Also, don't forget that in a recent interview Jo said that the book can't be continued further; that she put an end to the whole story. That's hardly what i'm getting of the spoiler epilogue.

How about Dumbledore's full name? Anything can be fake now and anything can be true as well as nothing. One thing I know for sure. Jo is going to untie a lot of knots in that book which means sometimes it will be really fast and well-connected with all the previous books.

If I were Scholastic, knowing the immense spoiler potential that lies on the web, here's what I would do. I would create some fishy pages of the book including scans and summaries. I would take some of Mary Grandpre's discarded work and attach it to these phony scans. I would then "leak" some fishy pics of the book to popular file sharing sites. Let simmer for a few days. Then I announce that I'm looking into punishing the person responsible (to make it seem legit). Meanwhile, these "leaked" copies not only look legit, but they are floating around the net like crazy. There's a HUGE debate about their validity. Mix that with the inevitable spoilers from other sources and voila, you've created the PERFECT recipe for a red herring. I will GUARANTEE you that on Friday night when you read Deathly Hallows you will get something COMPLETELY different that what you thought you had been spoiled with. It's the perfect plan. If you can't beat the spoilers, join them. THAT'S why there's such Grandpre-ish artwork, THAT'S why the scans look SO real, THAT'S why the epilogue is weak, THAT'S why the page numbers don't match, (to create another reason for debate), THAT'S why the chapter titles seem weak. It's a huge bait and switch masterminded by Scholastic. I know it's what I would do. What do you think?

Well, after rereading the "epilogue" for the 5th time now, i'm starting to like it lol. I hope it end like that. Well, anyway, spoiler or not, it's time to sleep. Cya.

What some people are saying is that the page numbers aren't an issue. That doesn't make sense. In all the page count info that I've looked up for the US editions, they've always matched up with the number on the last page of text, not the combined number with blank pages, dedications, table of contents, etc. OotP was said to have 870 pages. The number on the last page is 870 as well. And besides...think about it. 25 pages of nothing but blank pages, contents, dedications? TWENTY-FIVE?? That is highly unlikely. OotP only had 13, counting all of it. Also, on the pictures of the supposed copy of DH, the "diamond-shaped" print about the art info is on the back of Mary's info. That's not the case with ANY of the other US edition copies; they all have the diamond on the front side of a new page...strange.

Come on, the chapter titles were always weak, it's a fairy-tale after all. By the way, I was thinking about putting an end to a story... the end is put when the rivalry is over, completely and for a long time, if that's not the real book, then the point will still be there in the real one. Unity, help, protection, that's what those people lacked for a very long time and the story will only finish when there will be no conflict between the good and the evil. We'll see it in the book.

SCHOLASTIC IS ORCHESTRATING THE WHOLE THING! If I were them, knowing the immense spoiler potential that lies on the web, here's what I would do. I would create some fishy pages of the book including scans and summaries. I would take some of Mary Grandpre's discarded work and attach it to these phony scans. I would then "leak" some fishy pics of the book to popular file sharing sites. Let simmer for a few days. Then I announce that I'm looking into punishing the person responsible (to make it seem legit). Meanwhile, these "leaked" copies not only look legit, but they are floating around the net like crazy. There's a HUGE debate about their validity. Mix that with the inevitable spoilers from other sources and voila, you've created the PERFECT recipe for a red herring. I will GUARANTEE you that on Friday night when you read Deathly Hallows you will get something COMPLETELY different that what you thought you had been spoiled with. It's the perfect plan. If you can't beat the spoilers, join them. THAT'S why there's such Grandpre-ish artwork, THAT'S why the scans look SO real, THAT'S why the epilogue is weak, THAT'S why the page numbers don't match, (to create another reason for debate), THAT'S why the chapter titles seem weak. It's a huge bait and switch masterminded by Scholastic. I know it's what I would do. What do you think?

By the way, the UK versions of the book match the number of the pages shown on amazon only with all the pages in the book, including everything before and after, they even start being numbered with 8 and you need to put it with everything afterwards, then you get the magic number. That's how books usually done, why would US publishers make it different? Let it me Saturday sooner

I honestly was thinking along the same lines as you Wheres_my_Snape. It would really be a brilliant way to cause confusion about spoilers. I would wholly enjoy if come Friday Scholastic and JK come out saying... "well we got you!" now is this scenario possible? absolutely. Probable? Not really. I was more convinved when it was just the epilogue, but would they really make an entirely fake book? Though Jo did say she'd be going to great lengths to ensure that spoilers are kept at bay. Is this what she meant? Or is it just all the added security measures(armored cars, GPS, armed guards, etc.) We won't know til Friday. I can't believe how much of an uproar this has caused. The page number thing seems fishy. If this is a well manipulated ploy by Scholastic then maybe the page #'s are off to signal all real potterheads that this is false... I just want my book now!

