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"As there is little foolish
wand-waving here,
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00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:15,520
"many of you will hardly believe
this is magic."
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00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:20,240
"I don't expect you will really
understand the beauty
of the softly
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00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,920
"simmering cauldron
with its shimmering fumes."
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00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,000
"The delicate power of liquids
that creep through
human veins,
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00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,280
"bewitching the mind,
ensnaring the senses."
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00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:34,800
"I can teach you how
to bottle fame,
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00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:38,920
"brew glory,
even stop a death."
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00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,080
"If you aren't as big a bunch
of dunderheads
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00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:42,960
"as I usually have to teach."
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00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,600
In Harry Potter,
JK Rowling created one
of modern fiction's
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00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,040
most alluring
and magical worlds.
13
00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:58,520
But it's a vision based on more
than mere make-believe.
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00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,680
A lot of
the things that we read
in fiction in Harry Potter were
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00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,600
actually believed in and enacted
upon in history in the past.
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00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,960
What Jo has done
is she's taken known values,
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00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,040
she's taken familiar stories
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00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,040
and added them in her own
beautiful blend.
19
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:24,040
My mandrakes
aren't quite like that.
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00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:28,240
The search for
magical knowledge has obsessed
humans since time began.
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00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,360
From the age-old quest
to conquer death...
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00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:35,160
To master destiny...
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00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:38,560
And overturn fate...
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00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:40,160
Look at this. Oh, my lord!
25
00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,400
I think it worked.
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00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:47,440
Human beings have
dreamt up magical ways
of thinking.
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00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:51,640
I don't think everyone should
believe in magic
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00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:55,360
but I'm not sure I would trust
anyone who doesn't in some way
or another.
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00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:58,080
Accio.
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00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,440
This is the story
of the real-life magic
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00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,360
at the heart of Harry Potter.
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00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,880
This year marks
a special anniversary,
33
00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,360
and some very strange
celebrations are under way.
34
00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,680
We came all the way
from Brooklyn, New York.
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00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:29,800
This is my mum.
This is my daughter.
36
00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:31,320
And these are my granddaughters.
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00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,440
Obliviate.
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00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,760
I've come as Moaning Myrtle
'cause she has a lot
of personality
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00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,960
- for a dead person.
- Yes.
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00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,960
I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall
and I can't do a proper accent
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00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,040
so I'm not really going to try.
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00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:47,760
Go on.
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00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,400
You're welcome to share
my cubicle, Harry.
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00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,480
Aw...
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00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,840
It's been 20 years
since an orphaned boy wizard
made muggles
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00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:58,440
out of all of us.
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00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,680
There's something
buried deep within all of us,
I think,
48
00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,200
that would like to get the owl
and be told...
49
00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,040
"You are not only
unique and special,
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00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,760
"I'm going to take you
to where your people are."
51
00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:12,920
I mean, that's such
a seductive idea, I think.
52
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,880
That's not just something that
children crave,
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00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:16,960
it's something that
all of us crave.
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00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,120
I've kind of loved to be
in that world.
55
00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,040
I'd just love to be
in that world.
56
00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:23,040
I wish I was a wizard!
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00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,280
But Rowling's
wizarding world is closer
to our own than we think.
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00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:30,520
As Harry's great friend
Hermione Granger once said...
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00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,560
"Don't legends always have
a basis in fact?"
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00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,560
In The Magician's
Nephew by CS Lewis,
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00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,960
there is one of the most
beautiful fictional worlds
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00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:51,120
that I've ever read, which is
the world between the worlds,
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00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,320
which is a place where you're
in a forest and there are
multiple pools
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00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,040
and every pool you jump
into will take you to
a different world,
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00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,000
and that to me has always
been a library.
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00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,040
I was one of those
bookish children
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00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:07,040
who never left the library
if she could help it.
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00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,600
So, yeah, of course, to me,
a library is truly a place
of magic.
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00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:15,600
At the British Library,
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00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,800
all kinds of magical
preparations are taking place.
71
00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,240
And it's all to create
a new exhibition
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00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,000
which aims to reveal the link
between the real history
of magic,
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00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,360
and JK Rowling's writing.
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00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:36,000
And it's all there
from the very first book.
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00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,920
Most of the JK Rowling material
has never been exhibited before.
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00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,200
It's the first time
it's going on display.
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00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,920
So this is a typed synopsis
of Harry Potter And
The Philosopher's Stone.
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00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,800
In the early '90s,
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00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,200
this was written to be sent to
agents and to publishers
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00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,360
to sell the story.
81
00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,040
Yeah, she's having to sell
Harry Potter.
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00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,240
You wouldn't think it,
would you?
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00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,680
The conceit is that we muggles,
84
00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,840
we sort of glimpse this hidden
world because we know
some of the mythology
85
00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,480
but what we think we know
is often wrong.
86
00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,760
The real magic, as it were,
is not quite as we believe
it to be.
87
00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,880
Using pre-existing myths
or ideas of fantastic
creatures, and so on,
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00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:20,120
was a way of giving texture
to the world.
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00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:23,920
I think JK Rowling used magic,
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00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,160
and the history of magic
in an exceedingly
sophisticated way,
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00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,080
and possibly there are aspects
of it that your general reader
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00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:32,680
just might not even see.
93
00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:37,960
"The ancient study of alchemy
is concerned with making
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00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:39,880
"the Philosopher's Stone,
95
00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,480
"a legendary substance
with astonishing powers.
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"The stone will transform
any metal into pure gold.
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00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,200
"It also produces
the elixir of life,
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00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:52,600
"which will make
the drinker immortal."
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00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,680
The pursuit
of immortality was a quest
to which medieval alchemists
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00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,040
devoted their lives.
101
00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:07,280
And one amongst them
became the stuff of legend.
102
00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,800
"There have been many reports
of the Philosopher's Stone
over the centuries,
103
00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,120
"but the only stone currently
in existence belongs
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00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:18,320
"to Mr Nicolas Flamel,
the noted alchemist
and opera lover.
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00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:23,560
"Mr Flamel, who celebrated
his 665th birthday last year,
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00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:29,160
"enjoys a quiet life in Devon
with his wife Perenelle, 658."
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00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,120
In the stories Nicolas Flamel,
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00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,680
he's the person who's actually
discovered the key
to eternal life,
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00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,400
and is alive and well.
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00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,960
I hate to spoil the story,
but he is based on
a real-life figure
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00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,120
who lived in Paris
in the early 15th century
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00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,000
and obviously, sadly,
he did die,
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00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:53,440
but we do actually have
his tombstone.
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00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:55,680
It's quite a magical object
in itself.
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00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:01,720
Nicolas Flamel may not have
achieved immortality,
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00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:06,120
but alchemists continued
their search for the
elixir of life.
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00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,240
And some of their mysterious
instructions survive
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00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,280
on a magical scroll.
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00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,800
Let's take this one out the box.
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00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,240
- So, this is the... Amazing...
- Oh, my God.
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00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,880
Ripley Scroll. There you are.
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00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,240
- It's extraordinary.
- I think it's made
about the year 1600...
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00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,120
And it tells you how to make
the Philosopher's Stone.
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00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,120
Oh, look.
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00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:31,640
Isn't that incredible?
Oh, it's so gorgeous.
Look at this.
126
00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:33,520
And the colours are still so...
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00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:34,920
It's beautifully preserved.
128
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,040
Well, it's been rolled up
for all that time,
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00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:38,480
so that partly preserves it.
130
00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,040
We very rarely unscroll
the whole thing.
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00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:45,760
I'm genuinely so honoured,
look at this.
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00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:50,000
This is the first time
I've had the chance
to see these kind
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00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:51,600
of artefacts myself.
134
00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:53,480
Obviously I've got
a lot of reference books,
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00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,000
some of them are very cheap,
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00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,160
from 25 years old,
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00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,360
30 years old, that I was using
as research materials.
