J.K. Rowling issues alert: “Harry Potter” prequel story stolen

Getty Images/Samir Hussein(LONDON) — Should you happen upon a postcard with a Harry Potter prequel handwritten on it?  Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling would like you to know two things.  A) It’s legitimate; and B) it was stolen.

“PLEASE DON’T BUY THIS IF YOU’RE OFFERED IT,” Rowling tweeted Friday morning.  “Originally auctioned for @englishpen, the owner supported writers’ freedoms by bidding for it.”  She was responding to a tweet from police in the English town of Kings Heath, alerting folks to the theft and asking for information about it.

PLEASE DON’T BUY THIS IF YOU’RE OFFERED IT. Originally auctioned for @englishpen, the owner supported writers’ freedoms by bidding for it. https://t.co/ljEQyyj9yY

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 12, 2017

Britain’s Press Association, as published by several U.K. newspapers, reports Rowling wrote the 800-word, one-of-a-kind story for a charity auction nine years ago, and it sold then for 25,000 pounds — adjusted for inflation, that’s nearly $40,000 U.S. today.

The Press Association quotes a police investigator as saying, “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 prequel reportedly takes place before Harry Potter’s birth and involves his father, James, and godfather, Sirius Black, who escape from two muggle policeman — “muggle” being a non-magic-using human — by ditching their motorcycles for broomsticks.  Like you do, when you’re a wizard.

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