Ashes. With all the money Scholastic has generated from the Potter series and their fervent desire to keep the ending a secret, I believe it's HIGHLY probable that they would go to these lengths. I would be surprised if they didn't. Hell, they could afford to hire a team of Harvard educated chimps working on diamond encrusted typewriters to hammer out an entire fake manuscript. I'm sure you're aware of the over 600 page fanfic that was being floated around a few weeks ago. NEVER underestimate wealthy cooporations trying to STAY wealthy.

Yeah I read that fanfic, it was decent despite the sexual content. I'm not denying in any sense that they could afford to put out an entire fake version, or an entire team of harvard educated chimps working on diamond encrusted typwriters (that cracked me up by the way) I'm just wondering if they thought of it. And if they didn't, well I pet someone's being reemed out by their boss for not thinking of it as we speak. It really would be brilliant, and I really am hoping that this turns out to be the case. That way no one has been spoiled (most of all me)!

I really am hoping that this turns out to be the case. That way no one has been spoiled (most of all me)! Honestly, my feelings could not have been stated more precisely, lol.

Haha, great minds think alike. What I am now questioning though is why would the have posted pictures of such poor quality? They would want us to read them obviously, so why make it difficult?

ya its insane the more u think about it, it seems to click, sort of funny how we are all thinking up conspiracy series over a book, actually hilarious, but ya my belief now it that its being set up, they have enough money generated from the series to do this. shite now i cant wait to get the book, and i wasted a week reading the 660 page edition, shite and shite again, lol

I've heard many contradicting spoilers in these comments alone, and I'm a bit distraught over them. I also read the article on Yahoo! that said there were a few sites out there that had photos of the book, but every one of them was different. One contradicted another about the fate of one of the characters, and so on. I really hope the spoilers aren't real. I just want to enjoy my book. =( I think it's possible that each of the spoiler books are fan fictions written by people who were able to copy Mary GrandPre's style. It's not impossible. I mean, they'd have to be freakin' invisible ninjas to get their hands on one of those books with all the security surrounding them. If not that, I hope you guys' theory is correct. It would be brilliant. Of course, I'll probably be convinced the spoilers aren't real tomorrow, because I'll be thinking more clearly.

The one thing that was the most suspicious of all was the documentary where the first lines of the book were on Jo's computer screen. Two things caught my attention about that. 1. We ALL know that Jo handwrites her manuscript. 2. We all know how guarded she is. I saw a piece about her on 60 Minutes a few years back and she protected a piece of paper explaining how she generates character names like it has Osama Bin Laden's location written on it. So naturally I thought it a bit odd that not only was she typing this chapter, but that she allowed them to film her computer. I also think it's odd that there's no footage of this for us to see? I haven't looked since yesterday but that video isn't on youtube as far as I know. Then as soon as that story hit, THE NEXT DAY we have all these scans of the Table of Contents with the "Dark Lord Ascending" chapter title coinciding with the "leak" from the documentary. It just all fits when you consider their motivation to hide the information and the public's motivation to find it.

Well, I am exhausted, have to be up early tomorrow to fly to Chicago. I'll check back in after I've finish DH, or maybe tomorrow at the airport... who knows. Good night all.

"Haha, great minds think alike. What I am now questioning though is why would the have posted pictures of such poor quality? They would want us to read them obviously, so why make it difficult?" == Well, IF this is just a ploy by Scholastic...they couldn't be too obvious, could they? I mean, they would have to make it look like an illegal leak by some idiots online...as compared to just releasing a professionally done PDF format or something. -- But with that said, I'm just waiting until midnight Friday. I'm going to grab my book and flip to the front page. And if I don't see that Chapter 1 title there, then I'll know it was all a scam. lol

Wheres_My_Snare I completely agree with your scholastic theory. The spoilers all contradict each other and non of them are JK's writing style.

yep thats the best idea lol

I wasn't sure about reading the last book, because I thought it'll all be doom and gloom and a rubbish ending. So i'm GLAD I read the spoiler - that's just confirmed 5 more Potter buyers (me and my family) Woop Woop come along Friday night!!

Aw man, now I don't know what to think. I have the jpegs of the book, and im upto chapter 6(my eyes are starting to hurt). And Where_My_Snare and Ashes have really opened up a new world for me, I mean I never would have thought that scholastic might be upto this. Hmmm... should I finish it or not?!?!?!? Im so confused, the ending is good, but it would be an awesome twist if the book turned out to be a fake.

