Where are Harry Potter child stars now?

They were only children when they were cast in Harry Potter – but the young wizards are now all grown up and on very different paths.

They were the trainee wizards that had us spellbound in the Harry Potter films – but where did they get to when Hogwarts closed its doors?

While the film’s main trio Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have gone on to stellar careers in stage and screen, some of their classmates have taken different paths.

Almost two decades since the first movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone broke box office records by grossing $A1.4 billion worldwide, the child stars have gone on to become a bodybuilder, a Playboy model and a cage fighter.

One also found himself on the wrong side of the law – even before the eight-film franchise was over.

In light of the Harry Potter reunion coming to Binge on New Year’s Day, here’s what the magical kids of Hogwarts got up to after casting their final spells.

BONNIE WRIGHT – Ginny Weasley

Bonnie Wright played Ginny Weasley in all eight Harry Potter movies.

Wright, now 30, made her acting debut in the very first Harry Potter film, going on to star in all eight films and ultimately, her character married Harry himself.

Wright went on to star in a handful of independent, small films, before moving onto directing and producing, which she is still doing. Her three-part series, Phone Calls, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. She released Medusa’s Ankles in 2018 – starring Kerry Fox and Jason Isaacs – and has also directed music videos for artists Sophie Lowe, Pete Yorn, and Scarlett Johansson.

She has gained recognition for her environmental activism, as an ambassador for Greenpeace.

Bonnie Wright is still rocking her signature red locks.

JAMIE WAYLETT – Vincent Crabbe

Jamie Waylett found himself on the wrong side of the law.

Fans were left mystified when Goyle’s partner in crime Vincent Crabbe disappeared from the final two films in the franchise despite playing a pivotal part in the book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

He was replaced with a new character, Zabini Blaise, for a crucial fight between Draco’s posse and Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Sadly, it was revealed that Jamie Waylett, who played Crabbe and is now 32, had been ditched after being arrested for drug-related offences.

He and a friend were pulled over by the police who found a knife and eight bags of cannabis in their car and it was then discovered he was growing the drug at his mother’s home in northwest London, in April 2009.

He was found guilty and sentenced to 120 hours community service.

Two years later, in 2012, he was arrested again, during the riots in London, and was convicted of violent disorder, gaining a two year jail sentence.

It is not known what he is up to now.

AFSHAN AZAD – Padma Patil

Padma Patil was played by Afshan Azad.

Afshan played twin Padma in the last five films, landing the role when casting agents visited her school and she auditioned “just for fun”.

Now 33, she has become a beauty influencer with a following of 185,000 on Instagram and collaborations with brands.

In July this year she welcomed a baby girl with her husband of four years.

She was most recently seen at a German Comic-Con event alongside her Harry Potter co-star Matthew Lewis

MATTHEW LEWIS – Neville Longbottom

Matthew Lewis was always the butt of the joke in Harry Potter.

Matthew took on the role of the put-upon Neville when he was just 12 and he instantly became recognisable across the world.

But fans of the franchise would barely recognise him now – as he blossomed into quite a hunk.

In 2015, he stunned fans when he posed in his undies for Attitude magazine, showing off an impressive six pack.

Lewis has since had a major glow up. Picture: Attitude Magazine

Now 32, the actor has had a successful career since the series ended, starring in the movie Me Before You, alongside Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, and the TV series Girlfriends.

HARRY MELLING – Dudley Dursley

Harry Melling played Dudley.

The boy wizard’s spoiled cousin was played by Harry Melling in five of the films.

But he almost lost the role in the final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two, because he had shed so much weight.

In the end, he played the part wearing a fat suit.

After the franchise ended, Melling said: “I can now shed the child actor thing, like the fat, and start a new career, because no one sees me as Dudley.”

He’s not wrong. The talented actor, now 32, starred in Netflix smash The Queen’s Gambit and looks completely different.

He recently starred in The Queen’s Gambit.

JAMES AND OLIVER PHELPS – Fred and George Weasley

James and Oliver Phelps who played the Weasley twins in Harry Potter

The identical twins from Birmingham were cast as Ron Weasley’s older, wisecracking brothers at the age of 14 and starred in all eight films.

They originally auditioned “to get a day off school” but have carried on as actors since, most recently playing two police constables in a movie called Own Worst Enemy, set for release in 2021.

At 35, they have lost their trademark ginger locks.

The pair now have darker hair. Picture: Sean Thorton/WENN.com

As well as acting, the pair host a popular podcast called Double Trouble and have become Instagram influencers, with 4 million followers between them.

SCARLETT BYRNE – Pansy Parkinson

Scarlett Byrne played Pansy from Slytherin house.

Scarlett Byrne, 31, starred as Slytherin Pansy Parkinson in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and both Deathly Hallows films – and has gone on to have a charmed life.

The stunning actress is married to Hugh Hefner’s son Cooper, 30, who took over the Playboy empire after the death of his father and is now estimated to be worth $13.7 million.

The pair welcomed their first baby, Betsy Rose Hefner in August 2020 and Scarlett has also done her bit to for the family finances by posing in the men’s magazine in 2017.

Scarlett and Cooper Hefner with their baby girl.

She has also appeared in Dancing With The Stars as well as starring in The Vampire Diaries and Falling Skies.

JOSH HERDMAN – Gregory Goyle

Josh Herdman as Goyle.

Actor Josh Herdman, known as Draco’s thuggish sidekick Gregory Goyle, went from henchman to hench after taking up a career as an MMA fighter.

He won his first fight in 2016, against Janusz Walachowski. He continues to share his fitness progress on Instagram, where he has almost 170,000 followers.

“I chose MMA because I love the sport. It’s raw, exciting and unpredictable,” he said at the time.

Josh, now 34 and dad to two sons with partner Jessica, told the Daily Star he was a “party animal” and “needed something to focus on”.

He added: “You need a discipline, you need tenacity and you need a drive to keep at it.”

Herdman is now heavily tattooed.

The tattooed fighter – now totally unrecognisable as the 13-year-old actor in the Potter films – frequently appears at Harry Potter conventions around the world, as well as continuing the MMA career with fitness classes.

But he does still take the occasional acting role including the Anna Friel drama Marcella and the recent ITV drama White House Farm.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission