Harry Potter's Estimated Time of Death: July 21st

Since last summer, when Rowling let it slip that Harry Potter might meet his maker in the last installment of the series, fans have been dying to hear more about one of the most beloved characters, in both literature and film, in modern history.

During a televised interview, former unemployed single mother, now multi-millionaire J. K. Rowling said that she understood why Agatha Christie would always kill off her successful characters, so that no one else would have the chance to write about them and to pick up the story from where she had left it. At the same time, Rowling also hinted that she planned to do the same with Harry Potter, the little wizard that became such a popular figure over the past years, to make sure that his story ended when she pleased.

Today, the writer announced that the seventh book of the series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', will be released on July 21st, together with a children's hardback edition, an adult hardback, a special gift edition and an audio book. However, she still refused to give away any details on Harry's fate, saying only that two major characters will find their death in the last pages.

'Not only will this be the biggest selling book, it will also break all records to become the fastest selling book of all time. There are not many people who want to wait to find out what happens and risk hearing the news from their friends.', one manager of a children's bookstore told BBC after Rowling made her announcement.

Leaving aside what might happen to Harry, the writer is fully aware that killing him off will upset many of the fans. But, she says, she has thought about how the series would end more than a dozen years ago so there's not much that could make her change her mind. She will always be grateful for those who stuck by her and Harry Potter for so long and she truly hopes that people would understand and accept the ending she chose.