‘Harry Potter’ Prequel, Handwritten By J.K. Rowling, Stolen In Burglary

A one-of-a-kind Harry Potter prequel, handwritten by J.K. Rowling, was stolen along with various pieces of jewelry in a burglary in Birmingham, England sometime between April 13 and 24. Both J.K. Rowling and West Midlands Police are reaching out to Harry Potter fans for help to recover the prequel.

The Harry Potter prequel was handwritten by J.K. Rowling on a 6-by-8-inch postcard and was auctioned off for charity, reports People. Rowling sent out a tweet begging people not to buy the Harry Potter prequel if they are presented with the opportunity.

“PLEASE DON’T BUY THIS IF YOU’RE OFFERED IT,” Rowling tweeted. “Originally auctioned for @englishpen, the owner supported writers’ freedoms by bidding for it.”

Rowling is not the only one using Twitter to try to find the stolen prequel. West Midlands Police also turned to Twitter and Harry Potter fans for help. Officer PC Paul Jauncey, who is investigating the case, appealed to Harry Potter fans, asking them to call the police if they see the prequel for sale or if they know its location.

“The only people who will buy this unique piece are true Harry Potter fans. We are appealing to anyone who sees, or is offered this item for sale, to contact police.”

The 800 word Harry Potter prequel, which sold for 25,000 pounds at the charity auction in 2008, according to the Chicago Tribune, was set three years before Harry was born. It tells a story about James Potter, Harry’s father, and Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather, and James’ best friend, getting in trouble with the police and escaping using “broomsticks, drumsticks and a little bit of magic.”

The auction that the Harry Potter prequel was sold at was one for the benefit of English PEN, which is a group that advocates for free speech, and also for the benefit of Dyslexia Action, which helps students who have difficulties with reading, reports The Washington Post. They also report that J.K. Rowling left a note at the end of the Harry Potter prequel.

“From the prequel I am not working on – but that was fun!” wrote Rowling.

J.K. Rowling made it clear that this prequel was written especially for charity, and that there is not going to be an entirely new set of books revolving around the shenanigans of young James Potter and Sirius Black. Rowling had already given Harry Potter fans a taste of what life in the wizarding world was like before Harry Potter was born through the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films.

The first of these films came out in November of last year and told the story of Hufflepuff Newt Scamander and his journey to New York City. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them gave Harry Potter fans several insights into Rowling’s world of magic. It showed them not only brand new creatures like Nifflers, but it also told fans about the American wizarding school, Ilvermorny, and it showed the differences between the two countries. The second of the five Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films is set to come out in November of next year. They are said to tell the history of the wizarding world right up until Voldemort’s rise to power.

Harry Potter fans can also sate their desire for magic by reading and going to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is a play that Rowling wrote detailing the stories of the next generation of wizards after the end of the Harry Potter series. Rowling has said that Cursed Child is the end of Harry Potter’s story. Every story has to end sometime, but Harry Potter fans still have several years’ worth of upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movies to keep them satisfied.

[Featured Image by John Philips/Getty Images]