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The 800-word story, set three years before Harry Potter is
born and which sold for 25,000 pounds ($32,152) at a charity
auction in 2008, was stolen from a property in Birmingham
between April 13-24.
"Please don't buy this if you're offered it," Rowling wrote on
Twitter. "Originally auctioned for @englishpen, the owner
supported writers' freedoms by bidding for it."
The proceeds of the auction were donated to English PEN, an
organization which champions freedom of expression, and to
Dyslexia Action.
"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," said Constable Paul
Jauncey from West Midlands Police.
Handwritten over two sides of an A5 postcard, the untitled
prequel features the characters Sirius Black and Harry's father
James. It opens with a youthful Sirius and James cornered by two
irate policemen at the end of a high-speed motorcycle chase.
After an exchange of words with the policemen, the two teenagers
make their escape using a touch of magic. The card concludes
with the words "From the prequel I am not working on -- but that
was fun!"
More than 450 million copies of the seven original Harry Potter
books have been sold worldwide in 79 languages. The movie
franchise has grossed more than $7 billion worldwide.
(Reporting by Emily G Roe; editing by Michael Holden)
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