Harry Potter stars reunite for Christmas and the internet goes crazy
Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe in 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Photo: Warner Bros
So far, 2019 has seen a rich bounty of celebrity Christmas gifts to the world – Khloe Kardashian’s pink designer tree, Mariah Carey surprising New Yorkers going about their day, Prince Louis’ face on his way to a Buckingham Palace party – and now we have a Harry Potter gift.
Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in 2001. Photo: Warner Bros
Some of the cast of the beloved movie franchise celebrated the festive season with a reunion photo shoot where they reminisced about their time at Hogwarts.
But while just the idea that a magical friendship endures eight years after the last Potter film, the actual snaps of the day were notable because some some were simply unrecognisable.
Tom Felton, who played Harry’s chief school enemy, Draco Malfoy, shared to Instagram two photos of himself with Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood).
“Seasons greetings from my school mates,” Felton captioned the group photo, which shows the five beaming for the camera.
On another of he and Lewis, he wrote, they were “mid debate” about the merits of school houses Gryffindor and Slytherin.
“When Draco became Harry,” wrote one fan of Felton’s ‘Potterish’ glasses and hair.
“That waxwork of me is very effective,” noted Lewis, who has changed dramatically since his days as Neville.
The group photo was also shared in black and white by Watson to her 52.9 million followers on Instagram, with the caption, “Merry Christmas from us.”
Lynch, (“As if I’m not going to repost this”), Wright (“Time turning”) and Lewis then got in on the act:
Fans lost it at seeing the Harry Potter band back together, with Felton’s post drawing more than 18,000 comments and Watson’s being liked more than 2 million times in its first seven hours.
“I love this. Everything about it,” one person wrote.
Matt Lewis, now 30, at age 12. Photo: Warner Bros
“I’m actually crying. This is amazing,” said another fan on Watson’s account.
“Dead,” said a third. And another: “This gives me the feels.”
There was more: “The type of holiday vibes I’m here for”, “I want to be part of this school group so much”, “I don’t think I can put into words how happy this makes me” and “My whole life”.
Other members of the cast reunited in June, when Felton, Lynch, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Warwick Davis (Filius Flitwick) and twins Jamie and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) celebrated the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Los Angeles.
The Phelps twins, who dyed their hair red for ten years to play their Potter roles, looked nothing like they did on screen. Grint looked almost identical to his Ron days … an anti-ageing spell perhaps?
So fun to reunite with my ‘students’ from #Hogwarts at @UniversalORL for the opening of ‘Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure’. They are all quite ‘charming’! pic.twitter.com/L5IrICj7VQ
— Warwick Davis (@WarwickADavis) June 12, 2019
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) didn’t make it to either get together, but did hang out with Gary Oldman, who played his godfather Sirius Black, at September’s Toronto International Film Festival.
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