Stars gather in London for 'Harry Potter' premiere

LONDON — Thousands of Harry Potter fans gathered in Leicester Square on Tuesday for the London premiere of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and other cast members were expected at the screening, along with the boy wizard's creator, J.K. Rowling.

The sixth Potter film, "Half-Blood Prince" sees Harry and his friends at Hogwarts school battling evil Lord Voldemort — and raging teenage hormones.

Cheering fans gathered in the square despite heavy rain, some holding placards reading "Harry, I'll be Your Chosen One" and "Britain Loves J.K. Rowling."

"It's quite exciting. You get caught up in all the energy," said Paul Taylor, 45, a nursing-home worker from Sheffield in northern England, who wore a tailor-made wizard's cloak and hat.

"I get quite involved with Harry Potter," he acknowledged. "I travel on steam trains and go to conferences."

Grint said he would attend after recovering from a mild bout of swine flu. He said the illness was not severe and "just like any other flu I've had before."

The cast members plan to wear white ribbons in memory of Rob Knox, a young actor on the film who was stabbed to death in London last year.

The movie opens around the world July 15.

Two more films are in the works covering Rowling's final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."