SAY hello to the new Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy.

These Burford School pupils are the models for the famous Hogwarts students in the first illustrated edition of Harry Potter, set for release this year.

Duncan Cooper, 15, was the inspiration for Harry’s sidekick Ron while Ollie Stacey, 15, has the dubious honour of being Harry’s nemesis Malfoy.

Illustrator Jim Kay visited the school in 2013 to photograph the boys, but the project was so secret he could not even tell them what they were modelling.

Publisher Bloomsbury released his sketches of Ron and Malfoy this week and they have already been featured in media around the world.

Year 11 pupil Duncan said there had only been a little bit of jealousy when his secret came out.

He said: “The drawing looks quite like me, but quite like Ron Weasley, it blends the two well.”

Mr Kay, who lives in Northamptonshire, said when he met Duncan he was immediately struck by how “great a character” he was.

He said: “The staff actually suggested Ollie as a contender for a character in the book, and the second I saw him I knew he’d be brilliant to draw.

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“He’s really striking, but it took a while to think which character might be used.”

After just two visits to the school to take photographs, he said he had worked on the drawings for seven days a week for more than 18 months.

When he was satisfied, he sent his drawings to JK Rowling and said he received a “lovely letter” in reply.

He added: “That was the first time it hit me that the commission was real.”

Unusually for a commission, Mr Kay said his models will have to age throughout the series too, which made it all the more important to have real-life references.

The artist based his illustration for Harry on a teenager called Clay who he spotted on the London Underground, who lives in the Lake District.

Hermione is based on a relative in Twickenham. The illustrated Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be published on October 6.

Do you look like a Harry Potter character? Email your photos to news@nqo.com

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