138
00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,160
So, selfishly,
this was a chance
to see the real deal.
139
00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,280
I had a really vivid dream
about Nicolas Flamel
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00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,200
during the writing
of Philosopher's Stone.
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00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,360
I dreamt that I was
in his alchemist studio
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00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,840
and this kind of symbolism
was all over his walls.
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00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,880
I didn't even ask questions,
I was just watching.
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00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,040
A typical writer, observing.
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Didn't even ask.
146
00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,120
And make them all but one,
147
00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,560
lo here
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00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:33,840
is the Philosopher's Stone.
149
00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,000
I've never seen
150
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:40,960
anything quite like this before.
151
00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,000
I would imagine few people have.
152
00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:49,200
What fascinates me about
alchemy is you have this
mixture of science,
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00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:50,640
actual science, right?
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00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,400
Because this was old chemistry,
155
00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,720
so some of it is genuinely
scientific.
156
00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:00,360
They were observing phenomena
that we recognise now
as the basis
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00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:03,960
for chemistry.
So it's just this fascinating
hybrid, isn't it?
158
00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,040
Yeah, combination
of all these ideas.
159
00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,680
And I'm really disappointed
you haven't tried to make one.
160
00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,800
Because the joke's on us,
if this works!
161
00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,000
We'll make
sure it does work.
Yeah.
162
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:25,480
Many scientific
discoveries were actually
made as a result of people
163
00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:27,880
carrying out that
alchemical process.
164
00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:29,680
There's a very famous painting,
165
00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:31,480
it's by Joseph Wright of Derby,
166
00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:34,800
and it shows a German
chemist, alchemist,
167
00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:36,720
in the 17th century.
168
00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:42,000
He's trying to create gold
and he's boiling a flask
of urine!
169
00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,320
He doesn't create gold,
but he discovers phosphorus
in the process.
170
00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:52,560
The relationship
between magic and science,
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00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,800
particularly in the early modern
period is extremely important.
172
00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:58,760
What powers are there out there
that we perhaps can't see,
173
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,360
but which we can harness
and adapt for our own use?
174
00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:04,320
And to some extent
that is a form of magic.
175
00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,800
Perhaps penicillin
is a form of magic.
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00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:09,280
It's just magic
that consistently works.
177
00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,360
But even in our rational,
enlightened age of today,
178
00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,400
perhaps there's still a place
for the old ways of thinking.
179
00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,040
Magic is fascinating to me,
180
00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,800
clearly, because I've spent
a lot of time writing
about it,
181
00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,640
but I think that it connects
to very important things
about what it is to
182
00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:33,360
be human and what human beings
want and what they believe.
183
00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:40,400
"When he had been younger,
Harry had dreamed and dreamed
of some unknown
184
00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:44,360
"relation coming to take him
away, but it had never happened.
185
00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,600
"The Dursleys were
his only family.
186
00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:49,720
"Yet sometimes he thought,
or maybe hoped,
187
00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:53,160
"that strangers in the street
seemed to know him.
188
00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,520
"Very strange strangers
they were, too."
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00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:03,280
Children believe in magic
because they're starting
to make sense of,
190
00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,160
and control their world.
191
00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,000
But I think
we all have that inside us.
192
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,680
The world is complex
and largely unknowable,
193
00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,560
and although we've moved
on to science,
194
00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,440
I think that we all, at heart,
195
00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,120
retain a certain amount
of magical thinking.
196
00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:21,920
Tarantellegra!
197
00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:23,720
Locomotor Wibbly!
198
00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:24,920
Evanesco!
199
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,320
Rictusempra!
200
00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:29,560
I've got to do a whoosh sound,
201
00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:31,480
it's the only way it makes it
real to me.
202
00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,760
To trace the real
history of magic,
203
00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:42,040
there can be few better places
than the British Library.
204
00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:44,720
It has 150 million items,
205
00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:49,440
and the curators have been
searching amongst them
for over a year.
206
00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:52,760
We're about four floors down
underneath the British Library
207
00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:55,760
in the strong rooms where
we keep most of
our rare books.
208
00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,760
There's miles and miles of books
down here,
209
00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:02,400
so, yeah, it's a huge space.
210
00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:07,000
You are going into sort
of strange realms within
the collection
211
00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,800
that are not, perhaps,
so easily understood,
so easily catalogued.
212
00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,440
They're sometimes sort of left
aside because they don't
perhaps speak to
213
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:19,080
our researchers in the way that
they do people who
practise magic.
214
00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,520
As every Hogwarts student knows,
215
00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:27,320
a good magical textbook can
save your life or solve
your problems.
216
00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,360
But in the 16th century,
217
00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:34,040
members of the British
cultural establishment
believed in them, too.
218
00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,760
So, this is one of my favourite
manuscripts in the exhibition.
219
00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:42,560
It's an actual book of spells
and is extremely beautiful
to look at,
220
00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,680
I think, and has a lot of
interesting content.
221
00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,800
A real magical textbook,
222
00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,720
and it belonged
to the Elizabethan
poet Gabriel Harvey.
223
00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:57,160
But this one is an experiment
or a spell on how
to be invisible
224
00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:00,240
and how it must be prepared.
225
00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:02,520
There's lots of text written
about Gabriel Harvey,
226
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:06,760
but as far as I know,
I don't think he
ever disappeared.
227
00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:19,240
"By the mercy which you bear
upon mankind,
228
00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:21,160
"make me to be invisible."
229
00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,520
"He set off,
drawing the invisibility
cloak tight around him
230
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:32,160
"as he walked.
231
00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,880
"The library was pitch-black
and very eerie.
232
00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,920
"Harry lit a lamp to see his way
along the rows of books."
233
00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:53,920
Conveying the rich imaginary
world of JK Rowling
is a huge challenge
234
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,160
for the curators.
235
00:13:56,240 --> 00:14:00,560
To help them, they've enlisted
Harry Potter illustrator
Jim Kay,
236
00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,120
whose drawings and paintings
will bring to life the links
237
00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:07,280
between literary fantasy
and historical fact.
238
00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,400
So I first started illustrating
Harry Potter
239
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:15,040
back in 2013,
240
00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:16,760
and back then I thought,
241
00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,680
"Well, it'd take about six
months to do all of book one,"
242
00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:25,720
and it actually took me
two and a half years working
seven days a week,
243
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,200
usually 12 hours at once, a day.
244
00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:32,880
It was terrible pressure
and you don't want to
mess up the world's
245
00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,040
most successful children's book.
246
00:14:35,120 --> 00:14:39,280
The British Library
team are selecting examples
of Jim's work
247
00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:41,600
to feature in the show.
248
00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,560
Who is this? McGonagall.
249
00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,120
It's actually based loosely
on my partner,
250
00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:51,440
who I aged for this painting,
I must stress.
251
00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:56,680
Jim's most intriguing
illustrations are these
curious-looking specimens.
252
00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,200
Mandrake roots and their
seedlings.
253
00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:02,120
Harmless enough, you might
think,
254
00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:05,240
but these roots must be handled
with care.
255
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,680
"Harry snapped the earmuffs
over his ears.
256
00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,600
"They shut out sound completely.
257
00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,320
"Professor Sprout put a pink,
fluffy pair over her own ears,
258
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:18,360
"rolled up the sleeves
of her robes,
259
00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,240
"grasped one of the tufty
plants firmly and pulled hard.
260
00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,480
"Harry let out a gasp
of surprise that
no-one could hear.
261
00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,440
"Instead of roots,
262
00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:33,640
"a small muddy and extremely
ugly baby popped out
of the earth.
263
00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:36,640
"The leaves were growing right
out of his head!
264
00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:38,600
"He had pale-green mottled skin
265
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,800
"and was clearly bawling
at the top of his lungs.
