Final Harry Potter Film Marks Rite of Passage For Teens

Tara McHugh showed up armed with the Elder Wand, wearing a Gryffindor scarf around her neck and a house banner on her back, four hours before the midnight release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two."

For McHugh, 18, of Port Jefferson Station, it was not just about seeing a fun movie. It was about watching the final installation of a series she has legitimately grown up with.

"I feel like I was raised by my mom, dad, and J.K. Rowling," said McHugh, who attended Thursday night's premiere with the same friends with whom she has done the same many times in the past.

Friends Danielle Long, Julianna Lepore, Sarah Kuzmack, and Daniele San Roman felt much the same way.

"I feel like we grew up with the books and they grew up along with us," said Long, 19, of Port Jefferson Station.

The group has seen nearly every midnight movie premiere together, with the exception of "Deathly Hallows, Part One," which opened when most of them were away at college.

"The fact that we can end it the way we all started it is possibly a little more important than the whole series together," said Kuzmack, 19, of Port Jefferson Station.

Heather Towey, 19, of Smithtown, was among the first waiting in line on Thursday evening. They'd paid a little extra to see the 3D version of the film, and Towey was waiting alone for two friends who had to work. None of it mattered.

"I would pay anything to see this. I don't mind waiting," she said. "It's just kind of that excitement, anticipation and sadness all mixed together. It's not something you feel every day."

Friends Lori Barry and Debbie Mavrich of Centereach bought tickets for themselves and their kids as soon as they went on sale about a month ago. As parents, they say the Harry Potter series was important for their kids for more than just a fun exercise in reading and make-believe.

"Like my daughter always says, it gives kids hope," said Barry. "The kids all seem like outsiders so when they go to Hogwarts it makes them seem like they're part of something bigger."

Marvich added, "It's empowering. Kids can see that kids can change things."