Bem

"It's like trying to catch smoke... like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

- Bem on trying to catch Sirius Black

Bem (born c. 1979-1980 ) was a Nigerian wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991 to 1998. He was Sorted into Gryffindor and is in Harry Potter's year, however he does not dorm with Harry and friends.

Early years
Born in Britain or Ireland, despite being Nigerian in descent, Bem began his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991, along with students Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. He was Sorted into the house of Gryffindor, but would not share a dormitory with the other known Gryffindor boys in his year. During Bem's second year, the school would be under attack from a Basilisk. Many students became petrified. Hogwarts was under threat of being closed. Bem was not a mentioned casualty.

Third year
Bem chose Care of Magical Creatures and Divination as electives in his third year.

Physical appearance
He was a black boy with dark eyes and a round face.

Etymology
The name Bem means "peace" in the language of the Tiv, of Nigeria and Cameroon and also means "good" in Portuguese. "BEM" is also an abbreviation for British Empire Medal, a medal received from British royalty for meritorious civil or military service, which reflects Bem being Sorted into Gryffindor.

Behind the scenes

 * Like the character Nigel Wolpert, Bem is not mentioned in the books, but is credited in the films. Played by Ekow Quartey, the character is listed in the credits for Prisoner of Azkaban as simply "Boy 1". However, on the Prisoner of Azkaban DVD, the closed captions identify the character as "Bem" during the Divination class scene.
 * Bem cannot be considered canon, as the books identify in several places that there are only five Gryffindor boys in Harry's year: Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas.