Harry Potter's magic takes hold again in Jakarta

Harry Potter may have started life as just a character in a children's novel, but ever since the bespectacled schoolboy wizard cast his first spell 10 years ago, readers around the world of all ages have been transfixed.

J.K. Rowling's literary masterpiece about a young wizard and his friends at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has managed to transcend social barriers of all kinds.

In Jakarta, Harry Potter has left an impression on many, including the physically impaired.

Twenty-six-year-old Eko Ramaditya "Rama" Adikara, who has been blind since birth, is among thousands of Pottermaniacs in the country eagerly anticipating the seventh and final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

"I have followed all six titles in the series and enjoyed reading each one," Rama told participants in a discussion held by QB World Books and the Harry Potter Indonesia mailing list community on Thursday evening. "I even watched the latest Harry Potter movie this morning," Rama said, referring to Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix, which was released worldwide on July 11.

The discussion was the first of three Harry Potter-themed seminars being held in anticipation of the worldwide release of the final book on July 21, at QB World Books in Kemang, South Jakarta.