In the Harry Potter universe, the character of Dobby is a house elf, once a slave to the evil Malfoy family. He is also a nuisance and a pest. So it only makes sense that Dobby's minions and mourners would be just as insufferable. That brings us to present day.
Fans of the books, movies, and of Dobby, have consistently left socks at the location where the elf died, Freshwater West Beach in Wales.
It's basically overrun with socks at this point which, as you can guess, isn't great for the environment. The socks are in reference to Lucius Malfoy, who is tricked by Harry Potter into gifting Dobby a sock. Once a master gifts a house elf an item of clothing, the elf is then set free. Dobby kept the sock with him until the day he died.
Lest we forget the sh*tty things Dobby did, including but not limited to hiding all of Harry Potter's letters sent to him by his friends, and trying to to drive Harry away from Hogwarts. Not to mention he refers to himself in the third person. Like I said...insufferable.
The point of the matter is National Trust Wales, the largest conservation charity in Europe has stepped in. According to Variety, the National Trust conducted a review of the makeshift memorial and noted that, "Socks, trinkets and paint chips from painted pebbles could enter the marine environment and food chain and put wildlife at risk.”
The beach and 'gravesite' will remain open for visitors, but the Trust asks that no more socks be left at the location. Pictures may be taken, and are encouraged as an alternative.
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