Prequels

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I feel like I can no longer call myself a Harry Potter fan, because this short story was “released” ten years ago, and I didn’t know it existed. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Marauders, although as I’ve grown older I recognize that they were definitely bullies. Still, I’ve always wanted Rowling to write a companion series about them (I’m all set with the sequels, plays, etc.). Another reason why I’m flabbergasted that I didn’t know about this short story.

First of all, I need to point out that I really appreciate the Sirius Black pun. This is a four page short story, barely a breath of a story, and Rowling made time to make a joke about Sirius’s name. Thanks for that.

Overall there’s not much to this little story. It’s a fun little glimpse of life before the trio. There’s moments where you get the impression of the edge of fear that the Wizarding World would have been living in at the time. Only a little bit though – the story was mostly James and Sirius being cheeky to a couple of cops in an alley.

The story is so short, I had barely started to read it before it was over. This prequel is just a tease, but a fun one nonetheless.