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After an eight-month delay that drove some fans to brink of madness, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince finally hits theaters on July 15th -- and Entertainment Weekly's new cover story is a behind-the-scenes exclusive on the film. Half-Blood Prince encompasses young love run amuck, secret missions, and impending war. Most Hollywood insiders expect it to be one of the year's biggest hits, partly because it's rated a family-friendly PG, whereas the last two Potter films were PG-13. Still, it will be interesting to see how the movie's brand of innocent romance plays with young audiences smitten by the neo-goth sexiness of Twilight. Even Potter star Emma Watson read all four Twilight books after a friend turned her onto the series last year. "I mean, I wouldn't say I was one of the psycho fans," she says. "Absolute madness, that phenomenon, isn't it?"

As for the Potter phenomenon, the movies are slowly coming to an end, with the remaining JK Rowling novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, to be split into two movies. During the production of Half-Blood Prince -- the final chapter to be set within Hogwarts School -- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Watson wore their characters' Gryffindor House robes for the last time. "I was like 'Burn it!' Oh my god, to be done with those shoes and that uniform -- that was an exciting day," says Watson. Radcliffe adds, "When you're 18, one of the worst things to be wearing while trying to chat up a girl on the set is a school uniform. You look like a kid! You're not going to score dressed like that!"

All of the stars are aware that pursuing acting will be tricky, post-Potter. Watson isn't even sure she wants to try. She's decided to go to college (at Columbia University, reportedly), but still has about a year of work on Deathly Hallows to finish first. "My world is still all about Harry Potter," she says. "I really can't see anything beyond it." Radcliffe, on the other hand, is ecstatic about acting. "I have come to the conclusion that I am never happier than when I am on a film set," he says. "This is what I want to be doing. Totally. Absolutely. Unequivocally!"

Production on the Deathly Hallows movies began last February and could stretch well into next year. For Grint and Watson, their hardest scene was (spoiler alert if you've never read the books!) a kiss between Ron and Hermione. "I remember being inches away from her lips and thinking, 'Good lord, this is going to be strange,'" says Grint. Adds Watson: "Rupert is like a brother to me, and our relationship couldn't be more platonic. So kissing him –- well, it felt like incest, to be honest. But I think it's going to be very sweet."

For more about Harry Potter -- including highlights from the new film, and Radcliffe talking about a Deathly Hallows scene he dreads filming -- pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Friday, July 10.

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