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!
Welcome to Beyond Hogwarts!
Beyond Hogwarts is a site primarily about the Wizarding World, including the Harry Potter franchise and Fantastic Beasts but also covers a wide variety of other series including The Lord of the Rings.
You can also find news, editorials, features, list, and reviews for other movies, TV shows, and books!
Our Communities
What struck me about the prequel is that we know a lot about Sirius’ childhood, but not James, other than the fact that James’ parents welcomed Sirius into their home. Their ease with handling the muggle police may just be due to the fact that they’d encountered them before. But it does imply more of a knowledge of muggle things than Wizards normally have. Does this show, perhaps, that James had, at least partially, a muggle upbringing, like Seamus Finnegan did, who’s Dad was a muggle, and Mum was a witch?
James and Sirius are teenagers when this episode is occurring. Is the war with Voldemort already underway? If not, did the death-eaters have other reasons to be unhappy with them? What could have James and Sirius have done to cause this to happen?
I don�t think that James could have had a muggle upbringing as he was a �pure blood� so magic must have been prevailing in his family. The act just seems as if James & Sirius were having fun. However at the scene of appearing 3 wizards (Presumably death eaters) they didn�t show any surprise meaning that first war must be going on at that time (but why should they be having fun then?). Main question is who 3 were chasing them and why, Defying statute of international secrecy (Presenting themselves in presence of 2 muggles)? Scene being of the time when James and Sirius were still in school is unlikely. what could they have contributed against voldemort when they were still at school? James and Sirius went to Hogwarts in 1971, left in 1978 June and James died on 31st Oct 1981. It must be during those 3 years (78 July � Sep�81). It may be the time when Regulus (RAB) left the Voldemort�s gang (81). Death eaters may have been after Sirius for finding out RAB�s whereabouts.
PS.
1. Was the spell (to lift the police car) Wingardium Leviosa?
2. Can you disapparate with a thing like motor bike?
Oooo, I’ve been wondering about this, and enjoyed reading J.K.’s prequel. I think that, as two of the infamous Marauders, James and Sirirus were used to getting into trouble, and had previously encountered Muggle law enforcement. I wonder, though, from whom they were running away? Excited to hear some theories!
After re-reading the cards J.K. wrote, I’m wondering what the golden bird on James’ and Sirius’ shirts was — a snitch or a phoenix? Were they already working as members of the Order? Or was this a final glimpse of Marauder misbehaving, before Voldemort came forth and changed the Wizarding world forever?
If they were with the Order already, it’s likely their pursuers were Death Eaters; however, James and Sirius had a carefree banter as they attempted to stump the Muggle police officers (and guts, as they tossed around bizarre names like Elvendork!).
I think they were really — by their late teens — used to getting into spots of trouble, so they handled this situation (even if it was more Dark than previous ones) very well.
I think the potters were just better with muggles than the black’s because the blacks didnt interact with them at all since they hated them. It doesnt mean anything, but i wish i could read the prequel anyway.
Swati: I don’t think they disapparated. I think they just flew up into the air. JK does say “it took off into thin air”, but the next sentence is, “James and Sirius zoomed away into the night sky, their tail light twinkling behind them.” So they were visible as they zoomed away.
Maggie: Good idea, could be a snitch, but I definitely thought it was a phoenix. But if it is, would members of Order of the Phoenix publicly wear Order T-shirts? I’d think not, which means the teens were not in the Order yet, but wanted to be.
Dave: I like your theory that they wanted to be in the Order, thus the t-shirts, but I’m inclined to think James and Sirius WOULD be the types to wear a “uniform” announcing their allegiance to (and possibly membership in) the group.
J.K. writes they were in their late teens, and from this I concluded they would be 18 or 19 — because if they were JUST of age, she would have said it, or left a clue for us (like including an astronomically-detailed wristwatch in a wardrobe description for one or both) — so I believe they WERE in the Order, and fighting…
But for James and Sirius, fun continued throughout the first war. This makes sense given their carefree (and at times careless?) time at Hogwarts, running around with Lupin transformed, etc. Their personalities — danger-seeking, best of friends, etc. — wouldn’t have changed completely in the early stages of the first war.
