Harry Potter’s magic continues

Sunday is the birthday of Harry Potter. According to fans of the books, the character will be 31 years old.

The literary phenomenon has finally played itself out in novels and movies. But there is still much in store for fans of the young wizard.

On Saturday, “Harry and the Potters” will be playing at Bookspace, an alternative bookstore/performance space in the Northern Liberties.

Nine years ago, two brothers in Massachusetts who bear a passing resemblance to Harry Potter started a novelty band with songs written from the perspective of Harry. After five studio albums, two live albums, one EP, an album of remixes, and a Christmas record, “Harry and the Potters” can back up the title track of the 2004 album, “Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock.”

As the band’s fan base ages, they bring up the next generation of fans.

“We noticed this summer that there were a lot of parents bringing their little kids and indoctrinating them into Harry Potter,” said keyboardist Joe DeGeorge, currently on a cross-country tour.

Those new fans will miss out on one of the biggest elements of Harry Potterdom: anticipation. All the books have been released, all the movies have been made. But over the course of the franchise, a strong Potter community has grown up.

“Everyone plans and thinks about what is going to happen next–well, not anymore,” said Skott Skotland of the local fan club, Potterdelphia. “We went to the midnight releases. We had all this discussion about what this is going to be. And it’s happening again with the Pottermore website.”

Author J.K. Rowling will continue to cast her spell through that website, Pottermore.com, to launch sometime in October. Like everything she has done, it’s shrouded in mystery and anticipation.