Peek at 'Potter' trailer causes buzz on Internet

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. The new trailer for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was put out on the Internet before its official premiere on America Online -- perhaps an accident, perhaps not

(CNN) -- So, was it an unauthorized leak? Or some hocus-pocus to create hype?

It seems a reader with America Online leaked the new trailer for the upcoming movie "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" to the Potter fan site The Leaky Cauldron, two days before the official Internet premiere of the trailer on AOL.

Then the trailer became mysteriously unavailable. And then it became available again, according to Leaky Cauldron.

The trailer is the second one released for the film. Unlike the first one, it includes dialogue from the highly anticipated movie.

The new trailer is posted through an AOL Web address, and can be viewed using RealPlayer. Since it was linked to The Leaky Cauldron, ComingSoon.net, BBC and a host of other sites have also linked.

But, "shortly after the trailer became available on the online service yesterday, it became unavailable," a message on Leaky Cauldron states. "Seeing as people could download it a full day in advance of the original AOL launch date, we're guessing that wasn't supposed to happen."

VIDEO Daniel Radcliffe stars in director Chris Columbus' 'Harry Potter' (June 27) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) First movie trailer for 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' Play video (Real or Windows Media)

But now, with a wave of its wand, The Leaky Cauldron says the trailer is available again. Also, AOL is now offering a sneak peek of the trailer to paying customers of the popular Internet service provider.

So, the question is -- did AOL offer the trailer early, then pull it, hoping to create demand for the tidbit of "Potter?"

Or was the trailer actually leaked without official AOL consent, causing AOL to engage in damage control, then give up?

"Yesterday, for a brief period of time during our testing, only a handful of members were able to see portions of the trailer," explained Nicholas Graham, spokesman for AOL.

Graham said AOL members would be able to see the trailer Wednesday, while other Internet surfers would have access to it Thursday, when it premieres.

"AOL is thrilled to be able to continue to provide our 30 million members with this unique and special offering."

CNN.com is owned by AOL Time Warner.

The twist to all this: The trailer already has been shown in reports on television. And it has been available in movie screenings of the upcoming "A.I. Artificial Intelligence."

The "Harry Potter" movie is based on the wildly popular children's book of the same name, written by J.K. Rowling. It's set for a November 16 premiere.