I suppose fandom can be a private and intense thing, which is probably why our dear journalist was so surprised. Honestly, I don't blame her; as an "outsider" to the cult of HP, all she did was write down what she saw and heard. But even though Harry Potter is a fictional character in a fictional world, I think she should've prepared herself a lot better. This journalist was marching into a convention where there were people devoted to these stories. Despite the other shocks, what did she expect? She should've at least read through another book, maybe find out the summaries online. Certainly, I would have hoped she attempted to find a fan site.