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Harry Potter Fans Camping Out For Premiere Get Pizza Delivery From Draco Malfoy
By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 11, 2011
Modified Jul 11, 2011
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jul 11, 2011
Modified Jul 11, 2011
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Gaggles of muggles are gathered outside Lincoln Center anxiously awaiting the NYC premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, set to begin at 5 p.m. today. We threw ourselves into the madness, and found fans from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Canada and the Philippines that have been camped in nearby Dante Park for nearly a week. They're all hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite characters as they walk the red carpet. Superfan Natasha Miller told us, "We've been sleeping out here for six days. We wanted to be the first ones. This is the last chance for us to do everything and we wanted to do it big."
Most of the crowd are devotees in their early 20s who began reading the books when they first were published in 1997. "Our childhoods are ending with this premiere on Friday," said Emily Stone, who also carried a sign dedicated to Daniel Radcliffe, whose portrayal of the boy-wizard she says helped her through her mother's death. A group of girls, dressed in Gryffindor scarlet and gold, met at Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and are back for Part 2. "This is the whole point. Harry Potter brings us together, it's all about friendship."
Friendship and some serious crushes, as many fans have grown into maturity alongside the cast. We took a poll of the crowd, and they voted Ron Weasley, as played by Rupert Grint, their favorite wizard crush—one fan told us, "I met him this morning outside Regis and Kelly and I have nothing else to live for." Neville Longbottom, played by Matthew Lewis, followed as a close second.
Tom Felton, who plays anti-hero Draco Malfoy, played the nice guy yesterday when a fan says: "he delivered us pizza because he saw us standing out here... how long we were waiting. He said, 'We wanted to show you how much we appreciate you guys doing this.' Getting that from people you've looked up to your entire life makes this all worth it."
Disappointed you can't play hooky and join the fun? There is still time to catch all the Harry Potter action; the premiere starts tonight at 5 p.m. with a red carpet featuring stars of the film and an after party at the American Museum of Natural History. The Museum of the Moving Imagine is still screening some of the Potter flicks as a part of their Seven Nights With Harry Potter festival.
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