James and Sirius did not break the statute of international secrecy until there was a threat to them and then it became necessary. I think the war had begun since Death Eaters do not care about the statute of international secrecy and they way James and Sirius reacted with all of their attention. The horsing around between them and with the muggle police is likely their form of stress relief.
I think that the bird on their t-shirts was definitely a phoenix but they must not have been with the Order because as Mrs Weasley says in “the order of phoenix” the order does not recruit underage wizards so they must be older than seventeen in order to be members and J.K. says they were in their late teens
I don’t think James was brought up by Muggles, because he was a pure blood. I just think that Muggles didn’t threaten them at all, and that’s why they didn’t really care about being chased by Muggle cops.
About the tshirts:
“Both were dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird; the emblem, no doubt, of some deafening, tuneless rock band.”
GOLDEN bird. Phoenixes are scarlet. So I don’t think the bird was a phoenix. So I don’t know what the bird was on their shirts.
And where does it talk about the 3 people that were supposedly Death Eaters? I don’t see that at all…
I think James and Sirius normally interacted with muggles more because of all their wrongdoing outside of school. James probably did not have a muggle childhood.
They were both probably out of school and in the in the Order by that time. The t-shirts probably had phoenixes on them to represent the Order, but I think it was something James and Sirius had just for them. The whole Order would not be announcing their allegiances. Voldemort was definitely powerful at this time because in the first chapter of the Sorcerer’s Stone Dumbledore tells McGonagall they haven’t celebrated for 11 years. I took it to mean Voldemort started getting power when Sirius and James were about 10 or 11. It is likely the three men on broomsticks were Death Eaters. James and Sirius probably considered stopping them was fun, so they were not worried about it being a dangerous situation. The statute of secrecy might not mattered much in war time, but James and Sirius were over-aged and did not harm the muggles. Could that still be detected? Is there a small possibility that the three men chasing them were not Death Eaters, but ministry representatives who wanted to catch them for previous magic done?
Shannon: I assumed they were death-eaters. Who else could they be? Don’t forget, there were 3 of them. Some bad guy James and Sirius had run afoul of could be chasing them for some reason, but three bad guys? What other organized group of bad guys was there besides death-eaters?
Anonymous: It’s possible the ministry was chasing them, but would James and Sirius have treated ministry officials that way, causing them to crash head-on into the up-turned car?
anonymous:
i couldn’t agree with you more. jk rowling should write a bio about dumbledore. what we get from the DH is good, but there has to be more secerets out there other than the fact that he’s gay.
the prequel was kind of to get us thinking. jk does that a lot. she wants us to think and discuss on our own while she just sits back and relaxes. when we get to the point where we are ingeneously correct, she bounces back and gives us someting else to tamper with. she’s good like that. so even if the prequel wasn’t exactly what you were looking for, read it over, think about it, discuss it. do something with it to make your brain start working again.
First of all i would like to say i enjoyed reading the prequel. Now i think that some of you who read it too missed a page. There are 2, and it clearly states that they are in a group called the “Golden Phoenixes”. It’s like a cross between the Order of the Phoenix and a rock band. So the bird on their shirts was a pheonix. Also it says that the 3 wizard chasing them were death eaters and it says 1 of their names.
On a side note i would love to read more about the lives of the Marauders, Dumbldore, Snape, old Voldy and/or life after the DH.
