Nigel Wolpert

Nigel Wespurt (c. 1982 - 2 May 1998) was a student who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the 1990s, and was sorted into Gryffindor house in 1994. He was an avid fan of the student Harry Potter. As he was underage in May 1998, when the Battle of Hogwarts was taking place, he was evacuated with all the other underage students.

First year, 1994-1995


Nigel Wespurt began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the start of 1994. He was sorted into Gryffindor house. Nigel appeared to have a great deal of respect for the school headmaster, during Dumbledore's welcoming speech Nigel seemed completely captivated, where as other students around him were getting distracted by friends and floating candles.

Nigel had also really shown an interest in Harry Potter dubbed 'The Boy who Lived' and had asked Ron Weasley if he could get him Harry's autograph. Nigel was seen as a supporting member to Harry Potter throughout the Triwizard Tournament and for doing so was often bullied by Draco Malfoy and his crew. For instance, when Nigel was cheering for Harry after he emerged from the lake Draco hit Nigel over the head and pulled his hat down over his face. Also during this year, despite being only a first year, Nigel attended the Yule Ball, meaning he must have been asked by someone much older than him, as Ginny Weasley, a third year, accepted Neville Longbottom's offer as she doubted she'd be asked by anyone else and being so young she wouldn't have been allowed to attend otherwise.

At the end of the year Nigel was supposed to have his first ever End-of-Term Feast but due to the circumstances surrounding the Triwizard Tournament and them resulting in the murder of Cedric Diggory this feast was cancelled and instead a memorial feast was held by Albus Dumbledore for students and staff to pay their respects to the late Diggory and grieve the loss. At the end of this year Dumbledore had declared, based on Harry Potter's word, that Lord Voldemort had returned to power. Nigel was amongst the students to believe this claim and not be persuaded otherwise by the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet which in later months would slate Harry and Dumbledore as liars.

Second year, 1995-1996
The following year, Hogwarts would be put under the watchful eyes of Dolores Umbridge, the newly Ministry-appointed Hogwarts High Inquisitor and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Umbridge was making students lives a misery and was refusing to teach the students any practical forms of Defence Against the Dark Arts. When Harry Potter and Hermione set up an organisation against this Nigel joined and became a part of Dumbledore's Army. Nigel must have sneaked out of the Hogwarts grounds to visit Hogsmeade in order to attend the first D.A. meeting, as Nigel was only in his second year at the time, making him too young to visit Hogsmeade. This would be the start of a rebellious year of events for Nigel surrounding him joining the D.A..

When attending the D.A.'s meetings Nigel would often stay close to Harry Potter whom he looked up to. With Nigel's enthusiasm in lessons Harry would often use Nigel as a 'test dummy' and was used to demonstrate performing the Stunning Spell and the Hover Charm. He also assisted Harry by acting as a look-out as the students left the Room of Requirement at the end of the meetings. When Dolores Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad discovered the D.A. meetings, Nigel was at the front of the class along with Harry Potter. He was among the students to serve one of Umbridge's 'medieval' detentions as punishment for being a member of Dumbledore's Army. Towards the end of the year Fred and George Weasley put their plans of escape into action and Nigel was amongst the crowd of students and staff to witness their departure and cheered them off after they turned a school corridor into a swamp.

Third year, 1996-1997
During Nigel's third year his idol Harry Potter became the new Captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Nigel was present at the Quidditch tryouts that year but did not make the team, however he did not take the news badly and was quite happy with the selected students as he was later shown to be very supportive. Nigel was seen cheering loudly for Ron Weasley when he won his first Quidditch match. He also witnessed Ron and Lavender Brown passionately kissing for the first time in the Gryffindor common room, something which he showed disgust in by poking his tongue out and covering his face with his woolly hat to block his view. Being Nigel's third year, this year would have been the first time he was able to go out on a trip to Hogsmeade at the weekends, assuming he was given parental consent.

Nigel was also still present at Hogwarts when Professor Severus Snape killed the school's current headmaster Albus Dumbledore. After hearing the news and seeing the Dark Mark floating above the school he and a large group of students and staff gathered around the body of Dumbledore which had fallen from the Astronomy Tower, Nigel arrived at the place with Luna Lovegood and stood with her and Madam Pomfrey whilst the crowd looked on at Harry who had crouched down to Dumbledore. When the time came, he followed Professor McGonagall's sign of respect and lit his wand and raised his arm in the air with the crowd of students to show their respects to the late headmaster, in doing so the combined faculty and students of Hogwarts managed to rid the sky of the over-looking Dark Mark. It is more than likely that Nigel attended the funeral service that followed afterwards unless his parents pulled him out of school before the year had finished, like some others had done.

Etymology

 * Nigel is derived from the Latin Nigellus, which is the middle name of Phineas Nigellus Black.
 * The name Nigel also has Scottish origin in which it means "Champion".

Behind the scenes

 * Nigel Wespurt is portrayed by William Melling in the Harry Potter films and Nigel has only ever appeared in the Harry Potter films, never in any of the novels.
 * Nigel seems to fill a role as composite replacement for both Colin and Dennis Creevey.
 * William Melling has a non-speaking role in the sixth film and he is shown several times in the background.
 * Nigel's last name was revealed to be "Wespurt" in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Dumbledore's Army parchment.
 * Nigel appears on the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as a non-speaking character.
 * Nigel has a bigger role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he's seen more and he has more lines. One of the lines: 'Lightning has struck, lightning has struck!' Warning the other students and Remus of Harry Potters arrival.


 * If Nigel was born in 1982-1983 he would be 11 in 1993-1994 making him either in his sixth or his fifth year, even though he is shown to be in his fourth year.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Notes and references
Nigel