Actually, Harry Potter fans just want to memorialise the house elf Dobby. However, the many socks they leave on a beach in Wales pose a problem for nature
12 years ago, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 opened in cinemas and provided one of the saddest moments in the entire fantasy series. After a deadly confrontation with the Malfoys, the house-elf Dobby dies on a barren, desolate beach in the arms of the boy who survived.
A touching moment that has never left many Harry Potter fans. For this reason, they have erected a memorial at the location where the heartbreaking scene was filmed: Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. For years, fans have come here to remember Dobby.
Unexpected Harry Potter problem: Too many fans put socks on Dobb’s grave
To pay tribute to Dobby, many Harry Potter fans lay down a sock on the beach. It is a sign of freedom: when a house-elf receives an item of clothing as a gift from its owner:inside, it is free. Harry had tricked Lucios Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock, and thus freedom.
Dobby’s death scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:
The amount of discarded socks at Freshwater West Beach is becoming an increasing problem, however, as the New York Times reports. “Items such as socks […] could be entering the marine environment and food chain and endangering wildlife,” sums up National Trust Wales after eight months of monitoring. The Trust is a non-profit organisation that looks after heritage conservation and nature protection.
For the time being, the monument may nevertheless remain. Harry Potter fans are still welcome to visit the beach and reminisce. The request of the National Trust Wales is nevertheless clear: “The Trust asks all people to take photos only when visiting the memorial in order to protect nature. “
