Hannah's Story
He dropped us, and there we were, on Piccadilly Circus with two bags and a digital camera around dad's neck. We had nowhere to go, we had thought about going to Piccadilly Hotel but they were full so we walked around and around in the center of London looking desperately after a cheap hostel! We found Regent Palace Hotel, but it cost £100 for one person for one night, so it was totally out of the question.
After an hour of looking we went back to Piccadilly Hotel and asked the receptionist if he knew a place nearby we could stay, he told us about Oxford YHA. We found it and there we decided to stay! It wasn't very cheap and I had to chare my room with a total stranger and dad had to chare room with two other strangers. But it was the best and we could walk to Leicester Square from there, and we were close to Oxford Street as well.
The day we arrived we weren't on the hotel for one minute, when we left our bags we went out shopping! I loved it, for the first time I could enjoy shopping (I always do but shopping doesn't always love me)! It was like a dream.
Around 5pm we decided we should visit Leicester Square and see how it all looked like so we could be prepared for the day to come. When we saw the gigantic cinema, the gigantic poster of Emma, Dan and Rupert, we were both in chock. It was so amazing! I couldn't believe I was there, standing there, it was kind of surreal, and I couldn't stop smiling. They had already put up fences on the other side of the doors into the cinema.
Dad and I eat dinner of Pizza Hut there, and we went through the little park, and just walked around there talking.
Around 8 we went back to the hotel. We were both tired as we had been up since 4 in the morning; it had been a long day.
When I came to the room, my roommate wasn't there (luckily). I was really worried that I wouldn't wake up the next day and I hadn't any alarm clock. But the next morning I woke up really early, or I didn't know when I woke up (found out later). I got dressed really quickly and put some make up on. I packed some stuff in my handbag and went to wake up dad. I was afraid I would wake up his roommates when I knocked and when I heard someone coming at the other side of the door, I had this crazy dreams about a stranger opening the door dressed in his underwear only! Haha But luckily it was dad who opened, he told me it was 5 in the morning! But he got dressed really quickly and we walked down to Leicester Square. The streets were empty but it was a really good morning on a really good day. I had butterflies in my stomach and I couldn't believe I was on my way to the premiere!
We arrived at Leicester Square around six, it didn't look much different then it had done the night before, about 20 people stood/sat in a cue to the only barrier, me and dad stood behind two Japanese girls.
I don't know for how long I and dad stood there, but after and hour or so dad went to McDonalds to get some breakfast, he bought scrambled eggs, one pancake, two toasts and a juice carton. I drank some juice, ate the toast and the pancake. While I ate I sat down and I did until someone came and let us all behind the barrier.
I got a pretty good place, a bit to the right from the entrance to the cinema. A gang of Americans stood on my left side. They talked a lot! Two women, two men and one little girl around 8. And then it was Matthew! He is kind of a celebrity now really. Have you seen all these pictures of a guy in a wheelchair? There is a lot of pictures of him from the CoS London Premiere. It was kind of cool seeing him in real. He seemed to know the other Americans.
You could still walk on the other side of the fence so dad stood there, he took some photos of me… after a while he went to eat real breakfast so I was alone for a while, I listened some to the Americans talk and I watched as crew arrived starting building stuff.
I stood for a couple of hours, around 11 I was real tired in my feet so dad took my place and I sat down against the fence to the park, I tried to read but it was too much noise. After an hour there were a lot of people, I had to switch back to my place with dad or I wouldn't have been able to go through all the people later. They had started putting up Aunt Marge balloons and they built this huge dementor hand, it was really cool.
It was a lot of people and some already screamed “We want Daniel” etc. It was really annoying… Around 1, when my dad could barley reach me he asked if I wanted something to eat, I did so he bought me two Snickers and a Cherry Cola. I ate one snickers and drank some cola, I gave the other stuff too dad.
An hour later dad left, we couldn't reach each other anymore so he screamed to me (a lot of noise) and said that we could meet at McDonalds after the premiere.Hours went by and I don't know how I could stand there for so long, it hurt badly in my feet and knees. I think it was 3 when this guy came out on the balcony, everyone started screaming and he told us that the press would arrive at 4 and the stars would come at 6. They started playing some music.
I don't know when but at some point I could hear distant clips from PoA, I think they showed clips at the huge screens around Leicester Square. They had also put up these carton posters around the fences, everybody screamed they wanted one and this guy teased us all about it! They had put up this camera thing just a couple of meters from me; a guy who was really nice had the whole thing.
There was a lot of crew working on everything; it was really cool watching the whole process.
Around four presses started arriving, and film crews presented themselves for the camera, they also started filming us fans and told us all to wave and scream as load as we could when the camera rolled. It was fun. They also started interviewing a lot of people; twice they came and interviewed the Americans beside me. Really cool.
After an hour or so, watching the press arrive and get ready, some real stars came. Among them was Chris Rankin, Pam Ferris, Bonnie Wright and some others. I was in chock all the time! And pressure was upon me and the others around me. Everyone pushed to get nearer the stars and to get some shots. I had my huge digital camera around my neck and the autograph book between my chest and the fence. I dropped it twice, once on the other side of the fence so I had to call for some security guys (some other people helped me).
When real names started arriving, as David Thewlis, Gary Oldman, Tom Felton and stuff, the pressure was really bad. My knees and feet were numb and I thought I'd break my ribs. The little American girl came in serious trouble; she was very short and squeezed against the fence. She had trouble breathing and it was like 10 people (including me) who tried to get contact with the security guard in front of us, but he didn't care, after 10 minutes another security guard came to help. We managed to help the little girl up on the shoulders of one of the women. All stars that came was interviewed by this Jenny in front of the camera. I couldn't listen to the interviews, it was too much screaming, I couldn't hear a thing. Devon Murray, James and Oliver Phelpes, Alan Rickman and Chris Columbus signed their autograph for me. Alan totally rocked! He was soooo cool, everybody said he was the coolest but he just smiled. Chris was really cool too, he asked me and the man beside me for how long we had been standing there, we both answered “6!” He just shook his head and said “Jesus”! haha
Around 6 the huge names came, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe! I will never be able to describe the pressure that came, I had trouble breathing and people were all around me. My camera refused to do as I wanted it to, I pushed the button about 10 times before something happened, I don't know what happened with it… When I saw Emma coming towards my, I went really nervous! I could see she was too, she was shaking and she hurried so everyone could get an autograph.
When she came over to me I told her she had a beautiful dress (you should have seen it IRL! It was stunning) and the color was wonderful, she thanked me and smiled. That was really cool, that moment was worth standing 12 hours for! She was so cool and so polite to everyone.
When Dan came my way I went really nervous again, but when before he came to me the interviewer, Jenny wanted to interview him so he went, everybody just screamed no but he looks hopelessly at us. It was cool seeing him but I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get his autograph, at least I got Emma's and Rupert's.
When Rupert, Dan and Emma went inside I had to go, I was numb from my face and down and I hadn't been to the toilet or I hadn't got anything properly to eat all day so I couldn't linger.
It took a while before I came out of the whole mess, when I saw one of the huge screens I saw Emma had gone outside again to sign more autographs, I tried to take a photo at the screen but after clicking 20 times on the button I gave up and headed for McDonalds where I met dad.
I was shaking all over and I had trouble sitting down after my knees had gotten used to standing up. But maybe it was all worth it!
It was a day I will never forget, and I am already saving for the next premiere! :)
Hannah
