“Always had a secret love”: Tom Felton opens up about Emma Watson in new memoir

Harry Potter stars Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, and Tom Felton, famous for portraying the antagonist Draco Malfoy, have confessed their romantic feelings for each other in the past. In the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Watson admitted to having a "crush" on Felton, and now Felton has also opened up about his "tension" with Emma.

In his upcoming new memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, Tom Felton confessed how he "always had a secret love" for his co-star. He said:

"I always had a secret love for Emma, though not perhaps in the way that people might want to hear."

Their feelings are not typical of a romantic one, they've described each other as soulmates, though they've never dated.

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Tom Felton's memoir details his feelings toward Harry Potter co-star Emma Watson

In his memoir, Tom Felton does not hold back about his equation with co-star Emma Watson. The foreword to the memoir, featuring Emma, was released with the Little Women actress calling him her "soulmate." She continued to call her love something beyond their understanding. She said:

"What we have is far deeper than that. 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.”

Emma Watson and Tom Felton (image via Legion Media)

Despite their relationship having since been everlasting, they initially had a rocky start. Emma described her then nine-year-old self as "moony and probably rather annoying," and Tom Felton also criticized his initial behavior. He claimed that Watson would have been "forgiven" if she decided she didn't want anything to do with him.

Felton went on to explain him and his fellow Slytherin house cohorts' behavior during a dance show Emma had once thrown in her dressing room. He described their actions as being "sh*tty" and probably motivated by "awkwardness." In the end, he was told off by one of the hair and makeup stylists and realized his mistake.

At 15, when he was told about 12-year-old Emma's crush on him, he didn't believe them. Emma's feelings have been well documented, whereas Tom Felton's has always been low-key. He has always claimed to love Emma as a sister and nothing more. Though now he finally claims it to be something beyond that.

Even Tom's then-girlfriend, Jade Gordon, long suspected her partner's relationship with his co-star. Their friendship seemed to mask a deeper, untouched emotion between the two. Even friends of Jade said she felt "crazy" and intimidated during the film's premieres owing to the pair's relationship.

Tom Felton and Jade Olivia nae Gordon (image via Getty Images)

Felton himself knew that Jade had suspicions. He said that she knew right away that there was something "unspoken" between the two. Jade declined to comment, but sources say that she has no interest in reading the book. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and young son.

In retrospect, Tom doesn't think he was ever "in love" with Emma. They share a kindred spirit and vow to have each other's back. In the foreword, Emma describes Tom as "a little piece of my soul."

Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard is scheduled to be released on October 18, 2022. However, fans can now preorder the memoir on bookshop.org for $26.04.