THOUSANDS of children have been counting down to today’s release of the final Harry Potter film, but for one schoolgirl it will be even more special.

At tonight’s London premiere, Ellie Darcey-Alden, 11, will watch her own big screen debut in the role of Harry’s mother Lily Evans in flashback scenes to her Hogwarts schooldays.

A pupil at Edward Feild Primary School in Kidlington, Ellie was not allowed to tell her schoolfriends about her part in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, as she left lessons to travel up to Leavesden Studios and Hatfield House in Hertfordshire for filming last year.

Tonight, she will walk down the red carpet with mum Sarah and dad Phil at the star-studded premiere in Leicester Square, where diehard fans have already set up camp to celebrate the franchise’s final film.

Ellie said: “I am still trying to get over that I am actually in Harry Potter. When I got the part, I was so happy I was speechless.

“It was the best time of my life.”

On her first day on set, the 11-year-old was introduced to 21-year-old star Daniel Radcliffe as his on-screen mother.

She added: “It was very funny. Everyone was so friendly to me and it was really fun.

“At first, it was really difficult to keep the secret.

“But when my friends did find out, they were so happy for me and supported me all the way through it.”

Ellie’s role is crucial to explaining the background which underpins the series’ plot, revealing the complex relationships between Harry’s dead parents and sinister schoolmaster Severus Snape.

She made her stage debut in Oxford Playhouse’s Aladdin in 2007, and has appeared in the BBC’s Holby City, Robin Hood and Tess of the d’Urbevilles.

Her London agents have already tipped her for future success, but her parents said they would still treat her passion as a hobby until she gets older.

Mum Sarah Darcey-Alden, of Yarnton, said: “We cannot express how proud of her we are.

“I never thought when she went to the audition that she would get this part. It is absolutely mind-blowing.”

Edward Feild headteacher Cathryn Wilkes said: “She is a delight to teach, very naturally gifted, and very supportive of her peers.

“We are all really excited about watching the film and spotting our little star.”