LONDON—The premiere was for a movie about a boy wizard but the one making all the magic was 20-year-old Emma Watson.

Best known for playing bossy Hermione Granger (and earning the equivalent of $32 million Canadian in the process, making her Hollywood’s highest-paid actress), Watson has grown from a frizzy-haired 10-year-old kid in oversized sweaters into a chic, fashion-forward young woman. She sported a new, short pixie cut in the red carpet for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 on Friday and made the front page of all the London papers the next morning.

“Bewitching,” one headline read. “Em’s black magic,” said another, a nod to the figure-hugging, black lace minidress with inky feathered hem that Watson wore with such confidence.

“Thank you. Thanks very much,” Watson told the Star graciously when complimented on her new look.