Harry Potter fans moved to tears by Return to Hogwarts’ poignant tribute to Alan Rickman

Richard Griffiths and Helen McCrory were also among the late stars to get a mention in the new reunion special

Harry Potter fans have shared their emotional reactions as the newly released reunion special paid tribute to some of the franchise’s late stars.

Among the actors to have been commemorated in the special are Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape, and Helen McCrory, who played Narcissa Malfoy.

Rickman died of cancer in 2016, at the age of 69. McCrory died of cancer earlier this year, aged 52.

Also absent from the special was Vernon Dursley actor Richard Griffiths, who died in 2013 following complications from heart surgery. John Hurt and Richard Harris are also among the Harry Potter stars to have passed away.

Return to Hogwarts, which was released today in the US and UK, features a tribute to the late actors, with particular focus being placed on Rickman.

Viewers shared their reactions to the tribute on social media, with some saying they were moved to tears.

“The Harry Potter reunion was so good but that ending, with Dumbledore and Snape, was poignant and had me in tears . They did a nice little tribute to Alan Rickman, too,” wrote one fan.

Another wrote: “#ReturnToHogwarts parts where I cried — Dan and Gary talking, Remembering the late actors, especially, Alan Rickman’s part, Emma and Rupert’s emotional talk at the end, and basically, almost the whole part at the end.”

Elsewhere in the special, Daniel Radcliffe revealed a flirty note that he wrote to an older cast member on the last day of filming, while Watson detailed the moment she “fell in love” with Felton on set.

Radcliffe also described “trying to be cool” to impress co-star Gary Oldman, and Ralph Fiennes revealed what lead him to accept the role of the villainous Lord Voldemort.

Contrary to early reports, controversial Harry Potter author JK Rowling did in fact feature in the special. Rowling’s involvement had been thrown into doubt following a backlash over comments she has made about transgender people.

The cast also discussed a time when Emma Watson almost quit the franchise.

You can read The Independent’s review of Return to Hogwarts here.