266
00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:46,000
"Professor Sprout took a large
plant pot from under the table,
267
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:50,680
"and plunged the mandrake
into it, burying him in dark,
damp compost,
268
00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:53,080
"until only the tufted leaves
were visible.
269
00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,200
"Professor Sprout dusted
off her hands,
270
00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,920
"gave them all the thumbs-up
and removed her own earmuffs.
271
00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,120
"'As our mandrakes are only
seedlings, their cries
won't kill
272
00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:06,200
"'yet, ' she said calmly,
273
00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,560
"as though she'd just done
nothing more exciting than
water a begonia.
274
00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:12,560
"'However, they will knock you
out for several hours.'"
275
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,240
In herbal folklore,
the blood-curdling scream
of the mandrake
276
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:21,640
was thought to kill
or send its listener mad.
277
00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,640
The British Library have
uncovered an unusual
illustration of the myth.
278
00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,680
A very unusual
illustration indeed.
279
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,160
My mandrakes aren't
quite like that.
280
00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:42,120
I'm seeing a little naked man
281
00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:45,600
with leaves and...
282
00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,560
With leaves coming out
of his head
283
00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,160
with dismembered hands on them,
and a dog is dragging him
284
00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,200
out of the earth.
285
00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,160
Oh, this is so interesting.
286
00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:02,400
This is no ordinary man.
287
00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,880
He's a mandrake root.
288
00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,120
Mandragora.
Yeah, it's beautiful.
289
00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,560
Harvesting a mandrake
might be fraught with risk,
290
00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,440
but this manuscript
from 16th-century Italy
291
00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,520
has an unusual method
to keep a person safe.
292
00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:22,440
"Tie the mandrake to a dog,
stuff your ears with earth,
293
00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:24,360
"then blow a horn.
294
00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,360
"As the startled dog runs away,
295
00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:30,200
"it'll pull up the mandrake
without its scream causing
you harm."
296
00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,320
Broadly speaking,
I adopted the myth
with some tweaks.
297
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,760
Very similar, no dogs involved
in mine, though.
298
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:43,560
Humans did actually pull them
up and mandrake root
was an essential
299
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:46,760
component in a restorative
potion that was needed
300
00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:48,440
at Hogwarts that year.
301
00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:52,360
There are real mandrakes
and the root is human-shaped,
302
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:54,560
so I think that's where
the myth came from,
isn't it?
303
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:57,360
As often happens,
304
00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,200
people extrapolated
from the real object.
305
00:18:03,360 --> 00:18:06,080
The mandrake
is no longer commonplace.
306
00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,400
Yet the elaborate folklore
that surrounds it
all came down
307
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,640
to this rather small,
grubby root.
308
00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,160
There's definitely
something in these
roots that's...
309
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,280
Yeah, anthropomorphic.
310
00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:20,880
It's almost like
a sort of pot belly.
311
00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:25,280
So you could have
a more distended stomach
312
00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:27,480
leading to legs...
313
00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:28,880
Which I quite like.
314
00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,280
There's always been
a fascination around
mandrake roots
315
00:18:34,360 --> 00:18:38,120
by the fact that they have
a very powerful chemical
compound
316
00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,800
in which has effects on people
when you eat it
317
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,840
that can be hallucinogenic.
318
00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,320
They can change your heart rate,
they can make your eyes dilate,
319
00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,320
they give you a dry mouth.
320
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:52,696
There's all sorts of terrible
things, but it's
the hallucinogenic
321
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,920
properties that have mystified
people for a long time.
322
00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:59,120
So the combination of
this anthropomorphic,
human-looking root
323
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:04,600
along with this really powerful
psychoactive compound inside,
324
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,240
I mean, it's just inevitable
that people would put one
and the other
325
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,000
together and create
this wonderful mythology
around the plant.
326
00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,440
Hallucinogenic.
That figures, right?
327
00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:17,240
Yeah. That definitely figures.
328
00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,600
I tried to steer clear
of hallucinogenic
drugs in Hogwarts.
329
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:22,600
I just felt that was wisest.
330
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,200
Well, there was enough going
on, honestly, they didn't
need drugs
331
00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,080
to make life exciting!
332
00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,640
The mandrake didn't
just provide drug-fuelled highs.
333
00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:35,560
These severed hands symbolise
its use as an anaesthetic
334
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:37,880
in amputations.
335
00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,760
Medieval herbals like these
reveal the wonder and mystery
336
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,600
inspired by plants.
337
00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:50,680
This is a time when most
people couldn't get access
to any form of medicine.
338
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:52,840
A small cut could kill
you, you know?
339
00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:57,200
It's no wonder that people put
so much stock in the potential
life-saving
340
00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,440
properties of the plants
around them, really.
341
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:08,440
Plants are a key
ingredient in JK Rowling's
wizarding world,
342
00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,840
where they're used to make
potions, and supplies
can be found
343
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,320
in the apothecary of a certain
Mr Mulpepper.
344
00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,000
His name might sound a little
bit like another exhibit
in the show,
345
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,640
the Complete Herbal
by one Nicholas Culpeper.
346
00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:30,960
So Culpeper really was
a herbal hero.
347
00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,400
He was the guy
who revolutionised
medicine in Britain.
348
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,080
He took the power from the
physicians and gave it back
349
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,120
to the common people.
350
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,840
Nicholas Culpeper grew up
in the Sussex countryside here
351
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:42,440
in Isfield.
352
00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:47,400
So, this footpath here would've
been the exact footpath
353
00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:50,600
that the young Culpeper would
have walked down from his
grandfather's church
354
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,440
over to the village,
and it's here he would've
learned all about
355
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:57,280
the flowers and the plants
of the English countryside.
356
00:20:57,360 --> 00:20:59,280
This lovely plant here
is willowherb.
357
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:03,080
Now, Culpeper says the plant
is really good for
a sore mouth
358
00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,440
if you gargle with it. He also
says it's good for secret parts.
359
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:08,720
Er, not entirely sure
what he's referring to there!
360
00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,920
Now, stinging nettles,
they can hurt, of course,
they can be very stingy
361
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,520
but they're also very
good for your health.
362
00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,960
They can cure dog bites,
snakebites, gangrene,
nosebleeds,
363
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:21,520
all sorts of things.
There's a whole page
of it in Culpeper.
364
00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,400
You've got some yarrow here,
which is similar
to sneezewort,
365
00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,240
which is used in Harry Potter.
366
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:30,920
Heals wounds,
inflammation, ulcers.
367
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,120
But it's also very good
for toothache.
368
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:36,400
Oh, good for piles, as well.
369
00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:44,040
Remedies like these
weren't known to everyone,
just an elite few.
370
00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,080
Those with a licence
from the College of Physicians,
371
00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:50,680
whose fees were extortionate.
372
00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,360
Back in the 1600s,
the physicians were in
charge of all the medicine.
373
00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:57,200
They had all the knowledge,
all written in Latin
in a big book.
374
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,040
It was out of bounds
to all the common people.
375
00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,160
What Culpeper did was he took
that book, he translated
it into English.
376
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:06,920
He told people they can get
their own medicine and where
to go and find it.
377
00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,040
The physicians, of course,
were outraged by this.
378
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:10,480
Their secrets were out.
379
00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,000
However, it was too late.
380
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,080
For the first time, the people,
381
00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,880
instead of relying on these
physicians and paying
lots of money,
382
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:18,840
could actually go out
into the hedgerows,
383
00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:20,800
into the fields
and find their own cures.
384
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,520
And that's what they did.
385
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,280
The book was published
almost 400 years ago,
386
00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:30,000
and it's still in print today.
387
00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,120
In the 1600s, you could buy it
on a street corner.
388
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,040
You can buy it online today.
389
00:22:34,120 --> 00:22:37,360
It's the book that's been
in print for the longest
apart from the Bible.
390
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,960
Culpeper's book has special
significance for JK Rowling.
391
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,320
Oh, yes.
