Weasley is the king of New York.

Hundreds of Harry Potter fans clad in striped scarves, round black glasses and Hogwarts sweaters lined the streets of Fifth Avenue today to welcome FAO Schwarz's new Harry Potter shop -- and catch a glimpse of Potter actor Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley on the big screen.

Rupert - who signed tons of autographs and sheepishly grinned as he waved at his adoring fans before cutting the ribbon on the new boutique shop - took a few minutes during the fun-filled madness to talk to The Quibbler's very special correspondent, my sister Michelle Montefinise.

That's right - I was chained to my desk on deadline, so she got to work the red carpet and talk to Rupert, who she reported, "Was the nicest guy in the entire world." She made sure to point out that while paparazzi photographers were barking demands at him to look this way and that, he made sure to take the time to acknowledge the fans who waited for hours to see him before doing anything else.

Thank you Rupert. We appreciate and love you for that!

So I know what you're thinking - what did he say to Michelle?

In a nutshell, he's glad Ron's no longer a wimp, wouldn't mind starring in a death scene, and just can't decide who he'd like to play Lavender Brown.

Before we get into the interview, I just want to say for the record that all of Rupert's answers are transcribed word for word, but my sister's questions have been shortened a bit because, frankly, who cares what she said? We care what he said.

Q: In the fifth film, Ron's personality changes a bit. What was more challenging - playing funny Ron or more dramatic Ron?

A: "In this one he's a lot more serious and he’s not really his usual self. Which I found quite good. I mean, I think it is a bit more difficult, really, because I'm sort of used to Ron being a bit of a wimp really and being scared all the time. In this one, he was a lot more tough, and it was quite cool to do that."

Q: As a fan, obviously you don't want Ron to die (Rupert nodded) but as an actor, is a death scene appealing to you?

A: "I suppose it is in a way. It's quite cool. But I've got a funny feeling he's [Ron's] going to survive, cause I think Harry is probably going to be more likely to go."

Q: Has JK Rowling ever shared anything about the future of your character?

A:"No, not at all. She doesn’t really give anything away, really. Which is quite good, really, because being a fan I don’t really want to spoil it."

Q: In the next film, you're going to have a lot of screen time with Lavender Brown. Have you had any screen tests with actresses?

A: "Not yet, no. I think that might be coming up."

Q: OK, well either way, you know you'll be doing a lot of snogging (Rupert laughs). So if you could have any woman, any age play Lavender, who would you choose?

A: "(Laughing) Wow. There's so many. (Pauses as he thinks). To be honest, I'm not really too fussy."

Q: If you could drink some Polyjuice Potion and play any other role for a day, which role would you play?

A: "I really like Napoleon Dynamite. He is really cool. Maybe him."

Q: (Although this wasn't really a question) Great job in the movie.

A: "(Big smile) Thank you."

Personally, I think Michelle did a great job in her very first reporting gig! She only had a few minutes, so she didn't get to ask all of the 400,000 questions she wanted, but I think the interview went pretty well. I think it's funny Rupert agrees Ron was written a bit too wimpy in the first four movies. Ron is a loyal, tough friend - movie five got it right. :-)

In addition to the interview, Michelle reported back (wearing the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face) that female fans were screaming and chanting "We love Rupert" during the event. One woman even tried to climb over a fence to get close to Won-Won. My sister interviewed several of the die-hard fans who out to see Rupert, including Kelly Zon, 16, from Wantagh, Long Island, who said of Rupert's performance in OOTP, "I really love how he captured the character in the fifth movie. He’s definitely improved as he’s acted through the movies." She said she wished the scene with Ron being attacked by the brains in the Department of Mysteries wasn't cut out, but in general said, "I love the movie."

Unfortunately, she thinks Ron is "gonna go in the seventh book." "I hope I’m wrong," she said, but she believes Ron's death was foreshadowed twice - once in the first book when he sacrificed himself in the chess game, and once in the third book when, during Christmas dinner, Trelawney predicts that the first to rise will die, and Harry and Ron get up at the same time.

Elizabeth Soricelli, 16, of The Bronx said Ron is her favorite character because, "He doesn’t really get everything. He has to work for it and he’s not always in the spotlight. He has to make a name for himself by himself."

As for Rupert's performance as her fave character, she said, "He's definitely improved. Because in the beginning he kind of seemed like he was just starting out and now he’s more into his character and he really is like becoming his character even more."

Kristin Bowen, 17, of Brooklyn said Ron has "matured a lot more" in OOTP. "He doesn’t say 'bloody hell' anymore," she said. "His relationship with Hermione's getting better. He doesn’t seem jealous of Harry anymore. He seems like he’s actually growing up now."

Michelle also wanted to say that the new FAO shop is fantastic, looks just like a building in Hogsmeade Village, and was full of amazing Potter goodies, including Ron dolls. FAO Schwarz CEO Ed Schmults - one of the men behind the new store and the cool event - spoke for a while on the new boutique store, and introduced Rupert, who spoke for a bit before cutting the ribbon.

Schmults said he has the, "The second best job in the world - second only to Rupert's, here!"

[Angela Montefinise || New York Post, 13 July 2007 || Original article found here]