Renowned actress Emma Watson, who is famous around the world for her role as Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" series, has found herself disqualified from driving for six months. This decision came from the High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, after the 35-year-old was caught speeding in Oxford last year. While driving her blue Audi, Watson was clocked at 38 mph in a 30 mph zone on July 31, 2024. This latest incident added three points to her driving record, pushing her total to 12 penalty points, which, according to UK law, means an automatic driving ban.

The UK's "totting up" system states that any driver who racks up 12 or more penalty points within three years faces a mandatory minimum six-month driving disqualification. Watson, who is currently working on a Master's degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford, didn’t attend the brief five-minute court hearing. However, her legal representative confirmed that she was fully aware of the situation and accepted the court's ruling without contest. The court also slapped her with a fine of £1,044 (around $1,400 USD), which her lawyer assured she could pay despite being a student.

This isn’t Watson’s first brush with traffic violations; reports suggest this is her fourth driving offense in less than two years, with previous points added in January 2024, and in October and November 2023. Her last significant film role was in Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" back in 2019, and she has mostly kept a low profile while concentrating on her studies.

In an interesting twist, another "Harry Potter" co-star, Zoe Wanamaker, who played Madam Hooch, also received a six-month driving ban on the same day and in the same courtroom. Wanamaker, 76, was caught driving at 46 mph in a 40 mph zone on the M4 motorway in Berkshire in August 2024. Like Watson, she had nine existing penalty points on her license before this incident, leading to her automatic disqualification and the same fine of £1,044.