Published Date: 04 February 2006

Mike Waites and James Reed
ONE of the stars of the Harry Potter films swapped Hogwarts for Horsforth in Leeds last night to mark the opening of a newly-refurbished library.

Leeds actor Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the film series, read his favourite excerpts from JK Rowling’s best-selling books.
The 16-year-old, who comes from Horsforth, also answered questions about his experiences of appearing in the four big screen versions and playing the bumb-ling classmate of the teenage wizard at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Matthew, who has also appeared on TV in shows including Heartbeat and Dalziel and Pascoe, is studying for his A-levels ahead of the filming of the fifth Harry Potter movie which is due to begin shooting shortly.
It follows the huge success of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire last year when he appeared alongside stars including Alan Rickman and Dame Maggie Smith.
His character has become more important with each book, with many believing he will play a crucial role when the saga comes to an end.
He told the Yorkshire Post last month: “I am a fan of the books, and when I first read them through it doesn’t really register, and then at the end you start thinking ‘wow, that’s going to be really fun to do’.”
The library, in Town Street, has reopened after a refit which has seen the space for books expanded and better access for the Mechanics Institute. A new IT suite with broadband internet access has been installed.