It's hard to believe that the first Harry Potter movie came out almost 20 years ago. During all that time, the stars of those beloved films quickly became some of the most well-known celebrities in show business, partially due to the franchise's popularity and maybe a bit due to how charming they all are. While most of them have moved on to enjoy more success after the conclusion of their colossal 8-film journey, it's still difficult to separate these actors from the series that made them stars, and that may apply to their own feelings as well.

This is likely why, when Harry Potter star (and much nicer person than his character would suggest) Tom Felton posted a throwback selfie from a few years ago, followers quickly flocked into the replies to gush about the incredible nostalgia they felt from it. Felton has apparently managed to hit that sweet spot where he played an iconic Harry Potter villain as Draco Malfoy but didn't end up suffering abuse from fans as a result, which was probably a relief to him. Nobody tell the poor kid from Game of Thrones.

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The image, posted on Felton's Instagram, depicts the star alongside several of his fellow Harry Potter mainstays who comprised a fraction of the Weasley family in the films. James Phelps (Fred Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) are all smiles next to Felton, which is a nice change of pace in contrast to the decidedly less cozy relationship they all share with his stuck-up character onscreen. He even added a cheeky caption, saying "secretly draco always wanted to be a redhead" in reference to the Weasleys' trademark fiery manes. It's nice to see that they don't seem to feel intimidated by their co-star as others might.

Felton earned heaps of praise during his time playing Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, which only compounded when it turned out that he was just an all-around swell guy in real life. Since his time in the iconic franchise, he's gone on to star in other big-name movies and series like Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The CW's The Flash. Unfortunately for those hoping for less of a typecasting situation, he played kind of a jerk in both projects, though at least The Flash saw him as the lovable kind rather than of the animal cruelty variety in Rise.

Co-stars Wright and Phelps even weighed in down in the comments, with Wright joking that "there's still time" for Draco to achieve his crimson dream and Phelps adding "same!" in reference to his own lack of red hair compared to that of his character. So it's good to know there's still that sense of camaraderie among them, or at least enough to tap out a few words in an Instagram reply. While author J.K. Rowling's hateful and toxic views regarding trans people may have soured the series for many former fans, it's the wholesome stuff like this between the actors that still keeps things worthwhile.

These sorts of bonds are the kind that can potentially last forever. Everyone in the picture shared a connection and indelible friendship that continued to strengthen for years, and that's something that sticks around. That's not to mention the similar feeling fans share after watching them all for so long. It's really a magical thing, and it could never be improved upon even if the picture itself was moving.

The Harry Potter films are available to stream on Peacock.

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Source: Tom Felton/Instagram