Is this the real Potter?

A 'version' of the seventh Harry Potter book, to be released in July, is doing the Internet rounds. Who are the muggles behind the leak?

It's cost Rs 1,000 as procurement money and Rs 500 as printing cost, but if this is the real Malfoy (or at least the real Harry Potter), it'll have been worth the cost. At 565 pages, but clearly nowhere close to ending, its claim (is that this is J K Rowling's seventh masterpiece, leaked on to the Internet.

Given the secrecy surrounding the Potter releases (and the high drama "" vans to deliver the copies after midnight, no handlers to be allowed to peep into the books, stores to be sealed etc), it seems unlikely that a portion of the book may have carelessly leaked out. But nevertheless, here it is "" Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows "" so what's a muggle to do but believe it's the real thing?.

As the wires burn with the possibility, clearly it isn't just curious youngsters who are wondering if this is Rowlings's prose. Peter Sciretta, who has got his version as a 281 page e-book from ebookscottage.com, is one of those wondering who would want to "write"an entire book without earning from it?

But that's underestimating the power of the typical Potter fan, many of whom have been speculating for months (okay years) about the fate of Potter in the last book. Will he die? Will Voldemort live? Will Hermione be sacrificed?

The gist of the plot is Potter's attempt to get on with the task set to him by Dumbledore in the last book "" which is to go looking for the Horcrux.

The ensemble cast is all there, and yes, Harry has grown up sufficiently to merit some love-making too. But the question remains "" is this the same book that will be released (at least in the US version) as a 784-page doorstopper on July 21?

On J K Rowlings's site, there are enough FAQs that she's posted, but none on any fake or Internet versions or leaks. What she does say is, "I always knew that Harry's story would end with the seventh book, but saying goodbye has been just as hard as I always knew it would be. Even while I'm mourning, though, I feel an incredible sense of achievement. I can hardly believe that I've finally written the ending I've been planning for so many years. I've never felt such a mixture of extreme emotions in my life, never dreamed I could feel simultaneously heartbroken and euphoric.

"Some of you have expressed a (much more muted!) mixture of happiness and sadness at the prospect of the last book being published, and that has meant more than I can tell you. If it comes as any consolation, I think that there will be plenty to continue arguing and speculating about, even after Deathly Hallows comes out. So if you're not yet ready to quit the message boards, do not despair..."

There are theories that the Deathly Hallows on the Internet is actually fanfiction, an attempt (perhaps one of several) to actually "write" in the style of Rowlings, complete with a plot, to see how close the "author" comes to Rowlings's own version.

And given the clunkiness of the text and the clear editorial heaviness and mistakes (some suggest this is Rowlings's unedited version), it does appear that this might be the case. But for all that, there is a plausible plot, and a face-off between Lupin and Potter that might even be dramatic enough to be part of the original. Witness this, for instance:

'Dumbledore discovered something about Voldemort... something that no one else knows; not even the Death Eaters,' he said. Lupin shifted in his chair expectantly... 'Why is it so important?' Lupin frowned through narrowed eyes. It was Harry's turn to shift in his seat uncomfortably. 'Because...it's the difference between me killing him,' his eyes dropped to the table, not wanting to see Lupin's reaction, 'or him killing me.'

"While each of the previous Potter books has strong claims on my affections, Deathly Hallows is my favourite," writes Rowlings.

It's unlikely her publishers haven't taken the strongest possible precautions against the possibility of its leak. "It would be easier to get into Fort Knox then have a sneak-peak at Deathly Hallows," says a distributor. You go figure.