Monday, July 18, 2011

JK Rowling's 800 Word Harry Potter Prequel Now Online

The 800 word Harry Potter Prequel that JK Rowling wrote for the Waterstone’s “What’s Your Story?” Charity benefit is now online. It's handwritten online but here's a typed version that is easier to read!

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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 seating either of its riders, and with a wink of its red tail lights, 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-eyes 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 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 helmet!” 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.) “Failure 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 cheek little-”

But neither James nor Sirius was paying attention. They were suddenly as alert as gundogs, staying 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 knee bucked; as he sat down hard; Anderson tripped over Fisher’s legs and fell on top of him, as flump-bang-crunch- they heard the men on brooms slam into the suspended 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! J.K. Rowling.2008

17 comments:

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

She obviously has not made enough money. A billion dollars is easily spent. I'm sure she'll be going back to this universe to dip from the pool until the day she kicks the bucket. The thing is...she could write boring terrible stuff now and it would sell millions of copies exclusively because it is Harry Potter.

Bookgeek said...

The Tales of Beadle the Bard didn't sell that well. And if done well, a prequel could be great.

Anonymous said...

To Michael Offutt: Are you kidding me? She wrote this for the proceeds to go to a charity. People are ASKING for her to write more, and so far, she is refusing to. You obviously do not understand how much her work is loved. I would be beyond delighted if she wrote more, and that would be for my own enjoyment, not to give her more money. Even if she was doing it for the money, she is incredibly talented-- so who cares? Don't comment about things you don't understand.

Anonymous said...

I agree with anonymous's comment above. JK Rowling's books are loved worldwide. For every person who criticises her books, there are a hundred admirers. She has brought much happiness to readers and anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves.

the starrose

Anonymous said...

Michael Offutt, you are an idiot.

Anonymous said...

So true :)

Anonymous said...

Michael Offut, are you insane?

Anonymous said...

Short but amazing! I would love to read Marauder Stories! And Michael Offut, are you absolutely insane? JK Rowling could right anything, wether it be for money or not, and billions of people would enjoy it! So dont say anything horrible about her!

Anonymous said...

Micael you clearly wouldn't reconise talent if it bit you in the ass and for all you Harry Potter lovers there is a new series online called the James Potter series about Harry's son James Sirius Potter. It's written by G. Norman Lippert and if you search it on google you will find it

Anonymous said...

People(Michael Offut)shouldn't get involved in things their to idiotic to understand,go back and play little boy.

Anonymous said...

Never insult J K Rowling in front of me! Muggle.

Anonymous said...

Thank you anonymous,
you just made my day

Anonymous said...

Thank you anonymous,
you just made my day

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Anonymous said...

a prequel would be great but also a sequel since what does harry do for a job? what is the school like now? and what were james and sirius running or waiting for?

Joy Radcliffe said...

@Michael Offutf Okay firstly, the prequel was for a charity event so therefore the money was donated to a charity and secondly, JK Rowling donated so much money to charity that she lost her title as a billionare. So stop implying that Rowling writes just so she can make more money.

Anonymous said...

This was for charity ya tit!