ABSTRACT
On 26June 2003, 4,000 school children filled the Albert Hall in London. From ceiling to floor they were divided into the four Hogwarts houses of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor by presiding ‘prefects’ decked out in gowns and school ties. They were already in a frenzy of expectation as they awaited the arrival of ‘the world’s best selling and most famous author’ as her host, actor Stephen Fry, described her. In a blaze of spotlights and with a heralding fanfare J.K. Rowling stepped onto the stage. The applause was tumultuous. No one but Rowling herself could have heard the involuntary ‘wow’ which could be seen to pass her lips.