392
00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:48,760
I know this book.
393
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,240
This is
Culpeper's Complete Herbal,
394
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,120
and I own two copies of this.
395
00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:58,600
Am I allowed to touch this?
396
00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,120
I will be tremendously careful,
I'm so scared.
397
00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:06,960
Oh, wow, look.
398
00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,200
It's not even the properties
of the plants,
399
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,280
it's just the way that
they wrote about the plants
400
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:15,360
and observed them and tied
them to planetary movements
and so on.
401
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:17,600
There's such a poetry to it.
402
00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,920
"Oh, yes, it is fat,
unctuous and temperate.
403
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:25,120
"Generated of that which
is moist, aerius and
moderately hot."
404
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:26,400
I love it.
405
00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:35,720
"Midnight came and went
while Harry was reading
and rereading a passage
406
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,080
"about the uses of scurvy-grass,
407
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:42,760
"lovage and sneezewort,
and not taking in
a word of it.
408
00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,880
"These plants are most
efficacious in the inflaming
of the brain
409
00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:50,720
"and are therefore much used
in confusing and
befuddlement drafts,
410
00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,840
"where the wizard is desirous
of producing hot-headiness
411
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:57,520
"and recklessness."
412
00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:00,000
Even when I didn't really use
what they were saying,
413
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,960
I found it inspirational.
414
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:04,016
I found the way they talked
about these
plants inspirational.
415
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,520
This is a gorgeous book.
Look at this.
416
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,720
And sometimes I would use
old names to make
my own names, you know?
417
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,600
You just look at the way that
they put the words together.
418
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,720
Sea colewort... Love it.
419
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,120
Nicholas Culpeper was
also accused of witchcraft
about ten years before
420
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:24,720
he published his book.
421
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,520
In 1642, he was accused
of being a practising witch.
422
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,040
Now, this is possibly because
of antagonisms that
he was creating
423
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:34,000
with the College of Physicians,
424
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,520
but it's also because I think
people that are mixing
up herbs,
425
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,320
creating potions,
there's always going to be
those questions about them.
426
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,040
"Non-magic people,
more commonly known
as muggles,
427
00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:52,840
"were particularly afraid
of magic in medieval times,
428
00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,240
"but not very good
at recognising it.
429
00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,800
"On the rare occasion they did
catch a real witch or wizard,
430
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,360
"burning had no
effect whatsoever.
431
00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:05,000
"The witch or wizard would
perform a basic flame
freezing charm
432
00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,280
"and then pretend to
shriek with pain
433
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:10,560
"while enjoying
a gentle tickling sensation.
434
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:14,280
"Indeed, Wendelin the Weird
enjoyed being burnt so much
435
00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:17,880
"that she allowed herself to be
caught no fewer than
436
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,320
"47 times in various disguises."
437
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,320
Witches and wizards
in the Potterverse,
they are morally neutral.
438
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,800
You are as good or as bad
as you decide to be.
439
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,240
There's nothing inherently
wrong about
performing magic,
440
00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:35,240
it's simply an ability
that some people have.
441
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:39,640
Yet in history,
most references to witches
are resoundingly negative.
442
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,400
And the link between witches
and powerful dark magic
443
00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,920
was forged by a book.
444
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,760
So this is the earliest
illustrated printed treatise
on witchcraft.
445
00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:58,000
It's called De Lamiis Et
Phythonicis Mulieribus,
446
00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:02,000
which roughly translate as
"of witches and soothsayers".
447
00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:06,480
This is the first time that
you get a printed
visual representation
448
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,560
of witches.
449
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:10,880
And it was published in 1489,
450
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,280
written by a man
called Ulrich Molitor.
451
00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:17,320
In the book,
Molitor claims that witches
were not as powerful as
452
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:22,320
people thought, but his
illustrator clearly
didn't read his text.
453
00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:26,280
Because the drawings tell
a different story.
454
00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:29,880
So here you have two women,
they're old,
455
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,200
they're haggard
and they're evil-looking.
456
00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:34,440
They're dangerous
and they're powerful.
457
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,720
It shows them as able
to create dangerous
weather magic,
458
00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:42,320
hailstorms, using cauldrons.
459
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:46,600
This is the earliest printed
image of witches using
a cauldron.
460
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,040
The book was published
in 49 different editions
461
00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:54,720
and was still in print
a century later.
462
00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,000
The whole
text is written in Latin,
463
00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,200
which wouldn't really be
that accessible to your
average person
464
00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,000
even if they could read.
465
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,880
But the images are something
that everyone can read,
466
00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:08,960
and that is where the power
of this book comes in,
467
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,400
and it cemented the iconography
of how we understand
witches to look.
468
00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:28,320
At the edge of the Atlantic
on the North Cornwall coast,
469
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:32,640
Boscastle is one of the most
magical places in the land.
470
00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,960
It even has its own
museum of witchcraft.
471
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:42,880
So this broomstick belonged
to Olga Hunt of Manaton.
472
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:46,360
She used to,
on the night of the full moon,
473
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,960
scamper and leap about
474
00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:55,400
on this broomstick
on the rocks of Haytor,
on Dartmoor.
475
00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:59,720
Olga Hunt's broomstick
is one of the artefacts that
will feature in the show.
476
00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,960
The British Library has been
scouring the museum for other
objects that might fit.
477
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:07,120
There are 3,000 to choose from.
478
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,840
This cauldron has a very unusual
story attached to it
479
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:12,440
because it exploded,
480
00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:15,280
much like the one in the stories
of Harry Potter.
481
00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:17,120
Ooh, this is interesting!
482
00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:18,680
The tarred head.
483
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,040
I most definitely believe
in magic.
484
00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:27,120
Do I have to justify that?
485
00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,360
The museum owns
one of the largest collections
of witchcraft artefacts
486
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:32,640
in the world.
487
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:34,760
So this is a dried cat.
488
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,000
They're often found in old
buildings and they were
used as a protection
489
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,280
charm to ward off infestation.
490
00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:44,400
You'd think that a live cat
would do a better job of it,
but here we are.
491
00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,960
There's a number of folk
charms here.
492
00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,000
And this is rather nasty
toad curse.
493
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:59,120
Witchcraft is
essentially the folk magic
that was practised
494
00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:00,960
by ordinary people.
495
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:05,760
The kind of things that
the good witches did
tended to be
496
00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:07,560
day-to-day solutions.
497
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:11,120
Somebody comes to you,
they've got a problem,
498
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:16,360
you say a charm, you get a herb
and you solve that
person's problem.
499
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,080
There's a particularly
lovely love charm that will
be featured
500
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,000
in the exhibition.
Oh, it's moved!
501
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:23,600
Sorry. Where's it...
502
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,240
The charm was in there.
Has some...
503
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:28,520
Where is it? Ah!
504
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,680
This love charm,
and the items going on loan
to the British Library,
505
00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:35,200
all have counterparts
in Harry Potter.
506
00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,320
But these were used by real
witches in the muggle world.
507
00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:41,880
It's inscribed on
an oyster shell,
508
00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:45,400
oysters were, any shell,
really, seen as symbols
of fertility.
509
00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:49,080
And then there are two
conjoined hearts and the
symbol for the female
510
00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,400
and the male top and bottom.
511
00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,160
So one or other of them would
have commissioned the charm
512
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:56,480
from a cunning man
or a cunning woman.
513
00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:02,160
Magic, in some ways,
it's a spiritual belief system
514
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:05,240
because it does depend
on this idea that
515
00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:10,960
there is a connection between
all life, and that all life
is sacred,
516
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:16,400
and that magic
is a way of drawing on
this creative energy
517
00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:18,760
that is in the natural world
all around us.
518
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,800
And here we've got
a selection of wands.
519
00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:31,280
One of which is going
to feature in the exhibition.
520
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:33,280
Now, wands are subtle tools.
