Harry Potter Controversy Rallies Fans To Protect Dobby's Gravesite From Multimillion Undersea Project
Harry Potter fans have successfully helped protect one of the franchise's most recognizable real-world locations from a massive infrastructure project.
Dobby's unofficial gravesite sits at Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 filmed the beloved house-elf's burial. Plans for a £430 million undersea power cable connecting the United Kingdom and Ireland originally threatened to interfere with the location, prompting backlash from fans.
According to The Guardian, Etchea Energy founder Simon Ludlam revealed on The Energy Revolution podcast that the company received "hundreds of calls" after fans discovered the project's planned route. He initially struggled to understand the reaction:
However, the response was significant enough that the project's planners took the concerns seriously. Ludlam explained that they ultimately discussed how to reroute the cable so it "wouldn't go anywhere [near] Dobby's grave," meaning the backlash seemingly influenced the plans for the multimillion-pound project.
The revised route came with an unusual consequence. Ludlam said the cable would actually pass closer to genuine Bronze Age remains after it was moved away from the fictional Harry Potter burial site. "But we avoided Dobby's grave," he said. "A lot of people were very happy about that. And the project's now going [ahead] and Dobby's happy."
The campaign is particularly notable because Dobby's memorial has previously faced an uncertain future. In 2022, the National Trust decided Dobby's memorial could remain at Freshwater West following a review, but asked fans to stop leaving socks, painted rocks, and other objects at the site because they could threaten the surrounding environment.
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01
What spell is used to disarm an opponent, famously becoming Harry Potter’s signature move throughout the series?
✓ Correct! Expelliarmus is the Disarming Charm. Harry used it so often that it became his trademark spell — even using it in his final duel against Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Expelliarmus. Stupefy is a Stunning Spell, Protego is a Shield Charm, and Petrificus Totalus is the Full Body-Bind Curse. Expelliarmus forces an opponent’s wand out of their hand.
02
In “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” Hagrid introduces his Care of Magical Creatures class to a proud hippogriff. What is the creature’s name?
✓ Correct! Buckbeak the hippogriff became a key part of the story when Draco Malfoy insulted him and got injured. Harry and Hermione later saved Buckbeak from execution using the Time-Turner.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Buckbeak. Fang is Hagrid’s boarhound, Norbert is his baby dragon from the first book, and Aragog is the giant Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest.
03
What potion allows the drinker to assume the physical appearance of another person, and plays a major role in “The Chamber of Secrets” and “The Goblet of Fire”?
✓ Correct! Polyjuice Potion transforms the drinker into someone else for about an hour. Hermione brewed it in their second year to infiltrate the Slytherin common room, and Barty Crouch Jr. used it to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Polyjuice Potion. Felix Felicis is liquid luck, Veritaserum is a truth serum, and Amortentia is a powerful love potion. Polyjuice Potion is the one that changes your appearance.
04
How many Horcruxes did Lord Voldemort intentionally create to split his soul and achieve immortality?
✓ Correct! Voldemort intentionally created six Horcruxes: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, the diadem, and Nagini. Harry became an accidental seventh Horcrux, making the total number of soul fragments seven — the most magically powerful number.
✗ Not quite! The answer is six. Voldemort deliberately created six Horcruxes: Tom Riddle’s diary, Marvolo Gaunt’s ring, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s diadem, and Nagini. Harry was an unintentional seventh piece.
05
How many points is the Golden Snitch worth when caught by a Seeker during a Quidditch match?
✓ Correct! Catching the Golden Snitch awards 150 points and ends the match. This is why the Seeker position is so crucial — catching the Snitch almost always wins the game, though famously at the Quidditch World Cup, Viktor Krum caught it but Bulgaria still lost.
✗ Not quite! The answer is 150 points. The Golden Snitch is worth 150 points and also ends the match. At the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, Krum caught the Snitch for Bulgaria but Ireland still won because they were more than 150 points ahead.
06
What form does Severus Snape’s Patronus take — revealing his lifelong love for Harry’s mother, Lily?
✓ Correct! Snape’s Patronus is a doe — the same as Lily Potter’s. When Dumbledore asked “After all this time?” Snape famously replied, “Always.” It’s one of the most emotional reveals in the entire series.
✗ Not quite! The answer is a doe. Snape’s Patronus matches Lily Potter’s because of his deep, enduring love for her. James Potter’s Patronus was a stag — the male counterpart. The doe is what led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor in the frozen lake.
07
What magical object must you look into to see the Mirror of Erised’s true purpose — and what does it show the viewer?
✓ Correct! The Mirror of Erised (“desire” spelled backward) shows the deepest desire of whoever looks into it. Harry saw his parents, Ron saw himself as Head Boy and Quidditch captain, and Dumbledore claimed he saw himself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.
✗ Not quite! The answer is their deepest, most desperate desire. “Erised” is “desire” spelled backward. The inscription reads: “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.” Dumbledore warned Harry that the mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth, and men have wasted away before it.
08
The three Deathly Hallows are the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and which third object that Harry himself possessed?
✓ Correct! The Cloak of Invisibility was passed down through Harry’s family — he inherited it from his father, James. Unlike ordinary invisibility cloaks, this Hallow never fades or weakens, making it a true relic of Death from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
✗ Not quite! The answer is the Cloak of Invisibility. Harry inherited it from his father on his first Christmas at Hogwarts. Together with the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, these three objects make up the Deathly Hallows from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
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Dobby's death in the penultimate Harry Potter movie remains one of the most emotional. After helping Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their allies escape Malfoy Manor, Dobby is fatally wounded by Bellatrix Lestrange before dying at Shell Cottage. Harry subsequently chooses to bury him without magic.
There is an important distinction between protecting the location and preserving the fan-made memorial itself. The National Trust's previous concerns show why visitors still need to respect Freshwater West's environment, even as the cable controversy highlights the site's cultural importance to Harry Potter fans.
HBO's Harry Potter remake is also moving forward, with season 1 premiering December 25 and season 2 set to adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the novel in which Dobby was originally introduced.
Still, convincing planners to alter part of a £430 million infrastructure project over a fictional character's gravesite is an extraordinary demonstration of Harry Potter's lasting impact. Dobby may have died in the Wizarding World, but his legacy remains very real to the franchise's fans.