Although it’s been over a decade since the last Harry Potter book was released, there’s something about the franchise that continues to wrap us in a warm sense of nostalgia.
So it’s no surprise that the British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition sold out before we could sort out our priorities.
The exhibition showcases rare manuscripts, books, sketches – including J.K. Rowling’s original sketch of Hogwarts and the grounds.
Luckily, Google has now made it possible for us mere muggles to experience the exhibition from the comfort of our own homes.
The exhibit is now available on Google’s free Art and Culture app (Google Art & Culture) where you can see pieces from the exhibition, including the aforementioned sketch.
The sketch contains notes like ‘giant squid in lake’ and ‘Whomping Willow must stand out’.
Also in the collection is Rowling’s original synopsis of Harry Potter which she sent out to publishers in 1995 – including a description of Harry’s best friends Ron ‘sixth in his family to go to Hogwarts and tired of using second-hand spell books’ and Hermione ‘cleverest girl in her year and the only person in her class to know all the uses of dragon’s blood’.
Elsewhere on the app you will find drawings and paintings by the books' illustrator Jim Kay along with interviews with a myriad of people involved in the process of bringing Harry Potter to life.
You can download the Google Art & Culture App here.
