When Being a Fan Pays

July 19, 2007 — -- A 45-year-old nuclear physicist who can speak fluent Klingon? That's so 20th century. Instead, how about an impish 9-year-old wheeling around in Heelys and belting the lyrics to one of the latest hits in wizard rock:

"We've got to save Ginny Weasley from the Basilisk … We've got to save the school from that unseen horror."

Meet the fans of the 21st century, whose ardent devotion to "Harry Potter" could put even the most die-hard "Star Trek" fan to shame.

And the frenzy is approaching its absolute zenith this month. The fifth movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was just released, and the seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be published this weekend.

Fans have spent the last decade — and in some cases all their lives — reading about, hearing about, singing about and watching the adventures of the bespectacled boy wizard.

And their love for Harry Potter has helped them turn being a fan of fantasy and science fiction, once seen as the purview of awkward adults, into a moneymaking industry.

Mugglemania at 'Harry Potter' Conventions

The opportunity to hang out with fellow "Potter" fans doesn't come cheap.

Enlightening 2007, a recent convention housed inside appropriately Gothic buildings at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, charged $250 to $400 a head. More than 350 "Potter"-atics attended.

The event boasted a "Great Hall" that mimicked Hogwarts' famed dining room and magical classes, including spell casting and potion making. There was even a red carpet premiere of the fifth Potter movie complete with real and fictional reporters. Rita Skeeter and her purple quill made an appearance.

Rachel Kulik and her dad flew from Phoenix to attend the four-day event sponsored by Bonding Over Books, a nonprofit group that tries to get families to read together.

"It's my 16th-birthday present," she said of the outing, which cost her father more than $1,000.

But for Kulik, who has been reading the books since she was 6 years old, the chance to meet and mingle with other "Potter"-addicted Muggles and bring to life the magic of the books was priceless.

Her only sour note? The house she was "sorted" into.

"I'm in Dragon," she said with a moan. "I'm way more of Hufflepuff. I'm very loyal to my friends."

Sorting refers to the process that young witches and wizards go through when they first arrive at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Sorting Hat, a battered old witch's hat, reads a child's mind to accurately sort him or her into one of four Hogwarts houses.

When a reporter tried it on, the hat, known for its quirky personality, cackled: "Hmmm I'm sensing media. Fox News? No. ABC News? Dragon!"

Talk about magical sense of humor.

Dragon, in this case, represents the Slytherin House where clever but often dark-hearted witches and wizards are placed. Convention organizers were careful not to tread on the copyright of the names and characters in the books.

But the Philadelphia convention is not by far the largest.

Mugglefest in Portland, Maine, has sold more than 2,000 tickets to its event at a modest $12 each. Tickets include a ride on the Hogwarts Express train and a visit to Diagon Alley, the magical street in London that has been recreated inside an old warehouse complex. Local retailers will mimic shops from the books while hawking their own wares.

Other conventions planned for London, Toronto and elsewhere are expected to draw large crowds — and big money.

Worth More Than Gringotts' Gold …

All this magical merrymaking has helped make many a profit off the "Potter" books, and they don't always have the names J.K. Rowling, Scholastic or Warner Bros. attached to them.

The "Harry Potter" franchise has generated billions for Rowling, its publishers, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, and its film studio, Warner Bros.

The new book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," due out midnight Saturday, will have 12.1 million copies available in the United States for its first printing. The fifth Potter movie, "The Order of the Phoenix," earned $140 million worldwide in its first five days.

That's just a drop in the bucket compared to the $3.5 billion that the first four movies have generated so far. Additionally, U.S. consumers have spent more than $11.8 million on "Harry Potter"-licensed cookies, candy and gum since June 2002, according to Nielsen.

But regular fans of the "Potter" books have also managed cash in.

Chelsea Adney, a student at the University of Northern Illinois, started a "Potter" camp last summer, which cost $485 for the week. Nine avid fans came and she hopes the numbers will increase this year.

Lauren Fairweather, 19, and Nina Jankowicx, 18, are The Moaning Myrtles, one of many wizard rock bands that sing about Harry Potter. The two best friends haven't quite turned a profit from their performances, but they earn enough to tour the country and produce their own CD, "Toilet Humor."

"We've sold two so far here," Fairweather said at the Philadelphia conference, "and we'll just keep touring until we can't pay for it anymore."

Fans Who Earn Six Figures Off Harry

But the most successful fan may be Emerson Spartz, a 21-year-old junior from Notre Dame.

Spartz founded Mugglenet.com when he was just 12 years old and couldn't find a Web site for "Harry Potter" fans. Spartz says his site has now grown to become the largest children's page on the Internet — one that brings him a "six-figure income."

The site publishes a weekly Mugglecast, which features debates on theories about the "Potter" books. And while that may sound like a yawn to some, 55,000 eager fans download the podcast once a week, Spartz said.

And those theories have allowed Spartz to publish "Mugglenet.com What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7." The book has sold more than 350,000 copies and has been on The New York Times children's best-seller list for 22 weeks.

The site has caught the attention of Rowling, who did an interview with Spartz. "It was the highlight of my life," he said.

It's also turned Spartz and the three other teenage boys who help run Mugglenet into celebrities among the "Potter" set: Gaggles of robe-wearing teenage girls surrounded the quartet at the Enlightening convention.

Smaller vendors have also been able to grab a bit of "Harry Potter" gold. Author George Beahm has published four unofficial "Harry Potter" guides that look into Rowling's literary influences.

Keith Davies, also known as the "Old Trader," carves and sells handmade wands a la Ollivander's wand shop. He started after his son Liam requested a wand just like Harry's. The wands sell for $25 to $175.

And with every creative opportunity to turn a profit, there are the corny ones. For instance, one hotel in Portland is promising a "Hagrid-sized" breakfast as part of its "Harry Potter" package.

Warner Bros. Questions 'Potter' Fandom

Some of this profiteering may be unauthorized and has some of the official moneymakers seeing red.

Warner Bros., in a move reminiscent of the Dementors, creatures in the book that suck happiness from people, sent cease-and-desist letters to some convention organizers and independent booksellers in an attempt to stamp out unofficial "Potter" parties.

Conventions like Mugglefest were put in jeopardy, and howls of protest from fans ensued.

The studio quickly backtracked, sending the Mugglefest organizers a note to "enjoy the festivities."

Commercial retailers like Borders Books and Music have embraced the fanaticism that comes along with "Harry Potter," and have used it to market themselves.

Borders sponsored a debate at an earlier "Harry Potter" convention this year in New Orleans where it introduced the Great Snape Debate: Is Severus Snape a Friend or Foe?

The debate caught the attention of Muggles young and old. David Beck, 7, at the Enlightening conference, is a follower of the Great Snape Debate and said with great authority, "Snape is a friend."

"Are you sure?" he was asked. "Have you read any of the books?"

"No. But Severus Snape is a frieeeeeeeend!" David screamed, as he raced down the hallway wearing mismatched socks, pointed ears and a pillowcase.