Who are our other Ravenclaw characters? Of the notable characters whose House affiliations we know, the following are the most likely candidates to do something profound to influence Book Seven:

- Professor Flitwick

- Luna Lovegood

- Cho Chang

Then there are lesser known but definitely mentioned Ravenclaws who could reasonably participate in some significant manner, either separately or together: The Grey Lady, Roger Davies, Terry Boot, Marietta Edgecombe, Penelope Clearwater, Anthony Goldstein, Padma Patil, etc.

Finally, there are those characters whose House affiliation has been undeclared, any of who could turn out to have a Ravenclaw-related contribution to make to the plot of Book Seven. My favorites among these are Mr. Ollivander, and Florean Fortescue, both of whom had disappeared by the beginning of HBP. My reasons are quite flimsy. They both seemed intellectual. Mr. Ollivander had a steal trap memory, remembering every wand he ever sold, its exact properties and who had purchased it. Mr. Fortescue had a memory for Wizard history that was unexpected from the owner of an ice cream shop, and I wondered if he was a quiet intellectual, who enjoyed learning for its own sake. At least one of them might likely have a significant return in Book Seven.

There is also the possibility that Emmeline Vance is not actually dead, as many have posited, but is being hidden by the Order. We don't know Emmeline's house affiliation, and so she must also be listed as a possibility. I do believe that when Dumbledore spoke to Draco of the Order's ability to completely hide an individual, he was referring to something that the Order has already done. The three most likely candidates are Mr. Ollivander, Emmeline and Fortescue, all of whom "died" or disappeared at the beginning of HBP and any one of whom may make an appearance and contribution to Book Seven. There is also Amelia Bones, but the descriptions do lead me to believe that poor Amelia is really dead, and the connections between the Bones family and Voldemort's past murders support that theory. However, in all fairness she should be counted. But even if Amelia is alive, which I doubt, I believe she is far more likely to be a Hufflepuff than a Ravenclaw, based on Tonks' descriptions of her and the presence of her niece, Susan, in Hufflepuff House.

It may be that one of these recently "deceased" or "missing" persons is a Ravenclaw with a substantial contribution to make. Indeed, I feel almost certain that at least one of them will be back, but whether they will have a connection to Ravenclaw or not, I cannot say.

Professor Flitwick was known in his youth as an excellent duelist. He is clearly superior at Charms. He has been a benign and neutral to positive character in Harry's life from his first day at Hogwarts. Though he seems to be trusted and acknowledged as a fine wizard, he is conspicuously missing from the Order of the Phoenix. Why? Would he not be an asset? Why did Dumbledore refrain from having him in the Order? Admittedly, he is not the only Hogwarts professor to be seemingly excluded from the Order; Professors Sprout, Vector and Sinistra do not seem to be a part of it either, nor is Madam Pomfrey; and we don't even know all the teachers names. Is Professor Flitwick a secret member? Has he always been a member and JKR has just never mentioned it? Or, are there reasons that Dumbledore did not want him in the Order? I find that difficult to believe, as the Order wanted to recruit as many trustworthy members as possible. It does seem odd that he has never been at a meeting. I would not be surprised to see Professor Flitwick make a major contribution in some way to Harry's quest. I will be horrified if he turns out to be untrustworthy.

How much does Prof. Flitwick know of his House founder? Might he have knowledge about Rowena Ravenclaw that could help Harry find a Ravenclaw Horcrux? Or, might his excellence at Charms help Harry with one or more tasks?

Remember, Lily was probably good at Charms. Professor Flitwick was already a teacher in her day, as he was monitoring the DADA OWL in Snape's Pensieve memory that Harry saw. So presumably Lily, who was chosen by a wand that was particularly good for Charms, studied under the great duelist, Filius Flitwick. Is this significant?

Luna Lovegood is also too strong a possibility to be ignored. Luna's unique perspective has already been useful to Harry more than once. I find it interesting and, thus far, unexplained that Luna is a Ravenclaw. I am not saying that Luna isn't intelligent, because I think she is. She has a kind of intelligence that I don't believe can be taught. She sees things in a way that others do not, and she has an incredible lack of negative judgment towards others for one so young. She observes others and accepts all aspects of people as simple fact; not anything to take personally or be upset by. We don't know what kind of student she is, but she seemed to do okay in DA meetings, if not particularly exceptionally, and she acquitted herself as well as the rest in the Ministry, avoiding injury and keeping her head on straight.

Her propensity to believe in the unexplained amuses and interests me. Luna has a sensitivity to things unseen by most people, and she is often right. She also has a quirky sort of delight in the sorts of ideas that would compel an extreme Muggle "New Age" thinker. Some of these are based in real, plausible ideas and her own openness, which allows for great perception. But others lead the thinker to nowhere, forever chasing the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack. What does JKR mean by this tendency in Luna? Is it youth and lack of the intellectual discretion to match her wit's potential? Is Luna any more or less on the right track about the universe than, say, Hermione? Or, does the truth lie somewhere in the middle, requiring the two girls to help mature each other's perspectives? Does Luna have other natural strengths, beyond her unique perceptions? How will they aid Harry? Does her comfort with Death and things unseen hint that Luna may be someone who does, alas, venture beyond the Veil before the end of the story? I hope not, but I do wonder.

Cho is probably the least likely to figure prominently at this point. She did produce a Patronus, and diligently attended DA meetings. But after her disastrous attempt at young love with Harry, she cooled towards him and went through a period of self-conscious discomfort in HBP. She is out of Hogwarts, as she is a year older than Harry. Will she fade from the picture, or will she return as part of the loyal wizarding faction that stands with Harry at the end? Were we shown her swan Patronus for a reason?

Whoever the contributor or contributors, if Ravenclaw is to have its day, as JKR has promised, then it must happen soon, and it must happen in relation to Harry's quest. What do you think will be the Ravenclaw contribution?

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