[post_page_title]Jessie Cave – Lavender Brown (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)[/post_page_title]
It might surprise casual fans to discover this, but there are only five “officially” black characters in the entire Harry Potter series: Angelina Johnson, Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Blaise Zabini. In the past, though, fans thought they could include another – Ron Weasley’s girlfriend Lavender Brown.
While her ethnicity was never explicitly mentioned in the books, in Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban she was portrayed by black actresses. When the part became a major speaking role in The Half-Blood Prince, however, she was suddenly recast with blonde tap-dancer Jessie Cave. Nothing against Cave’s performance – it’s just a curious change at a curious time.