521
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,280
They're used to direct energy,
522
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:41,160
but they're also used
for creating a magical space.
523
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:45,120
We have an example here
of a very dark use...
524
00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:50,360
Of the practice,
which is a blasting rod.
525
00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:55,320
And blasting rods are basically
used to blast people
and to direct
526
00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:59,760
negative energy at them
for a curse of some form.
527
00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,840
Oh, it could kill somebody
very easily, I should imagine,
528
00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:06,840
so... Used by the right person
in the right way.
529
00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:08,960
So it's kept behind
glass normally.
530
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:15,480
Every Hogwarts pupil needs
their very own magic wand.
531
00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,280
But no two wands are the same.
532
00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,400
"'You talk about wands like
they've got feelings, '
said Harry.
533
00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:24,800
"'Like they can think
for themselves.'
534
00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:28,280
"'The wand chooses the wizard, '
said Ollivander.
535
00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:32,160
"'That much has always been
clear to those of us who
have studied wandlore.'"
536
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,000
Wands are an essential part
of casting a spell
537
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,560
and everyone has
their favourite.
538
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:42,880
Expelliarmus!
539
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:44,760
Did that work?
540
00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,280
If we could only use them
in the muggle world,
541
00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:49,400
they'd come in very handy.
542
00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,920
I would cast a spell
to make TJ in my class
like me.
543
00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:54,960
Oh, not on telly!
544
00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:58,880
Obliviate!
545
00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:00,680
But for the spell to work,
546
00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:04,200
you need exactly the right
flick or twist
of the wrist.
547
00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:06,440
Piertotum locomotor!
548
00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:13,480
I couldn't find anything
on wands, so I just
made it all up.
549
00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:18,400
That was all me and I had
so much fun and actually
I do remember
550
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,440
exactly where I was.
I literally was sitting under
a tree out in the open
551
00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:25,760
on a very warm summer's day
when I wrote that chapter,
552
00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:28,240
the wand shop in the
Philosopher's Stone.
553
00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:30,600
And I just sat there and made
up all these properties
554
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,280
and the cause and, yeah,
I really enjoyed that.
555
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,280
So, yeah, no,
I'm afraid I don't
know anything about...
556
00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,560
I don't know what anyone else
has said about wands.
557
00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:40,360
I made the whole thing up!
558
00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:51,280
But there are folk
out there who have been making
wands for centuries.
559
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:56,120
Dusty Miller, father and son,
come from a long line
of wandmakers.
560
00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,800
I'm Dusty XII.
561
00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:02,680
-XIII, sorry.
My father was XII.
-Hello, Grandad!
562
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:08,680
My son is the XIII. XIV!
563
00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:10,880
I like that, I got promoted
then. Did you see that?
564
00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:19,960
We work for the tree spirits,
565
00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,640
so they tell us when to go
and collect a piece of wood,
566
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:25,120
where to collect it,
567
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:26,760
which tree to collect it from.
568
00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:28,440
It's all very complicated
569
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,040
and often means getting up
in the middle of the night
570
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:32,920
to be in the forest at daybreak.
571
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,080
Why they always want daybreak,
I don't know.
572
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,240
Why it can't be lunchtime...
573
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,880
- Another matter entirely.
- Trees don't have lunch!
574
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:42,080
No, that's true, they don't.
575
00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,040
The wood they collect
is made into wands,
576
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:54,040
which they believe channel
the sacred power of the trees.
577
00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,880
Because we have
this partnership with
the tree spirits,
578
00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:01,360
when they tell us to make
certain tools, to create
certain items,
579
00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:05,120
for people to make changes
in their lives...
580
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,840
And be able to... Maybe do
healing on other people,
or themselves,
581
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:10,520
then we're quite happy
to do that,
582
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,560
and that's what we've spent
our entire lifetimes doing.
583
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,280
How many have you made
in your lifetime, you think,
584
00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:22,040
you worked out the other day?
Around 7,000-something?
585
00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,320
7,500.
586
00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:28,200
But I like making them,
so he still makes the odd
one or two, you know?
587
00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:38,280
To us, it's the
old-fashioned magic.
588
00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:43,120
It's part of the magical
wonder of the world.
589
00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:47,680
Unfortunately, magic as
we know it doesn't happen
instantaneously.
590
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,280
The universe usually takes
a little while to catch up
591
00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:51,680
and make the changes.
592
00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:02,960
In Rowling's wizarding world,
593
00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:06,640
the effects of a spell can
happen in an instant.
594
00:35:06,720 --> 00:35:11,880
Expecto Patronum!
595
00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,600
You just have to say the words
the right way.
596
00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:17,760
Take the doubling spell.
597
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:19,360
Geminio.
598
00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:22,240
Geminio.
599
00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:25,400
Geminio!
600
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:29,480
The spells often have their
roots in classical languages
and Rowling's
601
00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,800
degree in French and Classics
turned out to be useful.
602
00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,400
Sometimes I just invented it.
603
00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:39,480
It usually
depended on the gravity
of what I was inventing.
604
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,320
I often tended to give
a richer provenance to
things that were very
605
00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:46,160
significant,
like the Cruciatus Curse
606
00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:48,560
or Avada Kedavra,
whereas the more...
607
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:51,520
The fun things,
Wingardium Leviosa is
exactly what it sounds like
608
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,160
and it's flippant and it's fun.
609
00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:55,440
Wingardium Leviosa!
610
00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:01,640
It's only in fourth
year that Harry encounters
the most sinister spells
611
00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:03,680
in the wizarding world.
612
00:36:03,760 --> 00:36:07,320
The three unforgivable curses.
613
00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,120
What are the unforgivable
curses and what do they do?
614
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:11,640
Imperio!
615
00:36:11,720 --> 00:36:14,920
There's Imperio, which is
the controlling curse.
616
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:16,880
Crucio!
617
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:18,880
Crucio is a torture curse.
618
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:22,520
It makes whoever you're
casting it at go into
great pain.
619
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:25,800
So pretty bad.
620
00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:30,080
And the final curse,
the most dreadful of them all.
621
00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:31,360
The killing spell.
622
00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,720
"Avada Kedavra!
623
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:41,120
"A blast of green light blazed
through Harry's eyelids
624
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:46,160
"and he heard something heavy
fall to the ground beside him.
625
00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:49,720
"The pain in his scar reached
such a pitch that he retched
626
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:52,360
"and then it diminished.
627
00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:58,560
"Terrified of what he was
about to see, he opened
his stinging eyes.
628
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:03,640
"Cedric was lying
spread-eagled on the
ground beside him.
629
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,440
"He was dead."
630
00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:15,240
It sounds
so powerful, doesn't it,
Avada Kedavra?
631
00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:17,520
It's got a real force to it.
632
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:19,160
It's Aramaic, I think.
633
00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:22,560
Well, that is genuinely
the derivation of abracadabra,
634
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:25,640
not many people know that.
That's where abracadabra
came from.
635
00:37:25,720 --> 00:37:28,880
And literally translated
it means, "May the thing
be destroyed."
636
00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:38,360
Abracadabra is today often
thought of as a charm
637
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:43,240
which stage magicians use
when they are pulling a rabbit
out of a hat,
638
00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:47,600
but actually it was first used
in Roman times as a protection
639
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:49,920
against catching
the disease malaria.
640
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:54,080
The manuscript tells you
you should write out
the word "abracadabra"
641
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:56,440
repeatedly on a small piece
of parchment
642
00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:58,240
and each time you write it out,
643
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,960
you're supposed to omit
one of the letters
644
00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:04,600
until you formed a small,
triangular piece of text.
645
00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:06,400
And when you've done that,
646
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:08,200
you tie it round your neck
647
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,120
and while you have it in place,
648
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:13,880
that actually acts as
a protection against
catching malaria.
649
00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,480
Belief is also really
important to magic.
