Like the rest of eager Harry Potter-dom, Josh Stanley won't be able to get his hands on the latest installment of the popular book series until sometime after midnight tonight. But already, the spectre of another two- or (gasp!) three-year wait looms large.

"I sort of postponed reading the last one because I didn't want to finish it too quickly and then have to wait for the next one," said Stanley, 19.

The official release date for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is tomorrow, and bookstores across O'ahu and around the world plan to remain open tonight past midnight to assure that diehard fans of J.K. Rowling's boy wizard can get their copies at the earliest possible moment.

For devoted readers like Stanley, the release of each new Harry Potter book is a chance to once again immerse themselves in the familiar yet evolving world of "the boy who lived" and the friends and foes, mysteries and intrigues, supernatural sorcerers and mundane Muggles who surround him.

Stanley, who has been reading the Harry Potter books since he was a freshman at Castle High School, gained a bit of notoriety two years ago. Stanley's father, James Tumblin, inadvertently bought him a copy of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" that had a flawed cover. Auction houses Sotheby's and Christie's have appraised the book at $3,500.

Yet, for Stanley, whatever value that one flawed copy might have to collectors pales in comparison to the rich pleasure he gets from reading each book.

"I like Harry Potter because he's gone through so much and he handles it all so well," Stanley said. "He seems like a very strong character. He goes for his goals even though it's destined that (his nemesis) Voldemort will continually go after him to try and kill him. He doesn't let anything get him down."

Indeed, the Harry Potter franchise has been equally indefatigable in its battle for the hearts and minds of readers young and old. Bolstered by three well-received film adaptations and a batch of merchandise licensing agreements, the bespectacled character has made Rowling an estimated $1 billion.

"It's been a marvelous phenomenon," said Brad Bate, a 63-year-old writer and director from Honolulu. "It's helped millions of children become serious readers — and that's deserving of high praise."

A RITUAL EVOLVES

For book sellers, midnight sales and related festivities have become something of a ritual.

Borders at Ward Centre promises to be one of the major hubs of Harry Potter activity tonight. With several of these midnight releases under their belts, store managers have become well versed in literary crowd control.

Like other stores, Borders started taking advance orders for the new book months ahead of time. Starting at 5 p.m. today, tickets will be issued to assure buyers a spot in the midnight line. The Midnight Magic Party will start at 9 p.m.

Stanley and his dad plan on making an evening of it: They'll pick up their line tickets, probably catch the new Star Wars movie (again), then head over to Borders to wait for their book.

"They've gotten very sophisticated," said Tumblin, who is a Harry Potter fan in his own right as well as owner of the world's largest "Gone With The Wind" memorabilia collection. "In my day, you just walked up to the counter and bought your book."

SECURITY TIGHT

As with previous Harry Potter releases, the book's publishers and distributors have been trying to keep a tight lid on the content of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

A few books were sold at a Canadian book store days ago, but a court injunction ordered buyers to return the book and barring them from disclosing the plot. A 9-year-old in New York and two Indianapolis men also got their hands on it, prompting publisher Scholastic to emphasize its security concerns.

Bookends in Kailua was scheduled to receive its shipment of the new book yesterday. Like every other book seller, the store is contractually obligated to keep the new books under strict wraps until after midnight tonight.

Unlike some larger chain stores on the Mainland and in Europe, the small independent bookstore hasn't had to resort to hiring security guards to protect against theft of the new book.

"No," says Bookends employee Ann Young, laughing. "No armed guards — but if anyone tries anything, I'll kick them in the shins!"

PATIENCE REQUIRED

You can count on 12-year-old Nicole Lee to patiently wait for her reserved copy.

Lee, an eighth-grader at Maryknoll School, admits she gets "a little anxious" waiting for Rowling to crank out each new volume, but she bides her time with a well-rounded reading list.

Still, Lee said she's looking forward to seeing how Harry acquits himself in his latest adventure.

"I like how Harry always knows what to do and he always saves the day," she said.

Robert Uyeyama, 35, doesn't consider himself as serious a Harry Potter fan as some others, but he has read all five available novels and has seen each of the three films.

A Ph.D candidate in psychology at the University of Hawai'i, Uyeyama is one of countless adult readers who picked up the series early on and has kept with it.

"It seems like more casual adult readers are sticking to it," Uyeyama said. "For kids, it might not be so cool, once you get older, to be reading the same thing as your 6-year-old brother and your parents."

Uyeyama says he favors the later books that show Harry and his friends growing through adolescence and that "flesh out the world beyond the school."

His favorite character is the eternally dour Severus Snape.

"While other characters are allegorically good or bad, he's more conflicted," Uyeyama said. "There's more depth to him. You wonder what's going on in his head."

Predictably then, Uyeyama will be donning the slithery green robes of Slytherin — Snape's preferred academic house — when he and a group of costumed pals help host tonight's Midnight Magic Party at the Ward Centre Borders.

Uyeyama made the costume from a green graduation gown he found at Savers along with some lining, a faux-embroidered Slytherin patch and one of a fresh batch of homemade scarves sewed for the occasion.

Uyeyama and pal Susie Rodenkirchen authored a "sorting hat" personality quiz that they will use tonight to help make sure that each Borders visitor is placed in the proper Hogwarts house.

Rodenkirchen, 30, spends her days as the education coordinator for the Dolphin Institute and a naturalist for Navatek. Through her close work with kids and adolescents, she gets a good read on what's hot at the moment. This week, beyond a doubt, it's Harry Potter.

And, to be sure, Rodenkirchen will be standing hip-to-shoulder in line with the Potter-kinder tonight to get her reserved copy of the book.

"I like the friendships," Rodenkirchen said. "I like how the characters work together and each has their own part in making things happen.

"That's so true in normal life. Everybody has something different to contribute and, ultimately, it's the differences that make things happen."

Rodenkirchen, who has been known to take time off from work to finish Harry Potter novels, plans on reading the book as soon as she gets it tonight.

"I'll make my schedule not so busy because if I'm at work, it'll still be on my mind that I want to finish it," she said.

"It helps that it's the weekend."