23 September 2023 , 00:54
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Harry Potter star Emma Watson is heading back to school - but she won’t be gathering points for Gryffindor, as she is instead chasing a degree from Oxford.
The 33-year-old actress - who played Hermione Granger in all eight of the blockbuster Harry Potter films - has reportedly signed up for a part-time Master’s degree at Oxford University. But fellow students might not be able to get very close to the star as she will reportedly be bringing a heavy security presence with her.
Emma, who already graduated from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in English literature in May 2014, will be heading to the world famous university to attend a handful of lectures. However, it is suggested she will complete most of her degree virtually - while security guards will protect her whenever she does need to go to campus.
The Sun reports that the actress is keen to keep herself safe while studying. A source told the publication: “The course is for older adults and can be done on a part-time basis, which is perfect for Emma’s schedule. She only has to be on site for four or five days a year because she can do the rest of the course online from home.
Emma Watson is reportedly heading back to University (Getty Images)"Because she’s a famous actress, she’ll have a security team looking after her whenever she has classes to go to. There have been a few incidents recently and she is taking every precaution necessary to ensure her safety.”
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The report of Emma’s new education plans comes after a man was arrested earlier this month after trying to break in to her dressing room at a fashion show in New York. The man in question has so far denied criminal trespass and disorderly conduct and his case is due to be heard in a USA court next month.
Emma previously attended Brown University, which is located in Providence, Rhode Island, in the USA, from 2011 until 2014. She began studying there weeks before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 hit cinemas, which concluded her time playing Hermione on the big screen after 10 years.
The Harry Potter movies were filmed in and around Oxford (Getty Images)During her time at the university, a wild rumour spread that she had been mocked for her role as magical witch Hermione in the Harry Potter films, with fellow students allegedly shouting out “10 points to Gryffindor” whenever she answered a question in class correctly. However, Emma herself later debunked the rumours.
She said in a 2011 interview with the BBC: “I felt the need to let you all know the reason I took a semester off from Brown had nothing to do with bullying as the media have been suggesting recently.
"I have never been bullied in my life and certainly never at Brown. This '10 points to Gryffindor' incident never even happened. I feel the need to say this because accusing Brown students of something as serious as bullying and this causing me to leave seems beyond unfair."
Emma will be familiar with the grounds of Oxford - as the Harry Potter movies were filmed in the English city, with many scenes filming in the grounds of the university buildings themselves. The Christ Church College, Cloisters were the setting for many corridor scenes in the film franchise - while scenes of magical staircases were filmed at Bodley Tower Staircase.