The people who thinks that they actually read the book from that photos taken book, are all mistaken. Printing the DH cover and using it on ANOTHER U.S. edition previous Potter book, then photoshoping the pages is very very easy. Think about these are: 1) The book is 780 pages long, the FAKE BOOK is only 750 pages long; 2) The person that is said to be killed appears on the epilogue. NOBODY HAS THE COPY OF DH TILL THE BOOK IS RELEASED TWO DAYS LATER, THE ONES WHO ARE TRYING TO BE SPOILED, I'M SORRY FOR YOU BUT NO WAY!!! All that "X kills Y; Z killes T" messages are ALL WRONG! After all, believing what is the truth only depends on you. ;)

1) The leak is real. 2) NOT everything on the zendurl site is accurate. I wont tell you what isnt, but if you feel you have been spoiled, dont be too distressed. 3) Regarding the page numbers: Including black pages and all that jazz...It adds up to the confirmed 784. Perhaps this is unusual in US books (I have heard that first editions do this, though cannot confirm), but this is normal in the UK. Do you *really* believe that someone who went to *all* the trouble to write the entire book, then photoshop it, would not ensure that it came to the same number of pages? Theyd want to be as perfect as possible. 4) It has the same opening as stated in the Guardian, as they saw a clip that showed it. I admit, this could match up with a Scholastic conspiracy, but I doubt it: Isnt the ITV documentary to be shown after the book release?

yeah i saw the pictures of the epilouge on a myspace bulletin. ruined my day cuz i was dumb enough to open it.

i also thought scholastic might put out spoilers on the web by themselves but the photographs of hundreds of pages seem to be to much to me. I mean it is likely to be real - the style doesn't differ a lot from JKR's, does it??

I haven't seen it myself and I'm not saying it's real (I hope it isn't) but i think that people are just in denial from reading it. This Scholastic and Bloomsbury releasing a fake book is a pretty cool idea though.

@hpmons, you can NEVER say that it is real or not, till the original copies are released. :) So don't give hope or don't ruin the dreams of other people. ;)

BELLATRIX KILLS RON

It's all very... you know... x-files style conspircy theory, isn't it? If scholastic pulled off a stunt like that I would be pretty impressed. Almost as impressed as I would be if an invisible ninja managed to get his paws on a copy. hahaha invisible ninjas crack me up.

go away jerkyhole you are rather sad with your continued attempts to upset and annoy people.

I admit I cannot say for certain, but Im 99% sure. I would also like to point out (which Im surprised others dont seem to have mentioned, though I havent looked through everything of course) that the images on zendurl are not the same as the leak that is being spread around. Not to say that the text is different, but the photos are taken by a different person. This doesnt confirm or deny anything, just thought Id point it out.

hey you spoiler posters out there. me and my friends are making a promise. For every word of a spoiler we accidently read in comments on mugglenet or any other harry potter site, we will buy the book twice extra. so that means: I'm allready buying it once, after reading 3 words of a spoiler yesterday in the comments on this news, I will buy it 6 times extra. So that means 7 times per person! And we're serious! So bring it on crazy christians that are trying to bring HP sales down, you will only make us want to buy and support JKR more. The bigger the spoiler, the bigger the sales! ps. with the extra copies we buy, we'll go to a christian neighbourhood that's against HP and hand deathly hallows out for free, like you guys hand out bibles everywhere. If they don't want them, we'll shove the in their mailboxes.

@jerkyhole; BELLATRIX KILLS YOU!

No extra copies for me thanx. But I will gladly join you in handing them out outside of a church when sunday school lets out. That's just me and it has absolutly nothing to do with spoilers. (I have three pocket bibles that I don't know what to do with compliments creepy old men who hang outside of my school sometimes)

Now I’m wondering if on Saturday the leak proves to be real, what people who where saying: “the spoilers are a lot of crap�, “that’s not J.K. Rowling style�, and so on, are going to say? ;) For me it seems the real thing, and regarding the epilogue, it’s not the best, but it’s supposed to have been written many years ago, which could explain the “crap� feeling. And if it’s fake, I hope J.K. Rowling has written a superb book, because this fake/real was very good, and I don’t want to be dissapointed.