650
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:20,440
If you believe in it,
then it will happen.
651
00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:22,160
I once read a great line
that said,
652
00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:24,520
"Those who don't believe
in magic will never find it."
653
00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:26,320
And that's absolutely true.
654
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:28,736
If you do believe in it,
if you do believe that
this wand has power,
655
00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,520
if you do believe that
this talisman will
protect you,
656
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:33,800
then that does give you
some form of comfort.
657
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:36,520
And I think all humans
relate to that idea.
658
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,360
I think it's a universal
within human experience.
659
00:38:43,560 --> 00:38:46,240
"'Double divination
this afternoon, '
660
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:48,360
"Harry groaned, looking down.
661
00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:53,240
"Divination was his least
favourite subject,
apart from potions.
662
00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:56,720
"Professor Trelawney kept
predicting Harry's death,
663
00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:58,640
"which he found
extremely annoying."
664
00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:07,400
A nice item relating
to divination.
665
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:10,000
"On wonders past and present
and to come."
666
00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:12,320
About the prophecies
of Old Mother Shipton,
667
00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:15,720
who was a famous witch
that made prophecies
from Knaresborough.
668
00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:18,760
A nice interesting image
of a witch,
which I think is...
669
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,400
Yes, in no way a cliche,
with her enormous nose
670
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:25,320
and her chin that almost
meets the tip of it!
671
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:26,960
That's great.
672
00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:29,360
I have a lot of fun with
divination in the Potter books
673
00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:31,240
because I make it quite clear
674
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:34,120
that you get lucky
once every million times.
675
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,640
Free will is the abiding
principle of the Potter
books, not prophecy.
676
00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:45,920
"'Saturn was surely in a
position of power
in the heavens
677
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,000
"'at the moment of your birth.
678
00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:50,800
"'Your dark hair,
your mean stature.
679
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:53,520
"'Tragic losses
so young in life.
680
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:55,720
"'I think I'm right in saying,
my dear,
681
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,600
"'that you were born
in midwinter.'
682
00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:00,280
"'No, ' said Harry.
683
00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:02,440
"'I was born in July.'"
684
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,600
These items are
being sent to the British
Library to be installed
685
00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:14,880
in a section dedicated
to divination.
686
00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:20,840
Tea. Teacups.
687
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:22,480
Used for fortune-telling.
688
00:40:22,560 --> 00:40:25,760
You'd use leaf tea,
not a teabag.
Won't work.
689
00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:29,320
Typical magic mirror.
You've got several,
haven't you?
690
00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:31,480
- Yes.
- How long have you been
collecting them?
691
00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:33,160
- I've got three.
- Three?
692
00:40:33,240 --> 00:40:35,280
Three, but they don't come up
very often.
693
00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:37,240
I think Graham's got four.
694
00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:41,600
The popular view
of fortune-telling today
695
00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:44,000
is that it's about
foretelling the future,
696
00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:48,360
and that definitely wasn't
the original purpose
of divination.
697
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,160
It was much more,
in fact, largely,
698
00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:53,840
about helping people
to make decisions.
699
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,760
So it's sort of contacting
the subconscious, in a way,
isn't it?
700
00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:00,720
-Yeah.
-And then appealing to
another force
701
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:03,080
in order to gain that knowledge.
702
00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:09,880
Magic is...
703
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,640
I think it's simultaneously
about empowerment,
704
00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:14,440
but it's also an acknowledgement
705
00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:16,680
that we are in a scary
and unknowable world
706
00:41:16,760 --> 00:41:19,640
because we know
that these ritual practices
707
00:41:19,720 --> 00:41:23,840
that go back to what we now
would call primitive peoples,
708
00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:27,160
and yet we still do
a version of it
today, you know,
709
00:41:27,240 --> 00:41:29,400
many of us still have
our own little rituals
710
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:31,600
that we don't even acknowledge
as rituals,
711
00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:34,880
but it's a way of trying
to control what we
secretly know
712
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,360
is uncontrollable,
which is life.
713
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:42,400
This impulse to
control the future by
communicating with the dead
714
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:45,720
is one that spans millennia
and crosses continents.
715
00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:49,200
Reflecting the diversity
of magic
716
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:51,800
is a task that's keeping
the curators busy.
717
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:57,200
I think most of my friends
would probably say
I'm a Ravenclaw.
718
00:41:57,280 --> 00:41:59,000
Bit of a nerd.
719
00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:02,240
As soon as I heard
that the Harry Potter
exhibition was happening,
720
00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:04,800
I was immediately excited.
721
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:06,800
These are some of
our favourite items.
722
00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:09,080
They're the oldest items
in the British Library.
723
00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:11,960
Once thought to be dragon bones,
724
00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:15,760
they date back 3,000 years
to the lost Shang dynasty.
725
00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:19,880
They are the most ancient
examples of Chinese writing.
726
00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:23,440
So we are going to exhibit
a total of four pieces
727
00:42:23,520 --> 00:42:27,080
of a collection
of 484 oracle bones
728
00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,480
which entered the library
in 1911.
729
00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:36,360
They are animal bones
and they were used
for divination practices
730
00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,560
in Bronze Age China.
731
00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:40,680
Until the bones were discovered,
732
00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:45,640
historians had little evidence
that the Shang dynasty
had ever existed.
733
00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:48,800
But clues lay on the surface
of the bones,
734
00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:52,920
and with them,
tiny, mysterious cracks.
735
00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:55,680
They are clearly linked
to a ritual
736
00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:58,880
involved in order to divine
the future.
737
00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:02,840
The ancestors who are living
in the heavens
738
00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:06,560
were believed to know about
human beings' future.
739
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:10,760
The diviners were interpreting
the cracks
740
00:43:10,840 --> 00:43:15,040
as the answer
from the ancestors.
741
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:19,200
Bones were light,
portable and, could be taken
onto the battlefield.
742
00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:24,960
The royal diviners prepared
them for the king,
743
00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:29,400
to ask the ancestors
about the future.
744
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,920
To historians, reconstructing
the work of the diviners
745
00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:36,240
is a fascinating window
into the world of the Shang.
746
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:43,920
Since the '60s,
people have been trying to
produce cracks and I think
747
00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:48,080
after 30 hours of work,
the two of us
748
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:53,240
produced the first crack,
which was quite
an achievement.
749
00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:55,360
And then we produced
further cracks.
750
00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:59,320
They were very tiny and we are
not yet fully in
control of it.
751
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:03,600
This is a degree
of sophistication
which we aim to achieve,
752
00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:05,440
but we need much more practice.
753
00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:12,320
Nothing.
754
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:15,200
Snapping a bone
might sound easy,
755
00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:18,000
but to make the delicate
cracks of an oracle bone,
756
00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:20,600
you need care and precision.
757
00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:26,520
- Let's have a look.
- Oh, we do have a crack!
758
00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:27,800
Oh, my God!
759
00:44:27,880 --> 00:44:29,160
Look at this!
760
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:33,080
Oh, my God! I think it worked!
761
00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:35,720
It worked!
762
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:39,880
Okay. Wow.
763
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:44,000
So, as you can see,
the crack worked even
though we didn't hear it.
764
00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:47,280
But you have the two parts
with the baseline here
765
00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:50,000
and the other crack
going away from it.
766
00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:57,480
The Shang king
interpreted this tiny crack
as a message from the dead.
767
00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:01,960
The fragments in the British
Library tell us
768
00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:03,880
exactly what was on his mind.
769
00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:09,080
These two bones, these are
all about the weather.
770
00:45:09,160 --> 00:45:13,360
The bones are
inscribed with the king's
question and answer.
771
00:45:13,440 --> 00:45:16,760
This is a particularly
important bone because
this is a bone
772
00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,360
in which we see the reference
to a lunar eclipse
773
00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:21,040
that we've precisely dated
774
00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:24,440
to the night of the 27th
of December 1192 BC.
