Harry Potter

"J.K. Rowling ... has no idea how the thought fell on her, but that she was waiting for a delayed train connection between Manchester and London’s King’s Cross, and she had a full four hours between the actual trip and the lay overs.

When the idea of a scrawny boy wizard with big glasses, actually came to her, she found to her horror, she didn’t have a pen in which to write the idea down. She says now that that might have been a good thing, as she spent that time coming up with new ideas and plot twists. Using a pen might just have slowed her down enough to stifle some her imagination. Just how much of it she forgot, she isn’t sure. When she finally landed, she spent several days actually writing. Ms. Rowling said that what she had then didn’t resemble what she finally published." -Jude Coyle

Though publishers were skeptical about the book, it was published and quickly obtained a mass following which reached the far corners of the earth. Fanfictions were written, websites were made, and Harry Potter fan clubs became popular.

When Melissa Anelli of the Leaky Cauldron website got wind that photos of the actors would be in the next Vanity Fair, she managed to obtain an early copy and scan the photos onto the website for her disciples to see (Harry, A History).

• The cover of the Harry Potter Collector's Edition of Vanity Fair. © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter himself. © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• From left to right: Petunia Dursley (Fiona Shaw), Vernon Dursley (Richard Griffiths), Dudley Dursley (Harry Melling). © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• From left to right: Vincent Crabbe (Jamie Waylett), Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton), Gregory Goyle (Josh Herdman), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint). © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' beloved animal-loving half-giant. © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• From left to right: Filius Flitwick - Charms Professor (Warwick Davis), Quirinius Quirrell - Defense Against the Dark Arts (Ian Hart), Madam Hooch - Flying Professor (Zoë Wanamaker). © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris) and Minerva McGonagall (Maggie Smith). © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• From left to right: The Bloody Baron (Terence Baylor), The Fat Friar (Simon Fisher-Becker), Nearly Headless Nick (John Cleese), The Grey Lady (Nina Young). © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• From left to right: Alicia Spinnet (Leila Sutherland), Oliver Wood, team captain (Sean Biggerstaff), Katie Bell (Emily Dale), Angelina Johnson(Danielle Tabor), George Weasley (Oliver Phelps), Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Fred Weasley (James Phelps). © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.
• McGonagall's Challenge. © Copyright 2001 Annie Leibovitz.

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The Harry Potter books spawned wizard rock music, which is surprisingly good quality and has quite a cult following. Many podcasts, like PotterCast and MuggleCast, were created so that fans could discuss theories in anticipation of future books and films to come.

Then there's Team Starkid. You know that you're a die-hard Harry Potter fan when you know about Starkid and glue yourself to your computer as soon as they release new material. Team Starkid is a musical troupe from the University of Michigan that created and performed A Very Potter Musical, A Very Potter Sequel, and A Very Potter Senior Year. When you go to the conventions, you can tell that these guys are near the top of the fandom hierarchy, and they deserve it.