September tends to put everyone in a “back to school” frame of mind, and Anglo faves Jude Law and Eddie Redmayne are no exception.
The Fantastic Beasts stars turned up at platform 9 3/4 in London’s King’s Cross station on Saturday (September 1), surprising fans waiting for the Hogwarts Express.
Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law surprise fans at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters #BackToHogwarts pic.twitter.com/EWC7bq6Agk
— Pottermore (@pottermore) September 1, 2018
The fabled steam train departs for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at 11am sharp every 1 September, according to J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter books, and every year at that time fans gather on the platform for the annual “Back to Hogwarts” celebration.
This year, though, the traditional countdown included one Dumbledore and Newt Scamander, drawing crowds of people and bringing the whole station to a standstill:
Forget New Year’s Eve, this is the most important countdown of the year. #BackToHogwarts pic.twitter.com/fP0K9cnSPe
— Pottermore (@pottermore) September 1, 2018
Jude and Eddie were there to promote Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald, which features a return to Hogwarts for the first time since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2011.
It also represents the moment the Fantastic Beasts story starts to weave into the Harry Potter one, which, it turns out, is just as exciting for its cast as Potterheads.
Jude described the experience of walking into Hogwarts for the first time as “overwhelming,” something Eddie never got to experience, because the younger version of his character, played by Joshua Shea, goes instead.
Judging by this interview, that’s something Eddie’s still pretty annoyed about:
As well as returning to Hogwarts, the Fantastic Beasts sequel will fill in more of the backstory hinted at in the Harry Potter series, and possibly even feature some romance for our hero Newt.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens in theaters on 16 November, 2018.
Are you looking forward to it?