Winding lines snaked through the lobby of the Eden Prairie AMC movie theater, where the most diverse congregation of people–the young, the old, the nerds, the preps, even the “lax bros”– competed to achieve one goal: be the first in line to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.”

Hundreds of fans arrived hours before the start of the movie, dressed as their favorite characters. Cloaks, robes, wands, glasses, and fake scars were amongst the most popular outfit pieces. Homemade shirts sporting slogans such as “The Chosen One” or “For the Love of Potter” could also be seen throughout the crowd.

The long wait before the movie was not spent sitting quietly. Scores of fans brought their favorite Harry Potter trivia games and held their own “Who Knows the Most Obscure Facts About Harry Potter” tournaments.

Others, who took pleasure in more physical waiting activities, reenacted their favorite scenes from previous Harry Potter movies and took part in magical duels. “People were jumping over theater seats in intense ‘duels’,” said junior Chris Sather. Spells and curses were shouted across the lines with fans feigning their effects.

The penultimate installment in this highly popular movie series caused enough chaos to excite even the least of Potter fans. “I’m not the biggest fan. I didn’t even read the book,” said junior Ben Rosengren, who made the midnight trek to premiere with a group of other juniors.

Others, who have read the books multiple times and wait in agony for each movie to premiere, could barely contain their excitement as midnight grew closer. Eager fans who spent hours in line made clear their anticipation by starting chants such as “We Want Potter” and “P-O-T-T-E-R, What does that spell? POTTER.”

At last, as midnight arrived, fans rushed to their seats to see if what they had been anticipating lived up to their high expectations. One hundred and forty-six minutes later, around 3 a.m., movie viewers exited the theater with their full fix of Harry Potter. “I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as the book, but it did a really good job,” said Sather. After over a year of painful waiting, fans everywhere were finally able to experience the first part of the conclusion of Harry Potter’s epic tale.