Harry Potter Prequel Casts Its Charity Magic

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:38:00 -0000

JK Rowling’s 800 word Harry Potter prequel has sold for $48,858, with the proceeds going to charity.

An absent bidder at the auction – held at Waterstone’s Bookstore in London yesterday – paid $59 per word for the short story, which was handwritten on both sides of an A5-size card. As reported earlier, the proceeds from the sale went to the English writer’s association, PEN, and Dyslexia Action.

Twelve other authors and illustrators also contributed stories to the auction, including playwright Tom Stoppard – whose short story raised $7,816 – Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing, and novelists Nick Hornby and Margaret Atwood.

Rowling’s story is set three years before Harry is born and features the characters Sirius Black and James Potter, Harry’s father. After some trouble with a policeman, the pair escape with broomsticks and a little bit of magic.

The prequel can be viewed at Waterstone’s shop in central London, or can be read in its entirety online.

Harry Potter Returns For Charity Gala And Prequel

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:38:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Witches and wizards galore crammed a castle in the dark depths of Scotland on Friday night, all in the name of charity.

Harry Potter creator JK Rowling host to the goulish guests at the ghastly gala held at Harburn House in West Lothian to raise funds for the Scottish Multiple Sclerosis Society. And as well as monstrous music and disastrous dancing (ok, sorry, the alliteration is just getting silly now), there was also an auction with a very special prize donated by the author – the chance to be immortalized as a wizard or witch in a portrait at the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Florida.

The event, which was attended by guests such as Charlotte Church and author Ian Rankin, raised a massive $632,000 for the charity.

Rowling is a longtime supporter of the MS Society, and became patron of the organization after losing her mother to the disease.

The gala follows the announcement last week that Rowling has penned an 800-word prequel to her seven-book Harry Potter series as part of a charity auction to be held next month.

The auction will take place at Waterstone’s Bookstore in Central London on June 10, and will feature a selection of short stories written by famous writers on special cards. Money from the auction will go to English PEN, the writer’s association, and Dyslexia Action.

The auction follows the sale of a handwritten, leather-bound book of fairy tales the author sold for $4 million in December to raise money for Children’s Voice.

And for any diehard Potter fans out there – the prequel is said to be a conversation between Harry’s father, James, and Sirius Black.

Look To The Stars News: Dyslexia Action

Harry Potter Prequel Casts Its Charity Magic

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Harry Potter Returns For Charity Gala And Prequel

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