Nostalgia, anxiety, sadness, thrills for local 'Harry Potter' fans

Ashlee McClease hadn't slept in hours. Listen to her rapid-fire speech - jumping among sadness, euphoria, and nostalgia - and it was clear she had been anxious.

"I've been crying for days," she said Friday afternoon. "I'm just shaking."

Why all the anxiety?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, naturally - the long-awaited, bittersweet, and final installment in a colossal series. It burst onto screens at 12:01 a.m. Friday, earning a record-breaking $43.5 million in midnight premieres and $2 million on IMAX screens after selling out in advance on Fandango at an unprecedented 6,000 theaters.

With seven books and eight films over 14 years, the series about the brave boy wizard who has juggled battles with evil magical forces along with his own adolescence has sent ripples through bookstores and theaters, libraries and costume shops, playgrounds and fan fiction communities.

And now?

"It's the end of everything," said McClease, 22, choking up. "I haven't read anything that has stuck to me as much as Harry Potter. Nothing. . . . It got me through my childhood. It just inspired me. It made me want to do better."

McClease may be a self-described "psycho Harry Potter fan" - she went straight from a night shift to see a Friday matinee and back to a day shift afterward, and vowed to attend another screening Friday night.

Her mixed emotions after seeing the film were likely felt by the millions who have read the books and seen the movie as they've grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"This is an end of an era. . . . That's the emotional part," said Will Cho, 24, outside the Rave Motion Pictures University City 6 before watching the film with friends.

The era began in 1997 with the publication in the United Kingdom of J.K. Rowling's first book in the series. The first movie appeared in 2001.

When asked what drew them in, fans often cite the camaraderie among Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson), along with the series' lessons on love, courage, and perseverance.

Friday was poignant. As one audience left a theater feeling elated and wistful, another flooded in to take its place.

"I feel relieved that [director] David Yates didn't mess it up," said Colin Pierce, 12, who saw the film at the UA Riverview Stadium 17 and particularly liked the special effects. The film is the only one to offer a 3D option.

Javon Klaus, 10, and Abby Boggs, 14, brother and sister from Haddonfield, were ebullient as they came out of the AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 around 4:30 p.m.

"We saw every one," Abby said. "And this one had a big surprise."

Another audience member, Megan Ciminale, said she grew up on the films and books after her mother "forced" her to read the first book. Now 21, she attended two showings within 16 hours Friday.

"It's fantasy, to get away into that world," Ciminale said. "I've been obsessed with it since I was a kid."

Figures on sales locally will likely not be available until after the weekend, but it was clear early Friday that the movie has had a powerful effect.

Theaters across the country added screenings up to 3 a.m. after robust advance ticket sales.

Sharnise Hopkins, 24, had to wait until the 1 p.m. Friday screening at the Rave, after failing to get a ticket for the previous night. "It's been a struggle," she joked.

And while the film seemingly appeals to a younger generation, thirtysomethings and up with children in tow seemed pleased to be there.

Hope Clark, 31, with her toddler and teenager, said her family had looked forward to Potter as though it were a holiday.

What did she like best?

"That everybody was just - I can't even pick the words," she said, pausing. "Everybody wanted to help Harry." The young wizard needs all the help he can get in the film as he faces off with his archrival Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents when he was an infant.

As in other years, fans across the country donned moon-shape glasses and billowing cloaks, carried wands, and chanted spells at the midnight screening.

With no more midnight screenings or releases to anticipate, what's next?

Jimena and Julieta Gozalo, 19 and 15, visiting from Maryland, snapped pictures next to movie posters at UA Riverview. They said they were most impressed by the acting.

"I'm sad because it's ending," said Jimena, who has read the books in Spanish and English. But, she added, "I don't think it can ever end. . . . I'm going to make sure [my kids] read the books and see the movies."

As for McClease, in the immediate future, she plans on taking heart from Potter as she deals with the sleep deprivation of shift work.

"It's a simple fact that anything's achievable, so I feel I can do it," McClease said. "I'm going to get some coffee, and I'll be OK."