ATTENTION ALL HARRY POTTER FANS: The spoilers displayed at ZendURL are pure imagination. If you look more carefully, you will see that one of the major spoilers contradict with the Epilogue in the last bit. However the leak is real. There is a leaked Harry Potter Book 7 out there. yes it's the one with photographed pages. I have read that and it seems authentic JKR stuff. But the story in the book is completely different to that of ZendURL's version. SPOILERS |But the Epilogue is the same in both zendurl and the leaked book | END SPOILERS Whoever posted spoilers on Zendurl have not apparently read the leaked book. And the fckers who hero worshiped zendurl spoilers and posted the same here to become heroes, can now go and fukc themselves. Peace.

you're demented, annek. i also dislike persons spoiling as much as they can - unfortunately also a friend of mine :(. but as for me i'd think there's better things you could do with the money. besides, many christians don't demonize the books. i read them and i love them but i also know some aspects of the books are too strange.

I have to admit (and I am ashamed of my own terrible curiosity) I have had a look at alleged photos of the book - I am not going to post any specific information, but there are a few things that I noticed whilst looking through - oh OK trying to read: 1) The punctuation is strange. Lots of semi colons and colons. I have never noticed that in HP before (but I could be wrong). 2) Some of the phrases used aren't grammatically correct. It might be due to some phrases being different in the US, but I personally have never heard anyone say '[NAME] knew a terrible, gut-wrenching pang'. 3) Some of the dialogue between the characters is really awful - not Jo's style at all. 4) The cover of the book is held on by sellotape and looks like it has been pieced together with different images of the cover art. 5) At one point in the first 120 pages Hermione is referred to as Miss Hermione Jean Granger. Her middle name is Jane. That has been stated by Jo herself. Hermione is based on Jo herself and is one of her favourite characters. Is it likely that she would forget her middle name or leave in a big mistake? 6) Do the US hardback editions have a synopsis on the inside flap of the dust sheet? This one doesn't. Well those were my thoughts. I think (HOPE) it is a hoax of sorts.

SNAPE KILLS JERKYHOLE! TONKS KILLS JERKYHOLE! LUPIN KILLS JERKYHOLE! RON KILLS JERKYHOLE! BELLATRIX KILLS JERKYHOLE! SURIUS COME BACK TO LIFE AND KILLS JERKYHOLE! GOERGE BUSH NUKES JERKYHOLE! FAWKES KILLS JERKYHOLE! LIZZIE BORDEN AXE'S JERKYHOLE'S FACE! AND I DON'T EVEN WANT TO SPOIL WHAT HANNIBAL LECTER DOES TO JERKYHOLE!!!!

i wonder if the spoiler was real... probably not

i waz readin DH?????????? on 1 of these sites and at the very start there is a pome bout death, i mean i heard tha there waz gona b a 7 line pome bout deathly hallows but i didnt epect wot i read!

when i saw this article i started crying my eyes out, because i thought that the spoilers i had read were real, then i went onto the comments 2 c what other people thought of this and i cam across _wheres_my_snare and Ashes' comments. thank u so much guys, i believe this and i realise i have been a stupid dork for 1) believing the spoiler 2) crying... i have been waiting for the book for 10 years after all...

*pats back* itll be alright

Now that people mention it, I am starting to see some weird things about the leaked copy. Maybe its just my eyes, I mean i've been up all night reading this "leak." But, I swear I read earlier in the leak something about a "Barry Crouch." Wait a sec, I thought it was BarTy Crouch, not Barry, hmmmm....

I repeat, whats posted on zendurl (in text form) are fake spoilers. However the images from the pages of book are real. Those guys got hold of a few pages of the book and made the rest up lol.

Voldemort-Himself - I noticed that too, but put it down to my eyesight! I swear it said Barry and not Barty! I am glad someone else has spotted these little oddities :) It all adds to my desperate hope that it is all a big hoax!

i haven't and am not going to read any of it >< it makes me angry that people are wrecking it for everyone :S even the hot 30 (radio show) were reading extracts of it on their show

Well I've looked at the zendurl site, The eplilogue seems like a fairly decent attempt but i won't believe any of it till saturday.

gj197, I also had a look at the stuff and I agree that there's no way this is Jo's writing. The fanfic-author who wrote this can't do: humour, characters with different diction or suspense. It's long-winded and boring. Not too bad as a fanfic - I've read worse, but I've also read many that were way better. The conspiracy theory is nice, but I don't think Scholastic would really do this. There's also no need to. There are enough idiots out there who'd go to great lengths to get this kind of publicity. I guess they might actually want to get caught. btw: a friend of mine who works professionally with Photoshop had a look at the scans and he thinks that the easiest way to make it look so real would have been to actually print the book and then to really take pictures of the pages. They just had to create the proper font (not hard) and with some help from someone with a basic knowledge of how to bind a book the old-fashioned way, it could have been done in a couple of hours. The technical stuff could all be prepared months ago, so it wouldn't have been hard to include last-minute info in the text, to make it more authentic.