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.''

(This is an online-only excerpt from Entertainment Weekly's Nov. 11, 2005, cover story.)