‘Harry Potter’ Fans Are Paying Tribute To Alan Rickman At Platform 9 3/4

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Since news of British actor Alan Rickman’s death first broke on Thursday, tributes have been pouring in from all over the globe. The kind words of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, writer and director Kevin Smith, and countless other celebrities are among said tributes, but the strongest messages have come from fans of Rickman’s performance as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. Citing a pivotal moment from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, they “raised their wands” on Twitter to commemorate the actor’s passing. Yet that’s not all they did.

Mourners have also flocked to the Platform 9 3/4 attraction at King’s Cross station in London. The imagined platform — located between actual platforms 9 and 10 — serves as wizarding students’ main point of access to the Hogwarts Express. This is the train that takes them to Hogwarts every year, and in order to get to it, they must run through a brick wall with all their belongings in tow.

Platform 9 3/4’s access point has since become a major London tourist attraction for Harry Potter fans, so after Thursday’s news made the rounds, people started leaving bouquets of flowers, handwritten notes and images at the location. Thankfully, the attraction was more than happy to let the impromptu memorial stay.

(Via BuzzFeed)