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A forbidden peek at young James and Sirius


J.K. Rowling's 800 word prequel to the Harry Potter story, which she wrote for charity and which sold at auction for $50,000, was posted online last month by UK bookstore Waterstone's. You can read it online or see it in J.K.'s own hand here.

In this brief glimpse of a story, James and Sirius are being chased, and run afoul of the muggle police. Who was chasing them? And does their nonchalance with the muggle police give us an insight to James' upbringing? Did he possibly have a muggle childhood like Hermione?

Read the prequel, and tell us what you think!

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Reader Comments: (Page 8)

A golden bird: J.K doesn't state clearly thats its a phoenix but dont you all remember
"a heavy locket that none of them could open"

There J.K didnt go into great depth about what the locket looked like, just a clever nine word line which completely changes the story. My point is that i dont think she would say they were wearing t-shirts with a symbol of a phoenix on. She said bird not ball, yes it always could be but i really think that she wouldn't have said bird for no reason there. Every Harry Potter fan knows what a golden bird symbolises in the series, and its not a snitch.

Posted by Alex B. from London on August 6, 2008 09:16 AM

Sirius and James were about 18 years old because lily and james had harry when they were 21. the prequel takes place three years before harry's birth.

Posted by miss cissy from malfoy manor on August 10, 2008 4:30 PM

Close, Miss Cissy.

Didn't James and Lily have Harry when they were 20? He was a little over a year when they d, and they d at 21 years.

So, that would make James and Sirius freshly 17.

Posted by Maggie from Philadelphia on August 11, 2008 05:11 AM

Fellow readers,

What spell do you think James and Sirius cast to throw the car in the way of their pursuers? All J.K. tells us is that it's something "incomprehensible" to the Muggle "please-men."

I'm inclined to think of something fairly basic, like "wingardim leviosa" or a version of "waddiwasi" like Lupin used on Peeves in PoA -- NOT something like "confringo." I don't believe James and Sirirus were seeking to do bodily harm -- by way of the SPELL, not the ACTION (because sure, a car in the face can't feel good!) -- to the three chasing them ( Eaters, right). Not yet, at least; if the Eaters started to fight, I'm sure James and Sirius would have defended themselves to the best of their abilities.

Posted by Maggie from Philadelphia on August 12, 2008 1:33 PM

Maggie, I agree with you about a basic spell being used to lift the car.

I think it might have been "wingardium leviosa." Maybe the car might have needed something more powerful to lift it, but James and Sirius were casting the spell together. I wonder if "levicorpus" could have been used. I don't think so. I'm not sure if it works on objects and it is also said to be non-verbal in HBP. James and Sirius shouted the incantation here. The again, Hermione does whisper it in Gringotts in DH.

Posted by Anonymous from Arizona on August 12, 2008 5:53 PM

Levicarpus?

Posted by Dave Haber from Los Angeles on August 12, 2008 7:30 PM

Hmmm...but "levicorpus" was a non-verbal, and the etymology suggests it concerns levitating a body/person. J.K. is pretty specific with the spells she creates ("mobiliarbus" moves a tree, for example). I wonder if, instead of "levicorpus," Sirius and James made like Snape and created a few spells of their own. Perhaps a "levicorpus"-like enchantment that lifts objects into the air?

Posted by Maggie from Philadelphia on August 13, 2008 06:54 AM

I wish JK would just right a whole prequel and sequel instead of just leaving us hanging with these 800 word prequels and page long epilogues.

Posted by Neil from Fort Dodge, IA on August 13, 2008 6:46 PM

Maggie: We've been told that all of Harry's relations have been ed by Voldemort and his eaters (just in passing) haven't we?

Shannon: I always thought that pheonixes were gold and scarlet plumage....at least thats what Ms Jk Rowling has told us...so it could be a pheonix but if its not im ing to bet (leprechaun gold of course) its a snitch but im more ing to bet (real gold) its a phoenix...

Posted by Lily Evans on August 15, 2008 04:10 AM

L.E.: Yes, we all acknowledge this. I'm a little confused as to why you bring it up...?

Posted by Maggie from Philadelphia on August 15, 2008 06:44 AM

hey shannon from missourri, phoenixes can b gold. like flaming ones. like in the sixth book.

Posted by shaffer from delaware on August 19, 2008 4:21 PM

James definately has no muggle bringing up whats so ever.
For the golden bird, I think it's a snitch. Probably James and Sirius made the tshirts themselves. And for the logo, maybe its the marauders' logo. I think it has to be something they loved though. I didn't know that James was into motorbikes like Sirius was until the prequel. I always thought Sirius was the only one into motorbikes, but that proves something though. James got into liking motorbikes, why wouldn't Sirius get into liking snitches, thus, making it their logo, marauders' logo.

Sirius and James making a wizard rock band? I don't think so. Sirius could have told Harry and maybe given him some of the songs the band made. Atleast Lupin would have mentioned it somewhere.

Posted by Mrs. Prongs from Virginia USA on August 22, 2008 07:20 AM

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