The short 800 word prequel to HP written by JKR has been sold at auction by Waterstones for £25,000. THe money going to a dyslexia charity.

Waterstones have posted the entire thing on line which you can read here!!

Please please read it and leave you comments......I'm off to do it right now!

Hmm. I really don't know. It seemed a bit lame to me. Especially when thinking it's been sold for £25,000. I mean, it wasn't anything significant form the HP world, something which could get us all up running high. No.

To me it's just about two policemen's run-in with the magical world. And what they just happened to run into was James and Sirius... I know it's hard to write something very special in 800 words, but to me this was a bit pointless. Though I do find James and Sirius portrayed in a very good way. Elvendork, that was fun. And the policemen's reaction to the drumsticks was typical muggle reaction. They must have to go to therapy the next half year. It's JKR style I think, but that's pretty much all I see in it.

Awww James and Sirius are sooo cool! I loved that prequel

But now that I've read it, I want to read more =[ I wish she would write a full one or something. Because like, now I want to know who the guys on the broomsticks were and why James and Sirius were being chased.

Ha I can never be easily pleased

I'm so glad that Waterstones put that up for everyone to read though. It's something, better than having nothing after DH.

I still want to read so much more, and know so much more about the Marauders and everything before the start of PS.

Kelly
x

I agree with Happy-Potter I didn't think it was really that great and I had difficulty reading it because I'm so used to reading typed print and so sometimes it took me a while to figure out a word. I had to look at the words around it and trying to find a word that looked kinda like it and would fit in the context of the sentence. I thought it was alright for how short it was but I just wish it was more legible. I thought she portrayed Sirius and James well so that was good.

It was quite good very great to see some nod to the antics of Sirius and James. As I always found them great fun. If a little bit of troublemakers.
Hard to make out some words though. Otherwise it was ok and light hearted to read.
Elvendork - "Remember it's Uni-sex." Was great.
Though I certianly wouldn't have payed £25,000 for it. Even if I was in a posistion to be able to pay it but mind you it's going to a charity and that's what really counts.

Edit: I also have a sneaking suspicion that J.K is finding it hard to let go of HP, not jumping to any conclusions but I do see a book from Harry's world (apart from the encloypida) coming in the distant future. You know you want to J.K.

whew i thought i was going to comment on here and get my head bitten off for speaking against it

that was the most boring potter elated thing ever ok maybe i have read worse fanfics on another site

but it was a bit hhhhhhhhh oh

i must be hard to let it go i mean thats been how many years of her life she is used to having harry there

not to sure about another book though?

"Elevndork" was great. I thought it was pretty good, but not the most brilliant. I agree, HJP/HJG_TrueLove, i found it rather hard to read. But i figured it out, and i have to admit i liked it.

I thought it was interesting to see James and Sirius. I'mg lad JK decided to write something, even when we wern't expecting it. It was a nice suprise, and i'm glad we got to read it.

Yeah, I'm going to agree with the majority in that it wasn't all that! I had the same problem with the handwriting and had to re-read it a few times to make sure I understood what was going on... at first I thought it was Hagrid with Harry, then I realized it was 2 youths, so I had to go back and figure out the first part again. THEN I thought it said "she" was basking in the headlights, so I thought it may have been Lily until it said James and Sirius. WHEW!

The interaction between James and Sirius was good, but the rest was rather "lame" to quote an earlier post. And no, I would not have paid that kind of money, but since it was for charity I'm sure you'd get a decent tax write-off! There are definitely much better fan-fics on this site and I'm sure one of our own could do a one-shot better than this!

CG

Okay, I am a bit mad at JKR. First of all, she writes something in 800 words, which first of all is very hard to read (her handwriting isn't easily read) and second; it was not that good. It said nothing, it was insignifigant. And now it made me read more of her, but nothing is coming. I am so sad that there ain't coming another book (by the looks of it.)
I agree with the rest of you: The only thing great was "Elvendork". I thought it was great that it wasn't concerning Harry and the rest of the gang, since we havn't had 7 books about James and Sirius. But I find she mostly describes the policemen, not James and Sirius. Too bad, could've been great.
It is good that it was for charity. But paying that much money for something like this is just a bit over the top. It was very generous of Waterstones to release it, but of cause, they read it first so they knew they weren't in possesion of something big.

