Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard

by Tom Felton

You know that person in your life who makes you feel seen? That person who is somehow a witness to all that unfolds? That person who knows—really knows—what is happening to you and what you’re going through, without anything having to be said? For me, that person is Tom Felton.

It’s one of the purest loves I can think of. We’re soulmates, and we’ve always had each other’s backs. I know we always will.

That’s true friendship, and to be seen and loved like that is one of the great gifts of my life.

I’m Robbie and I’m playing Hermione Granger. I’m Emma and I’m playing Rubeus Hagrid. I found it hilarious at the time—huge Robbie and tiny Emma swapping parts—and it was typical of Robbie Coltrane to ease any tension in the room with his brilliant sense of humour. He understood that you couldn’t have a room full of kids and try to take everything too seriously, and he had a knack of lightening the atmosphere.

I’m not Draco. Draco’s not me. But the dividing line is not black and white. It’s painted in shades of grey.

“I’ve always known I was a duck,” she said, “but I’ve spent my whole life being told I was a chicken. Every time I try to say ‘quack’ the world tells me that I have to say ‘cluck.’ I even started believing that I was a chicken and not a duck. Then we started hanging out and I found somebody else who quacked. And that’s when I thought: To hell with them, I really am a duck!”

Emma has taught me so many valuable lessons over the years, most importantly: don’t always follow the herd, never underestimate the power of a woman and, whatever you do, keep quacking.

that it’s our choices, not our abilities, that show us what we truly are.

It’s easy to bask in the sun, not so easy to enjoy the rain. But one can’t exist without the other. The weather always changes. Feelings of sadness and happiness deserve equal mental screen time.

The only true currency we have in life is the effect we have on those around us.