Septima Vector

"Prof. Septima Vector... Arithmancy."

- Vector's name and subject on a list of teachers.

Professor Septima Vector was a witch and Professor of Arithmancy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from at least the 1993–1994 school year. She may have also been the Advanced Arithmancy Studies teacher.

Professor Vector was known among students as a "really strict" teacher, so much so that some pupils were unsure whether to take her classes. She was also known for giving her pupils plenty of complicated homework. Her subject was Hermione Granger's favourite subject while she was in school, but one of her roommates did not like it because she found it too difficult.

Early life
Nothing is known about Vector's early life, though she likely attended a Wizarding School such as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, after purchasing her wand from Diagon Alley, and excelled in Arithmancy, and may have taken Advanced Arithmancy Studies. However, it is just as possible that she was home-schooled by her parents, though it is unknown if you could achieve an Ordinary Wizarding Level unless at a magical institution.

Career at Hogwarts
"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year."

- The Head announcing a new teacher's arrival.

At an unknown point in her life, Vector went to Hogwarts School and applied for a teaching position there, unless the Headmaster approached her directly for her skills. Either way, she became the Professor of Arithmancy, being given Classroom 7A on the seventh floor of Hogwarts Castle to teach her lessons in, and presumably an office elsewhere on the school grounds. Her relationship with the rest of the staff is unknown, though she was considered very strict and old-fashioned by some of her students, so she may have been like Minerva McGonagall in personality.

Another class, called Advanced Arithmancy Studies, was known to be taught at Hogwarts. It is likely that Professor vector also took those who had this class. The Advanced Arithmancy Studies classroom was located on the first floor of Hogwarts Castle, inside the Hogwarts Turris Magnus.

1991
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please!"

- Professor Vector and the rest of the school singing the Hogwarts school song.

Professor Vector worked at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the early 1990s and was present at the Sorting of Harry Potter and his classmates. In the 1991 Welcoming Feast, she sat next to Keeper of the Keys Rubeus Hagrid. She listened attentively to fellow Professor Minerva McGonagall, who was telling the first-years how the Sorting ceremony would proceed. She also witnessed as Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor House. Professor Vector attended the first Quidditch match of the school term.

Around christmas, she was seen spending time with an unknown Hogwarts employee.

1993
"I heard [Hermione] talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday's lesson, but Hermione can't've been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures!"

- Ronald Weasley concerning Hermione Granger's impossible timetable.

In 1993, Hermione Granger began studying Arithmancy with Professor Vector and excelled in the class. After one lesson, they had a talk about their lesson the following day, which Ronald Weasley overheard, and was confused, as Hermione had Care of Magical Creatures the day before, and so could not have been in Arithmancy. In reality, she had been using a Time-Turner to get to all her lessons.

Also that year, a ginger girl, roommate of Hermione and best friend of Fay Dunbar, took her subject as well. However, unlike her, she found it hard, and confided in Hermione that it was too difficult for her.

1994
On September 1st, 1994, the first day of the 1994-1995 school year, Professor Vector did not give her fourth year students any homework, an unusual occurrence, which Hermione Granger mentioned after Ronald Weasley told her that he had had a lot of homework.

She watched over the arrival of the students of Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic when the school opened its doors to the holding of the Triwizard Tournament. She later attended the Yule Ball, wearing red robes, and stood with Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore watching over the proceedings acting as a chaperone. She attended the Second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

1995
"[Hagrid] waved a hand and narrowly missed concussing a frightened-looking Professor Vector, who was passing."

- Professor Vector leaving the Great Hall one morning.

In the next school year she sat again at the Staff Table, next to Sybill Trelawney as she made a mess while eating her meal. Dolores Umbridge interrupted Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's announcements and gave a speech, which this professor heard attentively. This year, Hogwarts would under go inspection from High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge and it is presumed that as a teacher at Hogwarts, she was also inspected by Umbridge.

When Rubeus Hagrid returned from a mission given to him by Headmaster Dumbledore, he had a conversation with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, Professor Vector walked past them and was almost knocked off her feet by Hagrid. As she was passing them and they were entering the Entrance Hall, she had presumably come downstairs to the Great Hall to eat.

1996
"Hermione [...] dashed off to see Professor Vector about a mistake she thought she might have made in her last Arithmancy essay."

- Professor Vector being visited by Hermione Granger in May.

For the 1996-1997 school year Start-of-Term Feast, the professor sat on Albus Dumbledore's left hand-side, next to Rubeus Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and Gamekeeper. At one point, she visited the Hogwarts Library and collected a stack of books, which she bewitched to follow her. In December, she attended Horace Slughorn's Slug Club Christmas party and was seen socializing with other guests with a drink in her hand and wearing a red dress. That year was an unfortunate and eventful year at Hogwarts: the castle was infiltrated by Death Eaters, and her employer, Albus Dumbledore, was killed by Severus Snape at the top of the Astronomy Tower.

In 1996, Hermione Granger thought she may had made a mistake in her homework and visited Professor Vector to discuss it.

1998
In this year the Battle of Hogwarts happened at Hogwarts. It is unknown if Professor Vector participated in fighting with the rest of the staff.

Personality and traits
Professor Vector was described as very strict by a student who was not sure if he should take her lessons. She was also said to have given out masses of complicated homework to her students, who were all third years or over, though appeared to be rather sociable with the other teachers. It is possible that she either supported the Gryffindor Quidditch team or was simply unbiased, as she was visibly shocked when Harry Potter lost control of his broom, and when Angelina Johnson was "attacked".

Magical abilities and skills

 * Aritmancy: Septima was a skilled Aritmancer, teaching the subject for at least six years.

Physical appearance
Septima was a witch with dark hair. She usually wore red robes and a pointed hat.

Name etymology
Septima most likely comes directly from Latin Septima which translates to "the seventh" (female form). As seven is the most powerful magical number, and Arithmancy deals with the numbers appearing in magic, this name suits the character well. A "vector" is an important concept in physics and mathematics, most commonly known as a quantity, velocity for instance, specified by a magnitude and a direction.

Behind the scenes

 * In Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Septima's character token can be found in the Tom Riddle's diary level. This may indicate she already worked at Hogwarts in the 1940s. Other characters' tokens can be found in matching places, i.e. Minerva McGonagall in the Transfiguration classroom; however, there is another possibility that Septima's token location has no particular meaning.
 * Role of Vector in the Philosopher's Stone, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince played Hazel Showham.
 * Professor Vector's first name only appeared on a list of of the Hogwarts professors which was released on J. K. Rowling's website.
 * Originally, she was a male named Septimus and her last name was intended to be Vecta.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) 
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Notes and references
Septima Vector Септима Вектор Septima Vektor