Sorry J.K. We all know you can do better

I personally thought the prequel was fantastic. In my opinion it was classic Harry Potter but with a brillant twist; it was Sirius and James! People who think it was lame need to remember that is was only 800 words and that if take 800 words at random from any book then they are going to be difficult to understand. It has, however, definately brought back the thirst for more Harry Potter; prequel or sequel.

Thankyou JKR for this tantilising piece of gold from the magical world. And all for a fantastic cause aswell! And as for the handwriting- i think it is a treat to read something in an authors own hand and for me it adds an extra sparkle to and already shining piece of Potter!

I liked the prequel. I mean, it was nothing super amazing, but I enjoyed it. The Elvendork thing was pretty funny and James and Sirius are such great characters. I liked getting to read something about when they were younger. Its something we hadn't got to read before. Of course, I would have perferred that it was longer. As for the handwriting, well I started reading that version and then found a typed up version of it. Much easier to read.

I agree with everything you said Emma. It was too short, but great anyways. I enjoyed seeing James and Sirius when they were younger. The Elvendork was funny too! And yes. JK's handwriting is a bit messy.

....I'm pretty sure it would be easier to enjoy if only I could read it! It's tight and scrawled across the page! Well I wish she did something a tad more serious. I mean it, if she wrote an entire book discussing the Marauders and Lily and Snape and everything before Harry Potter, right up to the night Voldemort marched into their house and took their lives, THEN I would be satisfied! Now I'm gonna say something but don't get your hopes up about it, but we weren't expecting a prequel now were we? Does the 800 word prequel seem a bit.... short and a tad unexplained to you? Is it possible that this prequel is only but a PART of another surprise from JKR? Yes I mean a surprise such as what I was hoping for. Reread my words about what I wished, yes....... is it possible? And many people still feel that there are many questions still unanswered that JKR hasn't covered, I doubt the prequel did much help. Instead it got loads of people's hopes up for something daring and exciting. Yes yes I realize I am making it sound like a piece of paper that shouldn't even be here, but that is not my intentions! I hope you know what I am talking about!

Hmm... I actually didn't read it completely. I know what happens in general, but, as obsessed as I am, I just simply wasn't interested. First off, when I saw that it was about James and Sirius and I got the general plotline of that prequel, I was a bit confused. I didn't really understand it and I found it very random. It was good, I mean, I love James and Sirius and the prequel was good, but it was pretty short and unexplained. After kind of overgoing the text and reading most of it, I was still perplexe because I thought the prequel was totally out of the blue. I expected something more about Lily and James, or something that actually related to Harry's story. I found it a bit... pointless. Useless. And yes, her writing is a bit messy, but I managed to read through it anyway. I got used to my own writing- very pale and a bit hard to read sometimes.

At first I thought it was Hagrid taking Harry to the Dursley's house as well until I started suspecting it was Sirius and James. The Elvendork think was pretty funny, I agree with everyone who said that!

So, I haven't been here for a (very long) while, but I thought I'd pop in and share some of my thoughts:

Anyway, I was slightly disappointed. I think it mainly might've been due to the fact that I'm a self confessed Marauders fan. I guess disappointment tends to come more easily for this crowd if it's not quiiite what we were expecting.

I, like others, tend to cling to every written word JKR puts down about the gang, and...there were few. Ah well. I knew it was 800 words, so I was aware of how short it was going to be but I suppose I expected...well, more from it. I'd wanted her to make the most of the length. Not necessarily to put in a key scene, but even one of those little moments in time that are nice when there there isn't something particularly special about it. For me, it seemed like this scene was somewhere between that, being only somewhat (?) important - from what I could gather.

It also seemed very quickly done, as if she scribbled down the first plot idea that had come to her mind.

I feel a bit like I'm complaining and not being fully appreciative of the fact we got something of a prequel. Don't get me wrong - that was awesome. It was nice seeing a young James and Sirius being troublemakers and all that, but I guess I just wanted more.

Still pretty cool though.

Yeah. You hear over and over again that JK has so much material, so many things still to say, she says so herself. Why didn't she use the opportunity to give us a treat, she must have more to say than "Elvendork...". I was very disappointed as well!

