COUNTY NEWS PICTURES: Harry Potter fever sweeps across Sussex

Dressed in witches and wizard costumes, dozens of people headed to their local Waterstones store for a special midnight launch of the latest book in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

The play script, by Rowling, writer Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany, is set 19 years after the seventh book in the series, the Deathly Hallows.

It portrays the characters of the magical saga as adults with their own children heading off to school.

Waterstones chose 140 stores across the country to host special late-night openings to celebrate the book launch.

The company said its pre-sales of the book had exceeded six figures and it fully expected the Cursed Child to become the best-selling book of this year.

For more information on the play, or to buy tickets, visit www.harrypottertheplay.com.

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