An 800-word, untitled short story, unofficially known as the Harry Potter prequel, was written by

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...

in 2008 as part of a charity auction event, for which it fetched £25,000. It was published as part of ''What's Your Story Postcard Collection''. The story recounts an encounter with Muggle police experienced by

Sirius Black Sirius Black is a character in J. K. Rowling's '' Harry Potter'' series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort ki ...

and James Potter, taking place before the events of the '' Harry Potter'' series. The manuscript was stolen in 2017.

Synopsis

Two

Muggle In J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series, a Muggle () is a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born in a magical family. Muggles can also be described as people who do not have any magical blood inside them. It differs fr ...

policemen chase a speeding

motorbike A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

into a dead-end alley, cornering its riders: Sirius Black and James Potter. As the policemen confront the pair, three men fly down the alley on

broomsticks A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

. James and Sirius magically upend the policemen's car and the broomsticks crash into it, rendering their riders insensible. As the policemen clutch at each other in fear, Sirius and James return to their motorbike, which flies away. Rowling concludes the story card with the words, "From the prequel I am not working on – but that was fun!"

History

Background

On 11 June 2008,

Waterstones Waterstones, formerly Waterstone's, is a British book retailer that operates 311 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and also other nearby countries. As of February 2014, it employs around 3,500 staff in the UK and Europe. An average-sized Wa ...

held a charity event called "What's Your Story?". Thirteen authors, including Rowling, were invited to write stories on an A5 card for

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

with proceeds going to

English PEN Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights. English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' associat ...

and Dyslexia Action. Rowling's card was sold for £25,000 to Hira Digpal, president of Tokyo-based investment-banking consulting company Red-33. The total raised from the sale of all thirteen cards was £47,150.

Theft

In April 2017, the manuscript of the prequel was stolen during a burglary in Birmingham. Rowling tweeted about the incident, asking fans not to buy the work if offered it, and West Midlands Police appealed for information. The burglary victim told the BBC that the work was "priceless" and had the potential to raise money for additional good causes, if it were to be sold again legitimately. "I don't think whoever took it or stole it or who might purchase it will really understand the benefits to people out there, what it can do," he said. "If it's destroyed, or if it's lost, it's a great loss."

References

External links

Official statement on J.K. Rowling's official website
29 May 2008 Prequel Prequel 2008 short stories Fantasy short stories Prequel novels {{2000s-bildungsroman-stub