The Harry Potter tale JK wants NOBODY to buy...
IT was a very short story, only 800 words penned over both sides of a plain postcard – but the Harry Potter prequel by JK Rowling fetched £25,000 at a charity auction.
Now the bestselling author has appealed for the story’s return after it was stolen in a burglary at the home of the businessman who bought it.
The untitled story, set three years before the boy wizard’s birth, was locked in one of three safes removed from Hira Digpal’s home in Birmingham while he was away on business.
And yesterday, as 46-year-old Mr Digpal told of his shock at the theft, Edinburgh-based Miss Rowling urged Harry Potter fans not to buy the unique manuscript.
After retweeting a West Midlands Police appeal for information about the missing story, whose value has soared since it was written, the author told her followers on Twitter: ‘Please don’t buy this if you’re offered it. Origifrom nally auctioned for @englishpen, the owner supported writers’ freedoms by bidding for it.’
English PEN is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote understanding through literature and writers’ freedom to express themselves.
The postcard was taken along with a quantity of jewellery from Mr Digpal’s home between April 13 and 24. He said: ‘The thieves pulled out three safes and one of them had the prequel inside.
‘I’m not sure if it was a targeted raid to take the story. It seems more opportunistic.
‘The real worry is that the thieves won’t realise what it is. They stole some jewellery, too, and I’m scared they won’t realise what the card is, focus on the jewellery, and throw it away. That unique piece of work could just be destroyed.’
Mr Digpal said he had read only one of the seven Harry Potter instalments and had bought the prequel ‘to help raise money for people less fortunate’.
Investigating officer PC Paul Jauncey, of West Midlands Police, said: ‘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 story centres on Harry’s father James Potter and godfather Sirius Black when they were teenagers. They are confronted by two ‘muggle’ policemen after a high-speed motorbike chase and make their escape on broomsticks.
To dispel any notion that the short story might be an excerpt a full-blown Potter adventure, Miss Rowling signed off with words: ‘From the prequel I am not working on – but that was fun!’
Ordinary fans were given their chance to own a copy when 10,000 reproduction cards were put on sale at Waterstones branches following the auction. All 10,000 were sold the same day.
In 2007, Miss Rowling’s seventh and final Potter adventure, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold 11million copies in the UK and US in its first 24 hours.
‘I’m scared they’ll throw it away’