Potter prequel raises charity cash

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The story, which had been shrouded in secrecy, was penned last month and is just 800 words long.

Her Potter prequel came almost a year after the last book in the series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, hit the shelves.

Organisers of the charity auction at Waterstone's in Piccadilly, central London, asked 13 authors, including JK Rowling, Margaret Atwood, Sebastian Faulks, Nick Hornby and Doris Lessing, to create a story for the sale.

The celebrated writers were told they could submit anything from a doodle and collage to a fresh story.

But JK Rowling, who has earned a £560 million fortune from the seven Potter stories which sold more than 375 million books worldwide, is determined the latest instalment will not be developed further.

She says at the end of the story, written on both sides of an A5 storycard: "From the prequel I am not working on - but that was fun!"

The story is set three years before Harry is born and features the characters Sirius Black and James Potter, Harry's father.

They get in a scrape with irate policemen before making their escape via broomsticks, drumsticks and a little bit of magic.

The author said: "I had great fun writing the card and I'm absolutely delighted that it has raised £25,000 for two such worthy causes."