That second page you mentioned is fan fiction, not written by JK. So, discussing it is fun, but it’s not canon, so you can’t base any arguments on it. It’s just that one fan writer’s opinion of what an extension of the information in the first page would be…
Miss Cissy-
I said that I wanted to hear more about dumbledore. Then you said that she should write a bio about dumbledore. i didn’t even think about a biography! That would be really good! But then I got thinking, there could be so many biography about different charachters that would be really good. Snape, how he acts like one of them when he is around Voldermart. Neville Longbottom, how he grew up with out his parents. Ginny Weasly (Potter) this one wouldn’t have to be an entire bio but maby just a little more detail from Chamber of Secrets. Hermione, how she was a witch around humans (like Harry). MAybe (this might be stretching it) Luna? How she was told it was just gargles. That might be a little weird.
well, that’s why she’s writing an encyclopedia, isn’t it? people just like you thought about the other characters and their lives and such and jk decided to put them all in one book.
woah, i read the story… it doesn’t seem very likely that james and sirius would be so careless about their magic identities, not sayin that they were careful people but still…
still, it was good seeing a new piece of harry potter to read, i miss not having any new harry potter books to look forward to…
i didn’t know that she was making an encyclepidia, now i am excited
yeah she’s writing one called the scottish book. apparently it has something to do with macbeth being bad luck to say in the theater, so everyone called it the scottish play… i don’t know but yeah she’s writing a prequel
the harry potter trailer is so cool. but i wish it would show more about hogwarts and not just tom. but that makes it even more suspensful
i thought the trailer is really good. it gives a little insight, but not too much. i got freaked out the first time. but i guess i was watching too much of the trailer for walle… the actor who plays tom riddle is really good from what i can see from the trailer.
I doubt the thing on the shirt is a phoenix, I’d say it was a snitch. That was the image I got, anyway. It seemed so late seventies, like she was making a refrence to those annoying Def Leopard t-shirts or something.
And yeah, those would totally have been death eaters on the brooms. They wouldn’t damage anyone otherwise.
I really, really hope she is writing another book. I miss new books, and these little thing, the Beetle the Bard (I think I spelled that wrong, sorry) book and such, it’s just making me miss it all the more.
I’m adicted. I’d easily pay $100 dollars for a nicely sized marauders era novel. Easily. Especially if it was dark and Snapeful…
*Fangirl depression*
konKat, i know what you mean. i only went to one midnight magic party and barnes and nobles and i want to go to another one and celebrate harry potter with others just like me. i asked about beadle the bard and the guy at barnes and nobles said they’re not doing anything special for it or the encyclopedia. so sad.
Miss Cissy
Ha ha. I watched the walle trailer a bajillion times!
Did you know that the actor of the little Tom is actually the real Voldemart’s nephew? It is! Isn’t that funny
Nyx
Wow, anonymous that is funny. i guess it gives you the feeling you are seeing voldy jr. i saw the international one and i think its good too. especially the end it made my day to see the library set so clean and pretty looking! but i don’t remember when the burrow was attacked though…remind me?
I also liked the international trailer. The end in the library is funny, but I think it is out of character for Harry.
Miss Cissy, do you mean if the burrow is attacked in the book or not? Because it is not. The scene was added when Harry goes to visit the Weasleys’ for Christmas.
oh, that makes sense! thanks, anonymous! and i agree, the library scene isn’t in character at all for harry. he actually doesn’t like girls looking at him like that and he has a crush on ginny in that movie so…it was kind of stupid putting it in there.
Regarding OOTP, Phoenix emblem, T-Shirts and WEIRD NAMES
We have the following Data:
James
Born: 27 March 1960
Died: 31 October 1981
Harry
Born: 31 July 1980
Considering a 9 month pregnancy, Lily must have gotten pregnant at the beginning of november 1979. From that date to the 27th march 1980, there are 5 months of pregnancy. During that period of time James is still 19 years old, and can be considered to be in his late teens.
–‘Names?’ repeated the long-haired driver. ‘Er — well, let’s see. There’s Wilberforce… Bathsheba… Elvendork…’ — Sirius is really quick at saying funny and strange names…so, for me that he and James have been thinking of possible names (male, female and unisex) for the baby and have had a laugh finding some funny ones.
So, if I’m right, it’s very possible that both of them are already part of the order of the phoenix and don’t really have time to be slipping past the muggle police just for fun. What I found most strange, was that they were wearing “T-Shirts”, not cloaks like normal wizards. Maybe they were in some kind of secret mission disguised as muggles and we all know how well wizards are aware of muggle fashion. They wanted to look like muggles, but still have the phoenix emblem on them, maybe being proud to be on their first mission.
