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Now that the Harry Potter films are coming to an end with the upcoming releases of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and II, many fans are looking back at what they have done, as well as their own Harry Potter memories, since the release of the first film nearly ten years ago. One of them is a grandmother who knew David Heyman, one of the producers, when he was about seven years old.  The same age her granddaughter was at the beginning of her  “Harry Potter” obsession. 

Here are excerpts of what the grandmother wrote for The Huffington Post:

Eight years ago, when my eldest granddaughter was 7 years old, she, like millions of other kids, became obsessed with Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts.

I shared her passion. I was also very excited and proud to learn that the producer was a man I had first me when he wasn’t much older than she was. She was beyond excited to hear this. “Please, please, please I have to go to Hogwarts. Please, please, ask your friend,” she pleaded. I tried to explain to her that I hadn’t been in touch with “my friend ” for over twenty years. I didn’t feel comfortable asking for such a favor.

Well, a grandmother can only resist the pleas of her grandchild for only so long…

I found the courage to send David an email, apologizing for imposing and explaining my predicament. It didn’t take a day for him to reply, “When do you want to bring her over?” Need I say more? I had won the love of this child for life.

So, off they went to London.  A car and driver from Leavesden Studios picked them up two days after they arrived.  At the time, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was being filmed.  Grandmother and granddaughter wandered around the studios, watching workers paint props and artists building Harry’s world. They “visited” Hogwarts, the Dursley’s house, and the train station. And then came the moment when they met Daniel Radcliffe who is very well-known as “Harry Potter” and who, the Grandmother thought, was “one of the nicest young men I’ve ever met”:

For those of you dear readers who don’t know, Daniel of course was Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter. Sarah, who I tell you without prejudice looked absolutely adorable, tightly held her copy of the book, which she had carried across the ocean. Daniel came into the room, immediately walked to her and greeted her with a big hug. The poor child almost collapsed and couldn’t open her mouth. He valiantly attempted a conversation, but she just stared at him, wordlessly, with her huge green. He, bless him, saw the book in her hands and asked if she wanted him to sign it. She looked up at him and shook her head yes. He wrote a long message and told her it was just for her. I think she managed a “thank you.”

Now, nine years later…well, last summer to be exact, Granddaughter still loves Harry Potter as much as ever (as we all do ), even at the age of 14 ½ and writes to her grandmother:

… Suddenly I received a letter from camp “To the best grandmother in the world” — pages and pages of Please, Please PLEASE, I have to go back to Hogwarts!” She’d learned they were filming the last two movies and begged me, “please ask your friend.”

I felt David had been more than kind seven years earlier and didn’t want to impose again. I was tempted to fib and tell her that I had asked him and he hadn’t replied, but I couldn’t lie to my grandchild and it wouldn’t be fair to David either. I gave in and wonderful David, once again, sent an invitation. Just before the start of school we had our second adventure to London…

And once again, Grandmother and Granddaughter had the opportunity to say hello to Radcliffe.  This time Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) was with them:

…As they were introduced to us, both polite young men said, “pleased to meet you,” and shook our hands. My granddaughter who is no longer tongue-tied, replied, “Oh we’ve met before.” They both looked startled. I couldn’t let the moment pass and said, “We were here when you were filming the scene with the flying car.” Daniel looked at Sarah with his eyes wide open, and replied, “You were that little girl? You were the little girl I’ve always felt so awful about. I scared you half to death. I talked about you for years.”

“You remembered me?” she asked. “Oh my God,”

“I always felt terrible. I thought, ‘that poor little girl’.” He smiled. Then he and Rupert laughed as he said, “Boy have you changed.” As that point I walked away and let them talk until it was time to leave. Once again she had carried a book with her, and this time both boys signed it.

We’ve all had moments in our lives when we wished we could have done it differently. For Sarah, she had always wished so much that she hadn’t been so shy the day she met Harry Potter, and now she’d had the chance to do it the way she wanted. Thank you Daniel Radcliffe and David Heyman for making it possible.

Hmmm…a 7 year old David Heyman…talk about memories…  Well, that’s one thing I love about the Harry Potter stories…the way it brings together new and old acquaintances. 

Thank you, Ms. Seltzer for the story.

Click here to read the complete article.

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