. I don't know rebel_megz but know you have certainly gotten my hopes up

I don't really think it was to be meant as a real HP prequel. Just something to amuse people.

Which it didn't really do.

Nonetheless, it's just an 800 word "story." Nothing to be upset over.

CLICK HERE

heres a typed version but no doubt everyone has read it already...note at the bottom she says from the prequel i am not working on...so i doubt there is another surprise in store (even tho i hope i am wrong)....its for this reason that i think JKR didnt want to put too much into it as the fans would just keep wanting to know more and more..so in my opinon it was good for what it was and it was for a good cause..+ they really reminded me of the weasly twins...i wish we were getting more and i want to know who the wizards on brooms were?

also JKR is known for hidden meanings could there be any in this short peice like the three names they give the police?..could they be anagrams for the wizards after them?...i dont no i just guess like everyone else i wanted more from this story.



[MOD EDIT]: I took the actual text out of your post and replaced it with the appropriate link. We wouldn't want any potential copyright issues or anything on our hands! Thanks!

Umm.. read her note at the bottom again - Hmm... maybe think about it. She's NOT working on it.... now. She might have planned it and wrote that. Then left it. She is not working on it! Now...

When I found out that I could read the prequel online, I went to go and read it. I thought the Elvendork thing was funny, but then I got bored, and I stopped reading.

wow.. it was sold for a lot. I think. I'm not too familiar with that kind of money. But from what I lot of you have said, I guess it's a lot. Maybe I'll try to read it again.

What I did read was pretty interesting. James and Sirius were portrayed really well. But sometimes I couldn't read the handwriting! That was pretty upsetting.

After dwelling on this some more I tend to agree that the whole exchange between James and Sirius seemed more like something Fred and George would do.

I somehow doubt that JKR is working on a prequel. She may, one day, but right now i don't see it happening. I'd like to see that encyclopedia done first!

CG

Well, it was interesting. To me, I enjoyed it like I do an average fan-fic/one-shot. It's kind of like those little filler fics we all know and love. But do I think it was JKR quality (when compared to the HP series? No, but I don't think that was her point. Seems like she just decided to sit down and have a bit of fun writing something to her amusement.

What I really like is the fact that she was able to take it and put it to good use by raising money for charity. If I had that kind of money, I'd have bought it. Mainly because it was done for fun and in her own handwriting and because of what the money is going towards.

I liked the prequel. OK, it was short, but we knew that she wouldn't write much. It was witty and written in her well-known style, so I'm very content. I was even more happier when I found out that it was about Sirius - he did get some extra screentime, yah The way James and Sirius interacted with each other was cute, although it makes it even more sad when you think about the things that are going to happen to them - they'd deserved a much better life *sigh*
But anyway, kudos to J.K Rowling, and I hope she'll write more in the future!

i actually liked the prequel alot .. as i was reading it i had this image this vision in my head the whole time . im picturing the entire situation . i thought it was funny elvendork i think its unisex oh james i wish it was a bit longer though . 800 & i thought it was longer : / but it sold for alot of money 25,000 pounds is it ? in europe? is about $50,000 here in america ! thats ALOT !

Um, I'm sure I'll enjoy reading the prequel, but at the moment am havng trouble finding it. Could someone point me in the right direction? The link went straight to the homepage of waterstones, and I'm not sure where to look. Thanks in advance -Ali

no worries i can upload the link here for you to see . wait a second.... *goes searching*

this is the types version that someone wrote out completely for all to understand

