New Delhi/Chennai, July 21, 2007 - Harry Potter fans poured into bookshops across the country to get hold of the seventh and final volume of the series to discover the boy wizard's fate.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" hit the shelves early on Saturday.

Dressed as witches, Hogwarts heroes, Death Eaters and plain old non-magical Muggles woke at dawn to snap up early copies.

Fans waited outside bookstores for hours to get their hand on this last book.

"We intended to open the store at 7.00 a.m. for the sale, but considering the crowd waiting outside, we had to open at 6:30 a.m. We must have sold about 150 books within an hour," said Jolly Thomas, the manager of one of the bookstores.

Damini Mohan, a Harry Potter fan, said: “I have waited six years for this, and it’s all going to end. So, I feel really bad. She (J.K Rowling, the author of Harry Potter series) shouldn't end the series."

Many curious fans started reading the book as soon as they got their hands on.

"I am waiting impatiently to know what will happen in the end, to see whether Harry Potter will be there or not. But, I hope he is there," said Manvi Grover, a student.

Some bookstores also organised Harry Potter theme parties and games to coincide with the release of the book.

New Delhi’s Oxford Bookstore organised a 'Hogwarts Carnival' that included a quiz and a crossword contest. The Full Circle Bookstore organised an event that included a paid breakfast for Potter fans.

In Chennai, Harry Potter fans spent a sleepless night outside stores in anticipation of acquiring the book.

A bookstore in the city said that it had stocked 30,000 copies of the book, as several fans had booked their copies in advance.

"We did have very good sales as the pre-booking was also good. Crowd was more than what we expected. So far, we have had a very good sale," said Raaju, the manager of Oxford Book House.

In London, Rowling participated in a special midnight reading for 500 children at London's Natural History Museum.

Just 13 years ago, Rowling was an unemployed single mother, without a publisher or agent, but she is now the world's first dollar billionaire writer after the success of her first six novels and the Hollywood movies based on them.

The six books, dating back to 1997, have sold 325 million copies and the first five movies in the film franchise have amassed around four billion dollars at the global box office. (ANI)