775
00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:27,480
The fact that a lunar eclipse
is mentioned is
very interesting
776
00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:30,160
because any kind of eclipse,
lunar or solar,
777
00:45:30,240 --> 00:45:32,560
was considered to be a bad omen.
778
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:35,120
So they would regularly
perform these divinations
779
00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:38,040
in order to establish whether
they should prepare themselves
780
00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:39,600
for any sort of disaster.
781
00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:43,520
The structure of this one
is very simplistic.
782
00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:49,160
It simply says that the king
read the cracks
and said, auspicious,
783
00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:51,200
we should
perform the de-sacrifice.
784
00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:54,360
So the first character
here is king.
785
00:45:54,440 --> 00:46:00,280
The bones give
valuable insight into life
in Shang dynasty China.
786
00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:03,560
It's interesting because,
from the questions posed,
787
00:46:03,640 --> 00:46:07,880
we can understand
what was very important
788
00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:09,640
to the royal family at the time.
789
00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:11,400
It was about battles.
790
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:15,280
It was about, is that marriage
auspicious or not auspicious?
791
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:21,360
What can I do with this
toothache that my royal
sister has?
792
00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:26,920
They talk about the human
drive to try to understand
their own life.
793
00:46:28,240 --> 00:46:31,000
They are
quite extraordinary, no?
794
00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:38,480
"There was a lot more
to magic, as Harry quickly
found out,
795
00:46:38,560 --> 00:46:41,920
"than waving your wand
and saying a few funny words."
796
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:51,160
The exhibition will be divided
797
00:46:51,240 --> 00:46:54,280
into subjects corresponding
to the Hogwarts curriculum.
798
00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:58,480
From divination to astronomy.
799
00:46:58,560 --> 00:47:00,840
The most spectacular
and bizarre exhibits
800
00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:05,040
belong to a section on
care of magical creatures.
801
00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:12,920
So this is Edward Topsell's
History Of Four-footed Beasts.
802
00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:15,600
He describes a number
of different beasts
803
00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:19,000
that feature in Harry Potter,
including the Sphinx.
804
00:47:19,080 --> 00:47:20,640
Yes...
805
00:47:20,720 --> 00:47:23,000
Yeah. She's interesting.
806
00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:26,160
Yeah. Very unusual.
It's not how we'd actually
imagine a Sphinx
807
00:47:26,240 --> 00:47:28,440
to look like from
classical mythology, is it?
808
00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:32,040
No. They are bred
in India and Ethiopia.
809
00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:33,480
Interesting.
810
00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:41,760
When it comes to beasts,
the hippogriff or the dragon,
811
00:47:41,840 --> 00:47:45,120
there are certain beasts
that absolutely must
be in Potter
812
00:47:45,200 --> 00:47:48,320
because they're so well known,
you would just expect to see
them there.
813
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:50,600
And I've played with them
to an extent.
814
00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:59,080
This one dates from probably
the early 13th century.
815
00:47:59,160 --> 00:48:02,720
First of all the phoenix is
making its own funeral pyre
816
00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,720
by picking twigs and leaves
and branches from the trees.
817
00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:08,600
-Oh, that's fantastic.
I love that.
-And there you are.
818
00:48:08,680 --> 00:48:12,560
It's on fire and it's going
to rise from the ashes.
819
00:48:12,640 --> 00:48:15,480
-That's my favourite creature.
Yeah.
-He's gorgeous, isn't he?
820
00:48:15,560 --> 00:48:18,160
Stunning. I also like
this chap,
821
00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:21,600
because that's like
an Augerey,
which I invented.
822
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:24,160
There's no such thing,
but I call it
the Irish phoenix.
823
00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:27,040
These are so beautiful.
824
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:31,200
Incredibly human-looking owl.
825
00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:40,880
In Harry Potter, JK Rowling
refers to over 100 species
826
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:44,160
of mythical creature,
drawn from across the globe.
827
00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:54,480
In every
society and every culture,
828
00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:56,440
there is the practice of magic
829
00:48:56,520 --> 00:48:59,320
or the understanding
of the supernatural.
830
00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:03,000
Magic is a universal language.
831
00:49:03,080 --> 00:49:05,160
In the Department
of African Studies,
832
00:49:05,240 --> 00:49:08,240
one curator has made
an exciting discovery.
833
00:49:08,320 --> 00:49:13,720
It's a text written in Ge'ez,
an ancient language
of Ethiopia.
834
00:49:13,800 --> 00:49:19,240
"If you wish to turn into
a lion or transform yourself
into a lion,
835
00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:21,240
"read the above prayer
836
00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:24,600
"and write it on a silk cloth
837
00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:26,440
"and tie it around your head.
838
00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:28,680
"Or if you wish to be
839
00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:33,760
"a serpent, write this
and tie it on your wrist."
840
00:49:33,840 --> 00:49:37,640
This is a prayer
for transformation
or to turn...
841
00:49:37,720 --> 00:49:40,000
You know, to change into
something else.
842
00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:43,680
So if I do try this prayer
and I do turn into a lion,
843
00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:46,480
I don't have the counter
prayer to turn back
into a human,
844
00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:48,840
so for that reason
I wouldn't read it.
845
00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:51,000
Yes, I wouldn't read it, no.
846
00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:55,120
It's... It's readable
and it's straightforward,
but, yeah...
847
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:03,120
This spell was found
smuggled within the pages
of a mysterious book.
848
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:07,200
It's from Gondar in Ethiopia.
849
00:50:09,240 --> 00:50:12,960
Understanding this manuscript
is trying to sort
of understand
850
00:50:13,040 --> 00:50:16,040
the history of magic
from an African perspective.
851
00:50:16,120 --> 00:50:21,040
So the owner of this
manuscript would have
been a debtera,
852
00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:23,560
the equivalent of an alchemist.
853
00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:27,760
And this particular manuscript
would have been kept a secret.
854
00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:31,040
By the 15th century,
855
00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:34,400
this type of magic had been
outlawed by Ethiopia's
Christian king.
856
00:50:34,480 --> 00:50:37,640
So manuscripts like these
are exceptionally rare.
857
00:50:39,240 --> 00:50:41,320
But despite its Ethiopian roots,
858
00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:43,680
this branch of magic
is very similar
859
00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:46,640
to an important subject
taught at Hogwarts.
860
00:50:46,720 --> 00:50:50,280
This book is defence
against the dark arts.
861
00:50:50,360 --> 00:50:53,800
So the purpose of this
talisman is to protect
the client
862
00:50:53,880 --> 00:50:56,400
from real or imagined harm.
863
00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:02,840
In Defence
against the Dark Arts,
864
00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:05,000
Harry's magical ability shines
865
00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:09,200
when he masters wizarding's
most powerful
protective charm.
866
00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:16,160
"'Expecto Patronum, ' he yelled.
867
00:51:16,240 --> 00:51:20,920
"And out of the end of
his wand burst not a shapeless
cloud of mist
868
00:51:21,000 --> 00:51:25,160
"but a blinding, dazzling,
silver animal.
869
00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:29,840
"He screwed up his eyes
to see what it was.
870
00:51:29,920 --> 00:51:31,960
"It looked like a horse.
871
00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:34,880
"It was galloping
silently away from him
872
00:51:34,960 --> 00:51:38,760
"across the black surface
of the lake."
873
00:51:45,160 --> 00:51:50,440
As the last few objects arrive
from museums across Britain...
874
00:51:50,520 --> 00:51:54,040
They're being joined by works
that are rather more recent.
875
00:51:54,120 --> 00:51:56,880
These date from the 1990s.
876
00:51:59,080 --> 00:52:03,400
I chose them all
because they had particular
meaning to me.
877
00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:05,760
They're all pieces of writing
878
00:52:05,840 --> 00:52:10,160
or doodles that
I could particularly remember.
