HARRY Potter author JK Rowling is considering putting bookmarks bearing the face of missing Madeleine McCann in copies of her final instalment about the world's favourite boy wizard.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last book in the series, is due out on July 21 amid mass publishing hysteria.

Indirect approaches have been made to Rowling about featuring four-year-old Madeleine in the books. Kate and Gerry McCann are determined to keep their daughter's abduction 31 days ago in the public eye in the hope that someone might hold the key to her whereabouts.

They are halfway through a series of trips around Europe and Morocco to publicise their daughter's disappearance from an Algarve resort.

Rowling has already publicly supported the campaign to find Madeleine by contributing to a multi-million-pound reward and has been asked about involving the little girl in the launch of her latest book.

Mr McCann said: "There has been some indirect contact with her. We are thinking about getting bookmarks with Madeleine's photographs and getting the author's agreement.

"Someone like JK Rowling has got massive appeal and a Harry Potter book would be ideal."

Last night, the McCann's pledged to stay in Portugal to look for their daughter until there is "absolutely no hope".

"I would have to feel that the investigation in Portugal has been exhausted," Mr McCann said. "I think we are a long way away from that."

He added: "If you give up hope you are basically saying she is dead. No parent would do that."

Describing her abduction, he said: "It's like the same as having a bereavement, being diagnosed with cancer. There are lots of mixed emotions, and anger is one of them."