Harry Potter Release Party Casts a Spell of Anticipation

A horde of teenage Harry Potter fans gathered at the on Thursday evening to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the eighth and final film based on J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series. The film will be released July 15.

All the participants Thursday — nine girls and four boys — plan to see the movie. Many of them already hold tickets to midnight showings at area theaters.

“My friend tried to get tickets two weeks ago for the midnight showing at the theater we usually go to, but they were sold out,” Carolyn McCullough said. “We have to drive a little farther, but it's worth it.”

McCullough, a teen services librarian intern and “a huge Harry Potter fan,” organized the event. Dressed in a dark floor-length velour gown, she welcomed participants Thursday to “the restricted section of the library,” her first of many Harry Potter allusions.

McCullough was aided by a library volunteer who, dressed from tie to robe in Gryffindor gear, resembled Hermione Granger, a Harry Potter heroine.

Together, they ushered attendees into a long room lined on both sides with high, arched windows — a perfect place for young witches and wizards to gather. A large painting hung above the mantled fireplace at the far end of the room, which was divided into four sections: one for each Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry house.

After taking a quiz to determine which Hogwarts house they would be in for the evening, the attendees were supplied with note cards bearing the names of Harry Potter characters. With the note cards blindly affixed to their foreheads, the participants circled the room, asking yes-or-no questions to uncover their identity.

Following the icebreaker, potions class began. Following “Carolyn's Standard Book of Potions,” the participants conjured up pumpkin juice, Fred and George's custard creams, Honeydukes sugar mice and Madame Rosmerta's butterbeer.

The evening ended with a History of Magic class. Broken into their respective houses, attendees were quizzed on their Harry Potter knowledge. The results: Slytherin, 16; Hufflepuff, 17; Gryffindor, 18; Ravenclaw, 19 — a perfect score!

The participants almost certainly will have no difficulty identifying discrepancies between the book and the movie. Whether they'll have an easy time making it through the week before they can do so is another story.

The library will continue with its Potter theme at 2 p.m. Friday