Potter manuscript goes on display at Library

The work, including a scene where the character catches a train from platform 9¾ at London’s King’s Cross Station is part of an exhibition at the nearby British Library.

JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies, been translated into 74 languages and inspired hit films.

Her first post-Potter novel, The Casual Vacancy, will be published later this year.

Also on show at the Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands exhibition is an original draft of John Lennon’s song In My Life which details a bus journey from his childhood home into Liverpool city centre and appeared on the 1965 Rubber Soul album. Other exhibits include a 14th-century copy of the poem Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, the original manuscript of The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and JRR Tolkien’s artwork for The Hobbit. The exhibition, which opens today and runs until September 25, examines how English literature is influenced by the UK landscape and includes letters, maps, lyrics and drawings.