I can see it already - blogs will chronicle the societal impact (does that count as a self-fulfilling prophecy?), schools will set up special counseling programs, churches will throw open their doors to the distraught, Barnes and Noble will have doctors stationed by the checkouts ready to dispense much needed depressions pills. Hysterical young girls will be weeping in the streets, the boys will stoically suck it up. The cause of this mass outpouring of emotion? The end of the Harry Potter saga.
By about noon on July 21st about 4 billion people will start suffering withdrawal symptoms as they close Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and begin to ponder life without Quidditch. The effect will be akin to ripping an IV out of a wounded man's arm. J.K. Rowling will need to go into hiding as irate fans seek assurances that book seven just marks the end of the beginning for Harry and friends; Salman Rushdie had it easy by comparison. The consolation will be that her net worth will rocket past that of Belgium and the US will offer her citizenship and most of Wyoming if she moves here thereby single handedly wiping out the U.S. trade deficit.
A few enterprising authors will craft prequels covering Harry's birth and the death of his parents and no doubt there will be sequels if Harry survives J.K. Rowling's final chapter; if not expect Ron and Hermione to pick up the mantle. The series will be perpetuated on film much as James Bond moved beyond the realm of Ian Fleming's books. Of course there will be a very bad television spin off put on by one of the American networks in a vain attempt to cash in. Unfortunately, Harry's Brooklyn accent, Hermione being renamed Kaitlyn, the relocation of Hogwarts to West Hollywood, and the casting of Kevin Federline as Professor Snape doesn't resonate with fans and the show is cancelled after a single episode.
After five years, J.K. makes a comeback with a new seven part series about a psychic dog called Fred...
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