Mauricio:
Sirius is just good that way. Ever since he was little, he could get himself out of trouble with a laugh or two. so i dont think it has to do with thinking of a name for harry…good idea though!
I have not read Rowling’s prequel but I do believe that it woud be a great idea to write one and to publish it. I would love to see how harry’s father and sirius and lupin behaved in their young age in more detail. I would especially love to hear about their fights against voldemort. it would be very intersting. has anyone heard of there being such a publication?
sorry Harry’sLover, there haven’t been any publications like that. at least not by JK Rowling. But you could use what you know to write something of your own, right? I did and it wasn’t all that bad. At some parts I even added my own characters. Harry Potter belongs to us now. So do what ever you want with it!
I can’t wait to read the rest. I hope she publishes the whole book!
the new harry potter trailer is amazing
i love that it included harry and dumbledore on the rock in the middle of the sea right next to the cliff with the cave
and the new cover for the movie is awesome. I hope they keep it. It had dumbledore and harry in the cave with a wand in each of their hands. simple and to the point.
In respose to the 3 people chasing James and Sirius I really do think it is obvious that they are Death Eaters my only question is why would they leave 3 very dangerous bad guys with muggle police? Even if they are knocked out.
where this is a narritive, we don’t really know that the other guys were bad guys, maybe they just seemed to be from the policemens point of view. It could have been just Lupin and wormtail messing around cause the marauders wanted to have some fun by scaring some muggles.
The story says, “the men on broomsticks slam into the upended car and fall, apparently insensible, to the ground, while broken bits of broomstick clattered down around them.”
I doubt James and Sirius would do that to Lupin.
It says that “Both were dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird”
I think the bird is a phoenix which would mean that they had already joined the order.
I feel that it has nothing to do with James Potter’s up bringing as being half and half because Sirius is a pure blood and he acts the exact same way as James and theres nothing wrong with being half and half or muggle born. Goes to show you that anyone can fall in love, and I dont like the term mudblood.
I just read the second part of the story,
The part where they come to Potters house did everyone read the second part as well cause i did not see it before
Was the one who tipped the Death Eaters Wormtail?
or wormtail was still “good” at this moment?
I don’t think so, PF. But he does appear nervous for some reason, I think we should suspect at least his not totally on our side at this point.
PF – the second part was not written by JK. I don’t think you can count that part as having anything to do with the first part.
There is no way James was brought up by muggles. His mother states “WHAT HAVE YOU BOYS BEEN UP TO NOW?! Your hands on the clock never left ‘danger’!” Assuming the “clock” was similar to Mrs.Weasley’s.
I wonder why JK didn’t give any hints of Mr and Mrs Potter; I mean Harry’s grandparents. Is it possible that they were still alived when Lily and James were killed. But if they were alived, why Harry had to live with Dursleys? JK didn’t clear this mystery. If James’ parents were not alived at that time, when they died? I think Sirius told Harry in OOTP that he left his parents at 16 and went to Potters. So, Potters were alived atleast 5 years before the death of Lily and James.
Good point Arman
I don’t know either. That’s a really good question that I would like to know the answer to.
They were probably killed by Voldemort.
A Close fan, the second page is fan fiction, not written by JK and therefore UNRELIABLE as part of this disscussion.
I always wanted to know about Harry’s parents, even Lily’s parents…where were they? What happened to them?
And the prequel JK wrote I am a bit upset with, because it doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t know, and it’s the same kind of thing any fan-fiction writer would write. But it was fun to read:)
Charlus Potter and Dorea Black was probably the parents of James, I reckon. They are mentioned in the Black family tree. As far as I know, JK told that James was an extra treasure to his parents because he born at their elderly age. Dorea Black (1920-1977) was 40 when James born at 1960. So, I think she was James’ mother. JK also told that James’ parents died normally, not killed by Voldemort.
oh tht was good y isnt she working on she coul make like seven more book but from the maureders (dont mind the spelling) POV