HARRY POTTER FANS UNITE TO RAISE MONEY FOR CHARITY

News Web site The Leaky Cauldron's "Get a Clue" campaign to benefit Book Aid International and curiosity about fifth Harry Potter installment.

NEW YORK CITY, NY - (6 December 2002) - The Leaky Cauldron (www.the-leaky-cauldron.org), a non-profit, international Harry Potter-themed news site, is uniting Harry Potter fans all over the world via its "Get a Clue" campaign. The effort, a global initiative driven by the opportunity for fans to gain a precious sneak peek into the highly-anticipated 5th Harry Potter book, aims to raise tens of thousands of dollars for charity.

"In mid-November, The Leaky Cauldron (TLC) heard that J.K. Rowling had donated a handwritten card containing information about the fifth Harry Potter to Sotheby's Auction House for a charity," explained Editor-in-Chief B.K. DeLong, "we were concerned that a wealthy fan would win the item and keep its contents private from the millions of fans eagerly awaiting for over two-and-a-half years to find out about the next book."

(The 5th installment of the series, tentatively titled "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", is expected in stores sometime between 2Q and 3Q 2003.)

TLC editors felt this combination of charity fundraiser and fact-gathering expedition represented the perfect call to action for any Harry Potter fan: advocate children's literacy while finding out about the long-awaited Harry Potter volume.

In order to proxy a bid on behalf of Harry Potter fandom as a whole, Leaky Cauldron Managing Editor Melissa Anelli immediately went through official channels including incorporating as a New York State not-for-profit charity organization and registering with the New York State Attorney General's office. Now, (as Leaky, Inc.), the site has pledged to donate the thousands of dollars raised through this effort to Book Aid International (www.bookaid.org), (the charity for which the Sotheby's auction is being held), regardless of who enters the winning bid.

Contributions can be made via PayPal.com (through account name "Leaky, Inc." or e-mail "donations@the-leaky-cauldron.org") until December 10, 2002, and can be mailed to 28 Stafford Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10312, as long as checks are received by December 7, 2002 and postal/money orders are received by December 10, 2002. Wire transfer information can be obtained by contacting info@the-leaky-cauldron.org.

All money donated (minus costs of running the fundraiser and PayPal/wiring fees) will be used towards the bid. Any surplus will be donated directly to Book Aid International. The item won will be redistributed according to legal allowances, post-auction.

"TLC's editors felt that the site's hundreds of thousands of readers would each be willing to donate $1.00 or more in order to ensure access to the coveted card," said TLC editor Heidi Tandy, "and we knew that our site would be well-placed to win the auction allowing us to bring the 93-word summary of the next Harry Potter book to millions of fans around the world."

About The Leaky Cauldron (Leaky, Inc.)

The Leaky Cauldron is a international, non-profit, Harry Potter-themed Web site run by a handful of dedicated fans in their spare time under the guise of Leaky, Inc. a New York-based, not-for-profit corporation. The site's goal is to provide the Harry Potter fan community with the most recent and detailed news about the Harry Potter enterprise including books, movies and related merchandise. For more information, visit http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org.