The house elf Dobby dies in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and the loyal creature is laid to rest on a beautiful beach in one of the film franchise’s most heartbreaking scenes. This sequence was filmed on a real beach in Wales, and fans of the series have traveled there over the years to honor Dobby and present him with socks, among other items, at a fan-made grave site.
The foot traffic to the beach caused some concern about the environmental impact on the beach, prompting the National Trust Cymru to launch a review into the matter. After an eight-month investigation, a decision has now come down that the memorial can stay but with the hope that people only take photos and not leave items like socks at the Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
“The memorial to Dobby will remain at Freshwater West in the immediate term for people to enjoy. The Trust is asking visitors to only take photos when visiting the memorial to help protect the wider landscape,” the Trust said in a news release. “Items like socks, trinkets, and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk.”
The beach and its surrounding area is home to grey seals, harbor porpoises, and seabirds, all of which could be at risk if people pollute the area with plastic. “The Trust asks all visitors to Freshwater West to leave no trace,” it said.
According to the Trust, more than 75,000 people visit the beach each year. “While we’re delighted that so many want to visit, we have to balance the popularity of the site with impacts on the sensitive nature of the beach and wider environment, and pressure on the facilities and surrounding roads,” it said.
All eight Harry Potter movies returnd to HBO Max on November 1. HBO Max also hosts the the Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special, in which the cast and crew discuss the legacy of the films.
The eight mainline Harry Potter films made more than $7 billion at the global box office, and the franchise remains a juggernaut, even with the latest Fantastic Beasts movie coming up short. Looking ahead, the new head of Warner Bros. Discovery reportedly wants to create more Harry Potter content for HBO Max.
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