A Journey Through Divination and Astronomy

This non-fiction short-form eBook features content which is adapted from the
audiobook Harry Potter: A History of Magic – inspired by the British Library
exhibition of the same name. If you’ve gazed into the crystal ball you’ll have
seen that you are about to enter a place of prediction and fortune-telling
that makes up the subject of Divination in the real and wizarding world. From
the use of bones and shells thousands of years ago, to peering into teacups in
the parlours of Victorian England, for millennia people have strived to see
what fate and fortune holds. Trying to read our destinies, the study of the
night sky has fascinated people for centuries, from the star atlases of
ancient China to the celestial globes of 17th-century Venice. Astronomy holds
a special place in the wizarding world as a source of inspiration and identity
for Harry Potter’s life at Hogwarts, and beyond. This eBook short examines the
colourful characters and curious incidents of the real history of magic, and
how they relate to the Hogwarts lesson subjects of Divination and Astronomy.
The history of magic is as long as time and as wide as the world. In every
culture, in every age, in every place and, probably, in every heart, there is
magic.