Harry Potter fans have successfully pushed a $580 million power project to change course after discovering that an underground cable could pass through the spot where Dobby, the fictional house elf, was buried in the film series.
Dobby was killed and laid to rest on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The location has since become an unofficial memorial for fans, who regularly leave stones inscribed with messages such as “Here lies Dobby” despite the fact that the National Trust, which owns the land, discourages the practice because the beach is an ecologically sensitive area. They also used to leave socks, because Potter uses a sock to trick Lucius Malfoy into giving Dobby his freedom.
In a BBC interview, Greenlink project manager Simon Ludlam revealed that a 190-km high-voltage interconnector was going to be put under the site.
The underground cable will allow electricity to flow between the U.K. and Ireland.
But following the BBC interview, Ludlam told the Energy Revolution podcast the company began receiving hundreds of calls from angry Harry Potter fans demanding that the route be changed.
Ludlam, who admitted he initially had no idea who Dobby was, recalled how a colleague broke the news: “Apparently we’re going to go straight through Dobby’s grave”.
“I said: ‘Dobby, who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby?’ I said: ‘He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?’”
His colleague responded: “No, it’s very, very serious.”
The backlash prompted Greenlink to return to planners and find an alternative route.
“We got back with the planners, and we discussed exactly how to reroute the cable, so we wouldn’t go anywhere near Dobby’s grave,” Ludlam said.
“A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby’s happy.”
The new route will instead pass close to genuine Bronze Age remains, although planners have avoided disturbing them.
“We went quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby’s grave.”
Ludlam said the decision marked an unusual first for the project.
“It’s the first time; we’ve moved for a fictitious character.”
Asked about Harry Potter fans nearly derailing the multimillion-pound interconnector, Ludlam said the project had to remain adaptable and responsive.
“You’ve got to be flexible, agile, and thoughtful,” he said.
He added: “Sometimes, you know what, a 10-year-old girl, she’s right.”