879
00:52:10,240 --> 00:52:12,800
And they come from
very different stages
in the process.
880
00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:15,720
So some of it's on my very old
manual typewriter.
881
00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:18,040
Lots of hand-written stuff.
882
00:52:18,120 --> 00:52:19,920
They just
show what I was thinking.
883
00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:28,840
This is a sketch of Hogwarts
that JK Rowling sent
to her publishers,
884
00:52:28,920 --> 00:52:35,040
Bloomsbury, and it maps out
all the key elements
of Hogwarts
885
00:52:35,120 --> 00:52:37,960
and she's given notes, as well.
886
00:52:38,040 --> 00:52:39,800
My favourite bit about
this one is
887
00:52:39,880 --> 00:52:44,360
where she's drawn the squid
that lives in the lake.
888
00:52:44,440 --> 00:52:48,600
Recent British
Library exhibitions include
William Shakespeare,
889
00:52:48,680 --> 00:52:51,640
John Milton and Jane Austen.
890
00:52:51,720 --> 00:52:54,400
It's the first time
a living writer
891
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:57,320
has been the focus
of a major show here.
892
00:52:57,400 --> 00:53:01,520
It's a huge honour
and at the same time it
feels quite surreal.
893
00:53:01,600 --> 00:53:04,360
You know, to me, they're just
my working materials, so...
894
00:53:04,440 --> 00:53:07,400
And then you see them
in a glass case and you think,
895
00:53:07,480 --> 00:53:09,320
how on Earth did that happen?
896
00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:13,320
It's a very peculiar
sensation, yeah.
897
00:53:16,920 --> 00:53:18,920
So this is one of mine.
898
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:21,240
So I don't feel quite
so reverent about
this one.
899
00:53:27,400 --> 00:53:30,040
Professor Sprout is
the herbologist.
900
00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:31,920
Very lovable character.
901
00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:35,360
I would say she's
the most maternal,
actually, or parental,
902
00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:40,280
of the four Heads of House
at Hogwarts.
903
00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:46,080
So I drew this picture
on December 30th, 1990.
904
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:49,560
And I can be very precise
about when I drew
this picture
905
00:53:49,640 --> 00:53:52,240
because I was staying
at a friend's house,
906
00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:54,800
I'd been writing Potter
for six months
907
00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:58,640
and I stayed up when everyone
else had gone to bed
908
00:53:58,720 --> 00:54:02,080
because I was watching
the movie The Man Who
Would Be King.
909
00:54:02,160 --> 00:54:05,280
And the reason I can be
incredibly precise about
910
00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:07,520
when I drew this is because...
911
00:54:07,600 --> 00:54:09,560
At some point,
912
00:54:09,640 --> 00:54:12,680
during the time I was watching
that movie and drawing
this picture,
913
00:54:12,760 --> 00:54:15,160
my mother died 250 miles away
914
00:54:15,240 --> 00:54:18,040
and I got the phone call
the next day
915
00:54:18,120 --> 00:54:20,080
to say that she had died.
916
00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:27,520
So this obviously means
a great deal to me,
this picture.
917
00:54:27,600 --> 00:54:30,400
But there was something quite
extraordinary that I
only realised
918
00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:33,720
about 20 years later,
so it seems very appropriate
to say it now
919
00:54:33,800 --> 00:54:37,240
in the context
of this exhibition.
920
00:54:37,320 --> 00:54:39,720
The Man Who Would Be King,
for those who don't know,
921
00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:43,480
is a story with Sean Connery
and Michael Caine in it
922
00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:46,440
and it's from
an old Rudyard Kipling story.
923
00:54:46,520 --> 00:54:50,000
And the Masonic symbol is
very important in that movie.
924
00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,760
And it was
literally 20 years later
925
00:54:52,840 --> 00:54:56,480
that I looked at the sign
of the Deathly Hallows
926
00:54:56,560 --> 00:55:00,640
and realised how similar
they were.
927
00:55:00,720 --> 00:55:04,640
The Deathly Hallows
is comprised of the
Elder Wand,
928
00:55:04,720 --> 00:55:09,080
the Cloak of Invisibility
and the Resurrection Stone.
929
00:55:09,160 --> 00:55:14,800
And whoever possesses
all three is said to
be Master of Death.
930
00:55:14,880 --> 00:55:17,440
When I saw the movie again
and saw the Masonic symbol,
931
00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:20,520
I sort of went cold all over
and I thought...
932
00:55:21,960 --> 00:55:24,760
"Is that why the Hallows
symbol is what it is?"
933
00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:28,440
And I've got a feeling that,
on some deep
subconscious level,
934
00:55:28,520 --> 00:55:30,400
they are connected.
935
00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:35,760
So I feel as though I sort
of worked my way back
over 20 years
936
00:55:35,840 --> 00:55:41,680
to that night because
the Potter series is
hugely about loss...
937
00:55:41,760 --> 00:55:44,680
And I've said this before,
if my mother hadn't died,
938
00:55:44,760 --> 00:55:48,160
I think the stories would
be utterly different and
not what they are.
939
00:55:48,240 --> 00:55:50,040
Um... So, yeah.
940
00:55:50,120 --> 00:55:56,960
So, this picture is very
meaningful to me on a lot
of different levels.
941
00:56:04,120 --> 00:56:06,800
"Harry was so close
to the mirror now
942
00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:10,960
"that his nose was nearly
touching that
of his reflection.
943
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:13,880
"'Mum?' he whispered.
944
00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:17,240
"'Dad?'
945
00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:21,480
"They just looked at him,
946
00:56:21,560 --> 00:56:23,600
"smiling,
947
00:56:23,680 --> 00:56:26,200
"and slowly Harry looked
into the faces
948
00:56:26,280 --> 00:56:28,280
"of the other people
in the mirror
949
00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:31,480
"and saw other pairs of green
eyes like his,
950
00:56:31,560 --> 00:56:33,640
"other noses like his,
951
00:56:33,720 --> 00:56:37,840
"even a little old man who
looked as though he had
Harry's knobbly knees.
952
00:56:39,640 --> 00:56:45,040
"Harry was looking at
his family for the first
time in his life."
953
00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:56,400
I meet people quite regularly
who tell me...
954
00:56:56,480 --> 00:56:58,440
What Potter meant to them
955
00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:03,320
and I can only say that
even they have no idea
what it meant to me.
956
00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:06,960
So I wrote Potter during what
I hope will turn out
to have been
957
00:57:07,040 --> 00:57:09,200
the most turbulent period
of my life
958
00:57:09,280 --> 00:57:12,640
and I put a huge amount,
more than people will
ever know,
959
00:57:12,720 --> 00:57:16,720
of my own life and experiences
into those books
960
00:57:16,800 --> 00:57:20,320
and it's not that
lots of people liked it,
961
00:57:20,400 --> 00:57:24,520
it's the fact that it meant
that much to a few people even
962
00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:27,480
is more
than enough for a writer.
It's an amazing feeling.
963
00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:42,360
"Hermione, however, clapped
her hand to her forehead.
964
00:57:42,440 --> 00:57:45,160
"'Harry, I think I've just
understood something.
965
00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:47,000
"'I've got to go
to the library.'
966
00:57:47,080 --> 00:57:49,280
"And she sprinted away
up the stairs.
967
00:57:55,800 --> 00:57:58,560
"'What does she understand?'
said Harry, distractedly,
968
00:57:58,640 --> 00:58:01,880
"still looking around trying
to tell where the voice
had come from.
969
00:58:03,840 --> 00:58:07,160
"'Loads more than I do, '
said Ron, shaking his head.
970
00:58:07,240 --> 00:58:09,440
"'But why's she got to go
to the library?'
971
00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:15,880
"'Because that's what Hermione
does, ' said Ron, shrugging.
972
00:58:15,960 --> 00:58:19,080
"'When in doubt,
go to the library.'"
82551
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