21 Years Later, Harry Potter’s Most Random Character Still Stole Every Scene in Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter may be the Boy Who Lived and the Chosen One, but it’s Bem who ultimately steals the show in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s famous fantasy series revolves around Harry’s third year at Hogwarts, which coincides with the disappearance of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). As Sirius escapes Azkaban prison to allegedly find Harry, Harry learns more about his parents and the effects of trauma from the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis).

Bem may be an obscure Harry Potter character in the grand scheme of things, but Ekow Quartey is a little more recognizable. Seven years after his brief appearance in Prisoner of Azkaban (which also served as his acting debut), Quartey joined the National Theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe; he’s since portrayed characters like Forest Lord and William in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Nana and Tootles in Peter Pan, and Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Quartey most recently starred as JJ in Amandaland​​​​​, a British comedy miniseries that premiered in February 2025. While he’s still enjoying an acting career today, Quartey will always be remembered for his random (but important) impact on the third Harry Potter movie.

Who Is Bem In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?

Image via Warner Bros.

It’s been a little over twenty years since Prisoner of Azkaban‘s release, yet Bem remains an icon, a legend, and the moment. Throughout the movie, Bem is a Gryffindor student who is friendly with Harry and the rest of their classmates. Trying to explain who Bem is becomes a little tricky when looking at the character’s overall performance: Bern appears randomly and disappears without a trace by the time Sirius delivers his (equally iconic) “I did my waiting!” monologue. In fact, Bem is such an enigma that his name is never even spoken. Quartey is credited as “Boy 1” in the Prisoner of Azkaban credits, but his name is given if the movie is turned on with captions.

Generally speaking, Bem’s presence works as a plot device more than anything else. When Harry and the audience need something explained, Bem is there to save the day. While the group attends Professor Trelawney’s (Emma Thompson) Divination class, Bem explains that the Grim is “among the darkest omens in our world. It’s an omen…of death.” When the Daily Prophet later reports that Sirius is reportedly close to Hogwarts, Bem drops this iconic line that still rivals any Shakespearean performance: “It’s like trying to catch smoke. It’s like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands.”

Bem isn’t meant to overshadow any of the main Harry Potter characters, but he does anyway (and quite easily) in every scene he’s in. One aspect of Bem that remains alluring and intriguing today is that, in over two decades, no details about the character have ever been revealed. One can assume that Bem is possibly of Nigerian ancestry and was born in either 1980 or 1981 (Prisoner of Azkaban takes place between 1993 and 1994), but beyond that, the Hogwarts student is a true enigma. Besides that (and more importantly), Bem’s two lines are delivered so dramatically and with an inspiring level of conviction. Because of Bem, the audience really gets a sense that omens are dangerous, Sirius is not to be messed with, and Harry is steadfast on an inadvertent path to trouble.

Bem Is an Iconic (But Not Canon) Harry Potter Character

Harry gets his Firebolt in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanImage via Warner Bros.

Prisoner of Azkaban is (arguably) the best Harry Potter movie, but it’s fair to say that Cuarón took his fair share of liberties in adapting Rowling’s third book—in retrospect, in fact, it’s become abundantly clear that the first two movies (directed by Chris Columbus) are the most book-accurate. In the movie, for instance, the last scene shows Harry receiving a new broom surrounded by his classmates, and then taking the broom on a fast joyride. While exciting, Harry gets the Firebolt after his first Quidditch match, a gift quickly taken away by Professor McGonagall. Another major liberty taken concerns the third-year’s trip to Hogsmeade. To summarize succinctly, there are two Hogsmeade trips in the Prisoner of Azkaban book, and on one visit, Harry has to run away after being seen by Draco Malfoy.

Circling back to Cuarón’s adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban, there’s no doubt that overall, the movie is a home run. The ambiance and cinematography mark a real turning point for the darker elements of the series (even before Voldemort’s return), the special effects are well-done, and everyone’s performances are engaging. Much of the dialogue provokes intrigue and mystery, especially everything that comes out of Bem’s mouth. His lines are saved for when the tension hits a peak and the scene is ready to change, giving way to a strong payoff. What solidifies Bem’s celebrity status more than anything is that we know nothing about him.

