Published 03:38 IST, May 23rd 2020
JK Rowling makes stunning revelations about 'Harry Potter' series & its real 'birthplace'
As per revelations made by JK Rowling, it turns out "the boy who lived" was born in a flat in London' Clapham Junction, not Edinburgh as per popular belief.
Even years after JK Rowling finished writing the Harry Potter series, fans across the globe are curious to know everything about the characters and the minute details around the fantasy world. Recently, she debunked fan theories about where her iconic Harry Potter series originated, and it had left all 'Potterheads' surprised.
It started with a ‘Potterhead’ inquiring about the ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter which has been long known to be Edinburgh until Rowling herself rejected the assumptions and made interesting revelations about where the character actually crossed her mind and when she ‘started’ penning down the fictional idea. The story of the ‘magical’ boy had first begun in a flat in London's Clapham Junction. However, she clarified on Twitter that the idea had popped in her mind, it was while riding a Manchester-London train.
The fans were shocked with the ‘bombshell’ that Rowling dropped as the coffee shop in Edinburgh, Elephant House has been described as the ‘birthplace’ of Harry Potter on its website itself. However, this was just the start of a series of divulgences that the 54-year-old made for the series of books she started apparently writing in 1990 and took five years to complete. Rowling said that even though she had written in the Edinburgh shop, it was, however, not the first place.
Bookshop in Oporto and Hogwarts
With the details of the fictional school for magic called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, many Potterheads had matched them with a bookshop in Oporto. Assuming that Hogwarts was inspired by the library in Portugal, Rowling revealed that she had “never” been to the shop. However, she wished to visit the beautiful library but it has “nothing” to do with the origin of Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry where Harry goes to study. The 59-year-old also mentioned that even the schools in Edinburgh did not inspire the magnificent building of Hogwarts because it was "created long before" the author laid her eyes on "any of them".
Where did Rowling come up with Quidditch?
A hotel in Manchester is where Rowling came up with the concept of Quidditch while spending one night there back in 1991. She even posted the picture of the building which used to be a hotel where she invented the fictional sport for witches and wizards.
Are assumptions about Nicholson Cafe true?
While the author was on a spree to drop truth bombs about the fantasy world created by her that still rules the heart of millions, a fan confessed that he thought the birthplace of Harry Potter (the idea) was the Nicholson Cafe again in Edinburgh. Rowling revealed that “it’s true” and added that she used to write the book in Nicholsons “all the time”. She even recalled how an entire chapter was finished in one sitting at the cafe which apparently now is a Chinese restaurant.
Furthermore, Rowling talked about other climaxes of the series like Harry buying his first wand, which was under a tree in the corner of the field. Since some of the fans were disappointed that the author had never been to the library in Portugal, she posted another image of a cafe in Rua Santa Catarina where she penned some parts of the series.
Image Source: AP
Updated 03:38 IST, May 23rd 2020