While they played arch-rivals in the Harry Potter franchise, actors Tom Felton and Emma Watson are reportedly extremely close in real life. The two have constantly showered compliments on each other in every interview and many fans are constantly shipping the two.

The two are close friends and have claimed that they share a very unique relationship. Felton mentioned that he was rude to Watson when they first interacted with each other as child actors on the sets of Harry Potter.

Tom Felton Was Rude To Emma Watson When They First Met

Tom Felton and Emma Watson

Tom Felton and Emma Watson

Tom Felton and Emma Watson have always maintained that they share a special relationship. Though there has been no romantic involvement between the two, much to the disappointment of the fans, Watson did reveal that Felton was her first crush when they were children and that she used to be excited to come to work when he was present on the day.

In the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts special, Emma Watson revealed the extent of her crush on Tom Felton,

“And I just don’t know how to say it – I just fell in love with him. I used to come in every day and look for his number on the call sheet, it was number seven, and if his name was on the call sheet, it was an extra exciting day.”

Tom Felton and Emma Watson in Harry Potter

Tom Felton and Emma Watson in Harry Potter

Felton however seemed to have a different impression at the beginning of their interaction. He mentioned in a BBC interview that he was arrogant and saw her as a young nine-year-old, while he was older. While the arrogance helped his character as Draco Malfoy, it meant being rude to his admirer. He said,

“I was a bit of a c*cky 12-year-old when we first auditioned and Emma was very new to it as a nine-year-old. I think I was slightly belittling somewhere in the process of meeting her in the audition period, which I think subsequently helped probably me get the part of Draco.”

Of course, the two have come a long way since that encounter.

Emma Watson Called Tom Felton Her Soulmate

Tom Felton and Emma Watson

Tom Felton and Emma Watson

Despite all the wonderful words that they have spoken about each other and the fact that Emma Watson had a huge crush on Tom Felton, the two have maintained that everything between them is platonic. They have stressed the fact that they have never dated and that share a friendship that is extremely supportive.

Felton released his memoir Beyond The Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard. He credited Watson for encouraging him to write the book and even include moments from his personal life as opposed to just about the Harry Potter films. Watson also contributed a four-page foreword for the memoir in which she called Felton her soulmate. She wrote,

“Like Tom, I always struggle to explain to people the nature of our connection and relationship. For more than 20 years now, we’ve loved each other in a special way…It’s one of the purest loves I can think of. We’re soulmates, and we’ve always had each other’s backs. I know we always will.”

While the duo have branded it as an impossibility, fans of the franchise still hope something sparks between the two. However, for now, the fans have resorted to shipping them together in elaborate fan-fiction on their Harry Potter characters Draco Malfoy and Hermoine Granger getting together.