Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

These two pages show annotations by J.K. Rowling and her editor on a typed draft of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The action on the first page takes place in Professor Slughorn's class. The wizard presents a series of potions, which Hermione, naturally, is able to identify as Veritaserum, Polyjuice Potion, Amortentia and Felix Felicis. The detail marked by an asterisk reveals the smells that Hermione finds attractive, including the scent of ‘new parchment’. The second page is the draft of a scene in which Harry consults the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making to find out how to brew more Felix Felicis. He notices another spell, Sectumsempra, that he has been itching to try out, only later realising the danger of using an unknown spell.

DRAFT OF HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, ANNOTATED BY J.K. ROWLING AND HER EDITOR (C. 2004–2005?)

Bloomsbury

“These marked-up pages offer a real insight into the editing process. I particularly love the additional detail that has been worked in at this late stage. The insertion of Hermione's favourite scents adds depth to the character.”

Joanna Norledge
Curator

DRAFT OF HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, ANNOTATED BY J.K. ROWLING AND HER EDITOR (C. 2004–2005?)

Bloomsbury