If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” at the Museum of Science in Boston might seem like paying a call on old friends – and enemies.
Those who’ve dreaded spending detention with Dolores Umbridge will shudder at the sight of her pink parlor, with decorative saucers depicting mewling kittens – the perfect setting for etching “I must not tell lies” on students’ hands.
Followers of the epic fantasy series can judge whether Umbridge – who temporarily ushered in a reign of terror as headmaster -- earned the title of worst instructor of Defence Against The Dark Arts at Harry’s magical school, Hogwarts.
She does have competition, such as the “celebrity” faculty member -- charming author and plagiarist Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, who brought with him important instructional tools such as his painting of himself painting a portrait – of himself.
Alas, the brocaded cape and dashing smile that made female students and their mothers sigh weren’t of much help to Lockhart when a mysterious chamber opened and threatened to unleash a monstrous force.
The exhibit brings together authentic sets, costumes, and enchanted artifacts from the series’ films to date.
Visitors can view Harry’s and his teammates’ uniforms for Quidditch – a dangerous game in which players on brooms at breakneck speed pursue goal objects that sometimes fight back.
There are the uniforms Harry and best friends Hermione Grainger and Ron Weasley wear during class, as well as their casual clothes -- a bit tattered after many an evening of hunting down werewolves and escaped convicts.
There is also the common room and dormitory of Harry’s house, Gryffindor, with curtained beds and layered tapestries with medieval imagery, in warm red and blue. A bulletin board is covered with notes, including one announcing a sale at the “joke shop” launched by Ron’s enterprising, mischief-making twin brothers, George and Fred.
Harry and his fellow Gryffindors may be the protagonists, but they are not the only characters with followers.
Admirers of the enigmatic Slytherin House – known for its most infamous alumnus, the murderous Lord Voldemort – can revel in the house’s green pennants, along with the uniforms worn by Draco Malfoy, the spoiled son of a wealthy family in Voldemort’s thrall.
The exhibit is laid out in a logical way that creates a sense of immersion, with iconic sets such as the Great Hall, illuminated by a host of levitating candles in anticipation of a magnificent Yule Ball.
