'Harry Potter' fans reroute power cable to save Dobby's grave
What's the story
In a surprising turn of events, Harry Potter fans have successfully diverted a multimillion-pound power link or cable between the United Kingdom and Ireland. The move came after concerns that the project would disturb a memorial to Dobby the House Elf, a beloved character from the series. The £430 million ($580 million) Greenlink interconnector was originally planned to run through Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, where Dobby's death scene was filmed.
Rerouting decision
Fans inundated firm with calls
Simon Ludlam, project manager of the Greenlink interconnector, revealed on the Energy Revolution podcast, per the BBC, that fans inundated his firm with "hundreds of calls" over the proposed route.
Ultimately, they had to listen to the Potterheads.
"Actually, we went quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby's grave," Ludlam said.
Unaware of Dobby's significance
Ludlam didn't know who Dobby was
Ludlam admitted he initially didn't know who Dobby was.
"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?'"
But after learning more about the situation from his colleague, he worked with planners to reroute the cable away from what fans consider to be Dobby's grave.
New route
Now, the route passes near real Bronze Age remains
The new route for the power link now passes near Bronze Age human burial remains instead of the fictional grave.
These remains were discovered during archaeological trenches dug near the original proposed route. They include an inverted pottery vessel from around 1700-1500BC, typically associated with human burials.
Despite this change, Ludlam assured that "the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby's happy."
Previous preservation
National Trust previously agreed to preserve mock grave
This isn't the first time Dobby's grave has been preserved. In 2022, the National Trust agreed to leave it untouched after a consultation.
However, they urged visitors not to leave souvenirs on the mock grave made of pebbles with messages written on them, as the beach is an ecologically sensitive site.
For the unversed, Dobby was a house elf who helps Harry in his battle against Voldemort, tragically dying in the arms of the Boy Who Lived.