Kloves knows the feeling. The scribe was planning to leave the franchise after Goblet. But he fell hard for Half-Blood Prince and felt compelled to return. Heyman is thrilled to have him back, especially since the sentiment in the Potter camp is that Half-Blood Prince might be Rowling's best piece of writing, though potentially trickier than Goblet to adapt, thanks to frequent flashbacks to Voldemort's past that render Harry a relatively passive protagonist. ''Challenging film,'' says Heyman flatly. ''I'm excited. Daunted. But excited.''

At present, the only concern is whether Potter loyalists will drink deeply from Goblet. Newell is confident, but he recently got a taste of what disappointment might feel like when he gave a talk to a group of teenagers. ''Afterward, these kids were all over me, asking me things like 'Is the giant squid in the movie?''' says Newell. ''I actually had to say, 'No, sadly, the giant squid is not in the movie.' These kids, they own these books. You mustn't disappoint them.''

Q&A
DANIEL RADCLIFFE

For someone technically in the warp of adolescence, there's little about Daniel Radcliffe that can be called awkward. At 16, moviedom's Harry Potter is confident and curious, full of opinions but not at all full of himself. ''He feels he owns the part, but he doesn't feel he's finished learning,'' says Mike Newell. ''I'm very glad the gild hasn't come off his gingerbread yet.'' —JJ

Four films down. Looking back, how would you describe your growth?
The first film, there was a lot of energy, but the energy wasn't being focused. That's what I'm gaining: focus. Also, on the first three films, I didn't offer any suggestions. I didn't feel I had the right. Now I'm finding it's better to say something than not say anything. Of course, then they say, ''Oh, Dan! Shuffle along.'' But in general, I'm more self-assured about Harry being my character.

In Goblet, you tangle with dragons, mermaids, a sinister hedge maze. What was most challenging?
The underwater sequence. I trained six months for it. There was talk of someone else doing it and superimposing my face on it. That would have looked like rubbish. I'm glad I did it — despite the two ear infections.

Does playing Harry ever get boring?
Definitely not. I might as well be playing a different person each film, because he changes so much. Like here, he's going through all that puberty crap.

''Puberty crap''?
You know: the first crush. Of course, when it's your first crush, it's not just a crush — you looove her.

Can you relate?
Every guy can relate, at least once. In my case, more than once. I'm crap with girls. Guys my age, they think they're suave, but they're rubbish and they know it.

You're quite the little Hitch-in-training, Dan.
I don't see myself going in that direction.

But you are a budding music aficionado — who are you listening to these days?
The Libertines. Franz Ferdinand. I respect Green Day, but my problem with American punk is that it all sounds like Good Charlotte. But I like that ''American Idiot'' song. ''Now everybody do the propaganda''? Genius!