Choix », choice, and « Chapeau », hat