Get ready, muggles!

Take a nap Friday afternoon, grab your Nimbus 2001 and fly over to your local store.

The final installment chronicling the happenings at Hogwarts, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," is ready to hit the shelves at the stroke of midnight on Friday.

Or is that Saturday? Whatever...

OK, now you know you're dealing with a big event when even local grocery stores are planning Harry Potter parties to celebrate the release of the book.

As you can see here, the Stop & Shop at the 44 Plaza in Poughkeepsie is planning a release party this Friday night.

Stop & Shop? I know, right?!

That's how big this thing is, that the same place where you can pick up your bread and eggs and Pop-Tarts, you can also pick up your piece of history. It's actually a good idea for Stop & Shop and their customers.

Now, you might be thinking, What respectable Harry Potter fan would go to a release party — the final release party — at a supermarket? Here's the answer: a smart one.

I've read the first two books — we'll get to that later — but I've never been so into the phenomenon to go to a release party, which have only increased in strength and size with each new book. From what I've heard from people who have been to ones at places like Barnes & Noble, these places get packed with fans, many dressed up like Harry or Hermione. (Does anyone ever dress up like Ron Weasley? Poor Ron!)

So here's what the smart people should do: Head over to a place like Stop & Shop or one of these places where you might not expect such crowds, wait in line (likely less than you would at a larger party), get your book and get out! You can be home before 1 a.m.

Again, I've read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," each taking less than a week to finish. I then watched each of the movies; I made a deal with myself: You can only watch the movie after you've already read the book.

Then I picked up the 435-page "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and only got half-way through. I haven't picked it up since. It's been about three years now. Hence, I haven't seen the third, fourth or fifth movies.

I don't know who died later in the series. (Someone dies, right?) I don't know what's happened since "Chamber of Secrets" so I can't get into any of this new hoopla, including the new "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" movie that came out last week. I feel left out of the loop.

What am I missing? Should I continue with "Prisoner of Azkaban," et al? What are your plans for the release of "Deathly Hallows?" Let us know!