"The orders come straight from Bloomsbury [the publishers] in London," says Carol Wright, manager of Wordsworth Books in Somerset West. Orders that, according to Bloomsburg spokespeople, come directly from JK Rowling herself.

Though the books had not yet arrived by Thursday afternoon, managers expected their arrival to be accompanied by heavy security.

Last year the local publishers brought their own security guards, and the tight security shocked many in the book trade. This year, booksellers are expecting the same.

Bookshop staff will open the boxes at 1am on Friday night in front of hundreds of avid fans, all of them in a festive mood thanks to a bevy of Harry Potter parties that will be held at bookshops nationwide.

Click here to find your local Harry Potter party.

"We've already pre-sold around 180 books, so we'll be expecting around 200 children, plus their siblings and families," says Wright.

"There will be a fancy dress parade, sweets and chocolates, and the coffee shop next door will be open for drinks and eats too — so the celebrations will go on for some time." But though the mood is overwhelmingly positive, managers say a vicious price war has dampenened their spirits a little.

"We're pre-selling the books at around R200, but Pick 'n Pay is cutting the cost even more — and this has turned things a little nasty," says Wright.

"It's turning into a bit of a bunfight, really."

Still, booksellers are determined to keep spirits high among muggles and their families alike — and what's more, they're dressing up too.

"We'll definitely be dressing up — probably as witches or something; you've got to get into the spirit of things."