Wizard's fans practice their devotionals on Internet sites

Jack Craig, 21, got hooked on the Harry Potter series when he used the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , for a middle school project.

When the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , came out in 2007, the Augusta resident and other fans in their late teens and early 20s flocked to the Borders in Athens, Ga., for the release.

"It was a packed store; it was incredible," he said. "People were my age; that was the best part."

Many of the movie-goers who will pack theaters Wednesday for the opening of the sixth film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, are the original fans of the series: children when the story began in 1998, now young adults.

"The characters in the book were about my age when I started reading it," Mr. Craig said. "When the books were released, we were growing up with the characters."

Usually, in children's series, the characters stay about the same age, said Pam Link, a children's librarian at the Columbia County Library. With the Harry Potter books, the content got darker in nature as the series progressed.

"It's almost like they need these two years in between to mature as Harry does," she said.

The movies have had the same type of gap between releases.

The content changes drastically, Mr. Craig said. The final books deal with murder, torture and war.

The quality of the young stars' acting has matured as they have aged with each movie, said Gabriel Wardell, the executive director of the Atlanta Film Festival. You see the actors grow up with each movie.

He said that the book series has entered the realm of quality literature and has a timeless quality that will appeal to future generations but that the films aren't necessarily at the same level.

"I guess during my lifetime they will be remade," he said. "These won't be the definitive films."

Joanna Lind, 21, is reading the sixth book, Half-Blood Prince , as is her sister Jenny, 14, before the movie comes out. Ms. Lind started reading the Potter series when she was in high school.

"It kind of bridged that gap between my sister's age and mine," she said.

She said that when the final movie is released, it will be the "end of an era."

As she has aged, she has gotten a different perspective on Harry Potter. In high school, she thought he was a nerdy character.

Raigh Arant, 25, of Evans, started reading the series when she was 16. She could relate to themes of dealing with growing pains from relationships and self-discovery.

"Life isn't perfect," she said.

She has a Harry Potter-theme tattoo ("I must not tell lies") on her left hand and has attended every book release since the second one.

She dresses up for the movie openings. For Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, she was Dumbledore.

She has a 7-month-old son, Vegas, who she hopes someday will be a Harry Potter fan. His nursery is outfitted in Potter gear.

She probably won't let him watch past the fourth movie until he's 10 years old, however, because of the violence.

Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.