As they've done pretty much every other time anything having to do with Harry Potter has been released, New Yorkers are spending all weekend freaking out over the new movie. But it's worth it this time; this movie is so good it can turn even the most curmudgeonly muggle into a fan! One 20-year-old dressed as Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, for the occasion [too bad he (SPOILER ALERT) died in the fifth book]. He told the WSJ, "We’re the Harry Potter generation, so this is a momentous thing."
The books and films have also caused every religious conservative's worst nightmare (except Christine O'Donnell's) to come true by driving kids into witchcraft classes. Out in Staten Island, Wiccan high priestess Adele Basil holds classes where students can learn to mix potions for love and success, and graduate as "white witches." She told the Daily News, "There is a whole world of magic that people don't know about. Magic is a belief that we can do whatever we set our mind to." We thought that was just positive thinking, but sure, calling it magic sounds much cooler. The also interview a "blond hipster witch" from Enchantments in the East Village, because apparently Williamsburg hasn't gotten on the witchcraft trend yet.
The movie grossed $61 million on its opening day, and is on track to top Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for most grossed on an opening weekend for the franchise. To round out our Harry Potter coverage, here's a Reddit thread concerning actress Emma Watson and her classes at Brown. It may have been from seven months ago, but that doesn't mean we desperately want it to be true any less: "A friend of mine goes to Brown and she has a chemistry class with Emma Watson. She said one day Emma answered a question correctly and someone in the back shouted, 'TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!' She wasn’t happy."
