Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince world premiere, London

It's official: the Harry Potter franchise promotes witchcraft and is therefore reviled by God. How else to explain the biblical rainstorm that threatened to flush last night's world premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince clean down the Thames? Photograph: Tim Whitby/Getty Images

Doused by holy water, the Harry Potter star is still defiant (and still expousing witchery). Daniel Radcliffe galvanises his legion with a Nuremberg-style salute from the cinema balcony Photograph: Zak Hussein/PA Wire

And here's Alan Rickman, looking benign and harmless, like a kindly vicar. Don't be fooled. He, too, practises dark arts in the Half-Blood Prince Photograph: Jonathan Brady/EPA

Outside, it is the season of the witch. Emma Watson scrawls evil runes on the notepads of her disciples Photograph: PA/PA

Her work done, Watson cackles gamely for the cameras. Behind her, the evil runes are already wreaking havoc throughout London Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

How terrifying to realise who has fallen under the Potter spell. Attending last night's black mass was none other than celebrity chef Jamie Oliver ... Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

... while Gordon Ramsay showed up with his minions in tow Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

Once upon a time, Danielle Lloyd was just a wholesome Wag and a reputed racist on Celebrity Big Brother. Now she's the official succubus of Hogwarts school, a satanic rite tattooed on her skin Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

But anyway, let us proceed with the roll call of fiends. Here we see venerable Maggie Smith issuing dark instructions to her familar, Rupert Grint Photograph: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

Co-star Jim Broadbent flashes an unholy smile at the camera Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

Off in a corner stands venerable Michael Gambon. His thoughts are black as sin Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

Another cackling banshee in this legion of the damned. Her name: Miriam Margoyles Photograph: Neil Tingle/Allstar/Neil Tingle/Allstar

John Hurt manhandles Ann Rees Myers into the premiere. One assumes that she is here as some kind of sacrifice Photograph: Ian West/PA

And look - here is Helena Bonham Carter, in a state of disarray. In one claw-like hand she clutches a ticket to the most ungodly party in town Photograph: Max Nash/AFP/Getty Images

And still that biblical rain keeps falling, forcing Rupert Grint to cower beneath a brolly. Apparently the holy water burns his skin Photograph: PA/PA

The hour is upon us, and the seance is about to begin. Out of the gloom steps the high priestess: author JK Rowling, surrounded by her acolytes Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

But wait! Just time for one last photocall, before the witchery starts in earnest. And here they are: Rupert Grint, JK Rowling, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe. Just think of them as cinema's four horsemen of the apocalypse Photograph: Dave Hogan/Getty Images