Mischief managed (and JKR as fairy godmother)!

Harry Potter readers in Slidell, Louisiana, were the victims of an elaborate, Marauder-worthy prank earlier this week. Hundreds of fans stood in line at independent bookstore Book Sack to meet J.K. Rowling after rumors of a signing began circulating among the store's patrons. Unfortunately, JKR never showed -- understandably enough, since she was in fact not in Louisiana (or even the U.S.) at the time. After about an hour of waiting, disappointed fans began to drift away from the store.

The latest official J.K. Rowling news should perk them up! The original copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which played a crucial role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, raised more than £1.9 million (about $3.75 million) in a charity auction. Those of us without £1.9 million will be able to get our hands on this book of five Wizarding World fairy tales when it's published in December. The mass-market edition will feature "the Tales themselves, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger," illustrations by J.K. Rowling, and "notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore." Currently preorders of The Tales are outselling both Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn and Christopher Paolini's Brisingr. The high sales of the HP companion book will make a fairy-tale ending for the charity Children's High Level Group, who will receive all proceeds.