Harry Potter: 12 Best Supporting Characters
1. Neville Longbottom
Is there a more quintessential supporting character across the Potter canon that Harry and Ron's bumbling dorm-mate-turned-quasi-guerrilla-leader? Neville Longbottom stands out from the crowd as one of the franchise's most well-developed and quietly complex creations; a surprise foil to his classmate likewise struggling to break out of the shadows of an unwanted legacy.
Like much of the wider ensemble, his book arc is pruned and pinched for the big-screen but unlike many others, the majority of his journey is preserved and even expanded in parts throughout the franchise.
His maturation into a leader - hinted at in Order of the Phoenix and satisfying realised in Deathly Hallows - Part 2 - matches the evolution of Matthew Lewis' performance in the role; the Yorkshireman grows with every turn, bringing shades of newfound confidence time upon time again to transcend his initial comedy sidekick role and emerge as an integral member of the series' wider mythology.