Back home with the coveted prize by 12.07. First impressions? It's thankfully smaller than the last one, weighing in at 30 chapters and 607 pages. The blurb on the back informs us that Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts has got off to an "unusual" start (when, frankly, doesn't it?). The worlds of muggle and magic collide when Dumbledore visits Harry at the dread Dursley's (doesn't sound like the beardy one gets bumped off in the first chapter then).

The worlds of muggle and magic are also colliding in Brighton town centre tonight in a quite surreal way. It's something like Diagon Alley meet binge-drinkers alley out there as the queues for WH Smith, Border's and Waterstone's - all on the same stretch of road - meet the usual gangs of hooded scamps and scalliwags, staggering bunny-ear-wearing hen parties and the post-pub, pre-club lagered-up masses roaming the streets at this time of night.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, there were few of JK Rowling's core readership of young'uns to be seen in the queues tonight but Waterstone's did have a very sweet and slightly bleary-eyed 11-year-old as a VIP(f) - Very Important Potter Fan - guest to unveil the books at the stroke of midnight. Natasha had won the treat through a competition with the local paper in which she had to write about why she liked the books. In the excitement, she couldn't remember exactly what she'd written but she did know that Ron is her favourite character, "because he's got a sense of humour". Her dad reckoned she'll have finished the book by Sunday. Attempts to pressgang Natasha onto the Culture Vulture HP6 blogging team failed so, with a pot of peppermint tea and a bowl of popcorn at the ready, it's time to get started. More in five chapters' time ...