Even if Bem was given any sort of backstory whatsoever, that doesn’t change the fact that he is the most blatant non-canonical Harry Potter ​​​​​​character to ever be featured. There have been some heavy debates over the years about how many students attend Hogwarts each year, but Rowling’s books consistently explain that there are only five boys in Harry’s year, and that they all share the same dormitory until Deathly Hallows: Harry, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), Neville Longbottom (Mathew Lewis), Dean Thomas (Alfred Enoch), and Seamus Finnegan (Devon Murray). Bem is a Gryffindor in Prisoner of Azkaban, and while he could be in a different year, that theory also falls through. Each group takes classes together throughout their Hogwarts tenure, with no one moving up or down a “year” regardless of ability. When Hermione signs up for extra classes in the third movie, for example, she is given a Time Turner to do so, and is not elevated, per se, to “fourth year” classes.

It’s worth mentioning that Bem is not the only non-canonical character randomly inserted into the Harry Potter film adaptations. In Prisoner of Azkaban, for instance, there is another unidentified Gryffindor student who is present during Hagrid’s Magical Creatures class. This character is portrayed by Rick Sahota and simply called “Boy 2” in the credits. Nigel Wolpert (William Melling) is another character introduced in the films, despite never appearing in a Harry Potter ​​​​​​book. Then, on the other hand, several Harry Potter characters have minor supporting roles (despite having bigger impacts in Rowling’s books), never to be seen again. Examples include Justin Finch-Fletchley (Edward Randell) and Stan Shunpike (Lee Ingleby).

Why Was Bem Included In the Harry Potter Franchise?

Harry teaches Neville a new spell in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.Image via Warner Bros

Bem steals the show in Prisoner of Azkaban, and for those who need more of him in their lives, the character can briefly be seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. When Dumbledore’s Army first assembles and Harry begins to teach spells in the Room of Requirement, Bem is present in the background, standing around with the others. Quartey’s resume confirms that he appears as an extra in the fifth Harry Potter film, although Bem wears Ravenclaw robes, not Gryffindor.

So what’s the deal with Bem, and why is the non-canonical Harry Potter character there in the first place? The short answer is that there’s no legitimate reason, and thus no real answer. Bem arrives with no context, delivers some of the hardest lines ever spoken in Harry Potter, and then mysteriously dips. Although Quartey’s short-lived performance does help set the mood and propel the narrative in Prisoner of Azkaban, his lines could’ve easily been given to Dean. Harry’s dorm mate presents himself as such a minor background character in the third Harry Potter ​​​​​​movie that, as a kid, I thought that Bem and Dean were the same person (just a different actor).

Of course, since Bem’s inclusion makes no sense, numerous theories (some more realistic than others) have been proposed by Internet users over the years. Did Quartey’s initial audition for the Harry Potter franchise not make the official cut, but the casting department liked him so much that they invented Bem? Did Quartey win an obscure contest to feature in Prisoner of Azkaban, or have a personal connection somewhere to help him land the role? Considering that the actor and Cuarón have never provided an explanation to this day, one can even speculate further (although purely for entertainment purposes, of course). Imagine if Bem was really Albus Dumbledore disguised by the Polyjuice Potion, for instance.

At the end of the day, while Bem is an iconic character, plenty of other canon Harry Potter characters should’ve been given screen time as well, instead of being completely shunned from all eight films. Five of Rowling’s characters who never saw the light of day on-screen (although there are more) include Winky (a House-elf), Peeves (a poltergeist), Charlie Weasley (Ron’s second-eldest brother), Professor Binns (the ghost History of Magic professor), and Voldemort’s immediate family. Making up an entire Harry Potter character instead of including the ones already introduced is a little questionable, but in Bem’s case, the change paid off in the long run.

Release Date

March 1, 2004

Runtime

144 Minutes

Director

Alfonso Cuarón

Writers

J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves

Producers

Callum McDougall, Chris Columbus, David Heyman, Lorne Orleans, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan