That magical connection! Emma Watson and Tom Felton‘s characters in Harry Potter may not have seen eye to eye, but offscreen the actors have formed an adorable friendship throughout the years.

Watson and Felton originally met while playing enemies in the Harry Potter film franchise, which was based off of J.K. Rowling‘s critically acclaimed books. The actress took on the role of Hermione Granger, the smart Gryffindor student who aided best friend Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) as they attempted to take down Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Meanwhile, Felton played her Slytherin rival Draco Malfoy, who also ended up on the other side of the fight.

Almost a decade after the twosome worked on the introduction to the wizarding world in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Watson revealed that she had more than just friendly feelings for her costar.

“Between the ages of 10 and 12 I had a really terrible crush on Tom Felton, to the extent that I would go into work in the morning and look down the numbers on the call sheet to see if he was going to be in,” the Beauty and the Beast star told Jonathan Ross in 2009. “We love a bad guy, he was a few years older and he had a skateboard — and that just did it really.”

The Bling Ring actress noted that Felton was aware of her feelings, adding, “He totally knew and the thing is that he’d tell everyone, ‘I see her in a younger, sisterly way,’ and it just broke my heart. It still does.”

The Apparition star, for his part, explained that he considered his relationship with Watson as “something” because of how long they have known one another.

“We’ve been very close for a long time. I adore her. I think she’s fantastic. Hopefully she returns the compliment,” he told Entertainment Tonight in June 2021. “I spoke to Emma a couple days ago and immediately it was conversations about, ‘Oh, wow, the kitchen sink’s been plugged,’ or some trivial nonsense like my dog wouldn’t eat a particular kind of food. As far as the romantic side of it, I think that’s a Slytherin/Gryffindor thing rather than a Tom and Emma thing. I absolutely think the world of her.”

During HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts reunion special, the offscreen friends candidly addressed the bond that they continue to share.

“Emma and I have always loved each other, really,” Felton shared in the highly anticipated premiere, with Watson recalling the moment she developed feelings for her costar. “I walked into the room where we were having tutoring. The assignment that had been given was to draw what you thought God had looked like and Tom had drawn a girl with a backward cap on with a skateboard. And I just don’t know how to say it, I just fell in love with him.”

Scroll down for all of the sweet moments that Felton and Watson have shared over the years:

Breaking the Internet

In November 2018, the pair surprised fans with an adorable clip of them skateboarding together. In the Instagram video, Felton told Watson “Easy with the wobbling. Keep your feet still!” while she laughed before responding, “They are.”

That same month, the Origin alum admitted that he spends more time with his former costar than fans may think.

“Lovely Emma. We do see each other quite a lot actually. We just don’t always post pictures about it. Everyone loves the reunion of it. We’re reuniting all the time we just don’t always post it on Instagram,” he exclusively told Us Weekly. “She was in my neighborhood and I hadn’t seen her for a few months. And I decided to take her for a skateboarding lesson, which she was very good at. She’s quite hard on herself. But she’s actually very good at it. So yeah, that was fun. I always enjoy spending time with her.”

Music Lessons

“Quick learner x,” Felton captioned an Instagram photo of the duo decked out in their pajamas while he taught Watson how to play the guitar in August 2019.

The Holiday Season

Watson and Felton were all smiles after reuniting with Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis and Bonnie Wright in December 2019.

The Highly Anticipated Return to Hogwarts

During the Harry Potter 20th anniversary special, Felton and Watson were filmed sharing an embrace and a dance as they reunited at Hogwarts.

The Flash alum recalled feeling “very protective” of Watson during their time working on the film series, noting, “I’ve always had a soft spot for her and that continues to [this] day.”

The activist, for her part, added, “I think the truth of it was Tom was the one that I could often be more vulnerable with.”

Revisiting the Past

According to an excerpt from Felton’s memoir Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, which was obtained by the Daily Mail, the actor had a special bond with Watson.

“I’ve always had a secret love for Emma, though not perhaps in the way that people might want to hear,” Felton allegedly wrote. “That isn’t to say that there’s never been a spark between us. There most definitely has, only at different times.”

The U.K. native recalled rumors swirling when he was a teenager about Watson’s crush on him. “I denied that I liked her in that way, but the truth was different,” he continued. “My girlfriend at the time knew straight away that there was something unspoken between us. I remember using the familiar old line, ‘I love her like a sister.’ But there was more to it than that.”

Felton added: “I don’t think I was ever in love with Emma, but I loved and admired her as a person in a way that I could never explain to anybody else. We were kindred spirits. I know for certain I’ll always have Emma’s back and she’ll always have mine too.”

Offering Praise

In October 2022, Watson gushed about her bond with Felton in the foreword for his memoir.

“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,” she wrote. “The friendship we share has allowed me to move through some of the most challenging and soul-searching moments of my life.”

The actress noted that the duo “struggle” to explain “the nature” of their friendship, adding, “For more than 20 years now we’ve loved each other in a special way, and I’ve lost count of the times that people have said to me, ‘You must have drunkenly made out, just once!’ ‘You must have kissed!’ ‘There must be something!’ But what we have is far deeper than that. It’s one of the purest loves I can think of.”

Watson concluded the dedication by calling her former costar a “little piece of my soul.”