The speeding motorcycle took the sharp corner so fast in the darkness that both policemen in the pursuing car shouted, 'whoa!' Sergeant Fisher slammed his large foot on the brake, thinking that the boy who was riding pillion was sure to be flung under his wheels; however, the motorbike made the turn without unseating either of its riders, and with a wink of its red tail light, vanished up the narrow side street. 'We've got 'em now!' cried PC Anderson excitedly. 'That's a dead end!' Leaning hard on the steering wheel and crashing his gears, Fisher scraped half the paint off the flank of the car as he forced it up the alleyway in pursuit. There in the headlights sat their quarry, stationary at last after a quarter of an hour's chase. The two riders were trapped between a towering brick wall and the police car, which was now crawling towards them like some growling, luminous-eyed predator. There was so little space between the car doors and the walls of the alley that Fisher and Anderson had difficulty extricating themselves from the vehicle. It injured their dignity to have to inch, crab-like, towards the miscreants. Fisher dragged his generous belly along the wall, tearing buttons off his shirt as he went and finally snapping off the wing mirror with his backside. 'Get off the bike!' he bellowed at the smirking youths, who sat basking in the flashing blue light as though enjoying it. They did as they were told. Finally pulling free from the broken wing mirror, Fisher glared at them. They seemed to be in their late teens. The one who had been driving had long black hair; his insolent good looks reminded Fisher unpleasantly of his daughter's guitar-playing, layabout boyfriend. The second boy also had black hair, though his was short and stuck up in all directions; he wore glasses and had a broad grin. Both were dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird, the emblem, no doubt, of some deafening, tuneless rock band. 'No helmets!' Fisher yelled...
pointing from one uncovered head to the other. 'Exceeding the speed limit by - by a considerable amount!' (In fact, the speed registered had been greater than Fisher was prepared to accept that any motorcycle could travel.) 'Failing to stop for the police!' 'We'd have loved to stop for a chat,' said the boy in glasses, 'only we were trying -' 'Don't get smart - you two are in a heap of trouble!' snarled Anderson. 'Names!' 'Names?' repeated the long-haired driver. 'Er - well, let's see. There's Wilberforce...Bathsheba.. .Elvendork...' 'And what's nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy or a girl,' said the boy in glasses. 'Oh, our names, did you mean?' asked the first, as Anderson spluttered with rage. 'You should've said! This here is James Potter, and I'm Sirius Black!' 'Things'll be seriously black for you in a minute, you cheeky little -' But neither James nor Sirius was paying attention. They were suddenly as alert as gundogs, staring past Fisher and Anderson, over the roof of the police car at the dark mouth of the alley. Then, with identical, fluid movements, they reached into their back pockets. For the space of a heartbeat both policemen imagined guns gleaming at them, but a second later they saw that the motorcyclists had drawn nothing more than - 'Drumsticks?' jeered Anderson. 'Right pair of jokers, aren't you? Right, we're arresting you on a charge of -' But Anderson never got to name the charge. James and Sirius had shouted something incomprehensible, and the beams from the headlights had moved. The policemen wheeled around, then staggered backwards. Three men were flying - actually flying - up the alley on broomsticks - and at the same moment, the police car was rearing up on its back wheels. Fisher's knees buckled; he sat down hard; Anderson tripped over Fisher's legs and fell on top of him, as flump - bump - crunch - they heard the men on brooms slam into the upended car and fall, apparently insensible, to the ground,

...while broken bits of broomstick clattered down around them. The motorbike had roared into life again. His mouth hanging open, Fisher mustered the strength to look back at the two teenagers. 'Thanks very much!' called Sirius over the throb of the engine. 'We owe you one!' 'Yeah, nice meeting you!' said James. 'And don't forget: Elvendork! It's unisex!' There was an earth-shaking crash, and Fisher and Anderson threw their arms around each other in fright; their car had just fallen back to the ground. Now it was the motorcycle's turn to rear. Before the policemen's disbelieving eyes, it took off into thin air: James and Sirius zoomed away into the night sky, their tail light twinkling behind them like a vanishing ruby. From the prequel I am not working on - but that was fun! JK Rowling 2008

apologies for any typos. whoever wrote this wrote at 4am.. the actual thing is this

if im not allowed to have the story written there then apologies here i am putting the link to the actual story

first part
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh241/p...torycardpg1.jpg

second part
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh241/p...torycardpg2.jpg


i hope it helps Ali_Jesus_Freak

It was, thankyou very much nicky potter! I personally enjoyed it, it was a bit of fun for thousands craving more of the Wizarding World...or in this case, the Muggle World. Classic James and Sirius, loved Elvendork....it's unisex! Haha, funny stuff Makes us all wait impaitently for that encyclopedia, eh?

yes it does & the part that hurt me the most was that as i was reading this , it created such an image , such a picture in my mind that i was beginning to get carried away. it got to the point that when i finished i actually complained that it was too short & to think that 800 words were supposedly long HA! thanks to the typed version i have never read such a story so fast. JKR really had me with the story . i wish she wrote more or a little book of some sort. im telling you if she develops that story a bit more she can keep making money