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This Harry Potter is 78

Florida: Sometimes it is a hassle being Harry Potter. Especially when you are a 78-year-old man who happens to share the name of the famous, fictional boy wizard.

Each time a new Harry Potter book or movie comes out, Florida resident Harry Potter gets phone calls from children, interview requests from TV networks and autograph requests. “The kids want to know if I’m Harry Potter,” he said with a chuckle. “I tell them I’ve been Harry Potter for nearly 80 years!”

The real Harry Potter said he has not had time to read any of the J.K. Rowling books or see the hit movies. But the retired U.S. Defence Department employee gets his fun out of Pottermania.

“When Harry talks to the kids, they’ll ask about the owl and he’ll say, “Oh, he came by and brought the mail,” said his wife, Jan. “Then, when they’re done, the mothers come on and say thank you for talking to the kids. He gets a big kick out of it.”

But meeting a real Harry Potter can be a little puzzling for the kids. “They look at you, give you the once-over,” he said. “They can’t relate the one in the book to the one they see here.” — AP

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