"THERE'S only one Harry Potter, one Harry Potter..."

There was only one name being chanted by York "Muggles" as they waited patiently until early today to pick up a copy of the teenage wizard's latest adventure.

Hundreds of young and old fans - many dressed as wizards and other characters - queued to buy Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince at special midnight openings at Borders and Waterstones book shops in York city centre.

At Borders, town crier John Redpath heralded its arrival with a booming address, but even his voice was drowned out by huge screams when the clock struck 12.

Determined nine-year-old Michael Wilkie, from Holgate, York, who dressed as his hero Harry, was the first to buy a copy at the store after queuing with his sister, Vicky, 20, for hours.

"I love Harry Potter!" he said.

"I think somebody's going to die in this book. They are so exciting and unpredictable. It should take me two weeks to read it."

His sister said: "We've been waiting a long time for this. We were prepared to wait for as long as it took."

Potty Potter fan Naomi Elliott, 20, from Fulford, York, said: "My favourite character is Hermione because she's so smart, and without her Harry would be dead."

Borders marketing manager Simon Cartwright, whose staff dressed as characters from the book and handed out goodie bags, said the JK Rowling novel had been kept under lock and key until midnight.

"It has been chaos and a really good family atmosphere," he said.

"The numbers have really built up."

Meanwhile, shops across York and North Yorkshire have entered into a price war in an effort to entice fans, with supermarkets making huge cuts.

Branches of Kwik Save are charging £4.99 for the novel - the lowest in the UK - and barred over-15s from buying it.

Spokesman Pete Williams said: "The mania surrounding Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is already sweeping the nation, but we feel it's a bit unfair that so many adults muscle in on what is essentially a children's

book. That's why we've slashed the price to the lowest in the UK, so it's affordable for kids."

More than two million copies of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince were expected to be sold in the UK in the first 24 hours - and ten million worldwide.

Updated: 09:49 Saturday, July 16, 2005