Excerpt from 'Half Blood Prince' revealed

  August 16, 2004 at 9:31 AM ET
  Cheeser     HPANA (via JKRowling.com)
  harry potter and the half blood prince excerpt

Many fans awoke today to news that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling had taken down the "Do Not Disturb" sign once again on a door at her official site.

At first it appears to be an empty room, but there's a bit more to it than that, and the prize is certainly worth the trouble. Here are step-by-step instructions for those who can't be bothered to figure it out on their own:

1. Take a look at JK's noteboard (it's on the "Extras" page) for a new note at the top right. (Screenshot courtesy HarryPotteroFilme.com)
2. Go the the Do Not Disturb door and open. (Screenshot courtesy HarryPotteroFilme.com)
3. Turn on the light. (Screenshot courtesy itzipg)
4. Throw darts. Hit the following familiar numbers: 7 1 3. (Screenshot courtesy HarryPotteroFilme.com)
5. Enter the numbers found in step 1 as the combination to the safe that appears (it's 30-27-23). (Screenshot courtesy HarryPotteroFilme.com)
6. Click on the piece of paper in the safe. (Screenshot courtesy HarryPotteroFilme.com)
7. Read an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! (Screenshot courtesy itzipg)

Highlight the following block of text to read the excerpt here: He looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.

Thanks to everyone who let us know!