Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall (born October 4, 1925) was the Professor of Transfiguration from 1956 till 1998 at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was also the Head of Gryffindor House, and Deputy Headmistress of the school under Albus Dumbledore. She is one of the few registered Animagi of her century, being able to transform into a tabby cat with markings near the eyes resembling her square spectacles. Her Patronus is identical to that cat. After the fall of Lord Voldemort, she became the Headmistress of Hogwarts, succeeding Severus Snape.

Personalities and Views
Minerva McGonagall is usually very serious and stern, and is held in respect (and some fear) by all students. She tolerates no talking or silliness from her pupils. She once told students that the Yule Ball would be a time for them to "let their hair down," although even she seemed to note it was unlikely she would ever let her own hair down.

She is an avid Quidditch fan and has a love for cats. She wears emerald-green robes, and she is very fond of tartan patterns—even her nightdress and biscuit tins are tartan.

However, from time to time Professor McGonagall can show a bit of a softer side as seen during the return of Rubeus Hagrid in 1993.

Career at Hogwarts
Minerva McGonagall attended Hogwarts as a pupil from 1937-1944. She was sorted into Gryffindor House.

Professor of Transfiguration
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

- Minerva McGonagall lectures the first-years.

Minerva McGonagall wowed students on their first Transfiguration lesson by turning her desk into a pig and back again. Transfigurations lessons have consisted of match-to-needle, beetle-to-button, rabbits-to-slippers, teapot-to-tortoise, hedgehog-to-pincushion, guinea fowl-to-guinea pigs, and mouse-to-snuffbox, with extra points for how pretty the snuffbox was, points off if it still had whiskers.

Minerva McGonagall considers other forms of magic less elegant and more simplistic then the art of Transfiguration. This thinking generally applies to Divination, a subject McGonagall thinks particularly poor, mostly because she sees the Divination Professor, Sybill Trelawney, as a fraud.

Unlike her colleague Professor Severus Snape, she is careful to take an even-handed approach to discipline with all pupils, punishing those from her house even when this could mean losing the House Cup.

House Advisor
Minerva McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor house. She was a mentor and role model for Hermione Granger, for they shared much in common, especially a certain fondness for rules. Both are particularly clever. She gave Hermione a "rare smile" when Hermione successfully transfigured a match into a needle on her first Transfiguration lesson. McGonagall also arranged for Hermione to use a Time-Turner in her third year to take additional classes. McGonagall was also personally moved to emotion when Hermione was attacked by the Basilisk in 1992.

McGonagall was also very attached to Harry Potter, as she was his House Advisor. For example, when Dolores Umbridge commented that McGonagall was "too ill to talk to anyone," causing the Inquisitorial Squad to laugh, Harry "found he was so full of rage and hatred he was shaking." Later, Harry became so infuriated when Amycus Carrow spat in McGonagall's face that he was able to successfully perform the Cruciatus Curse on him, something Bellatrix Lestrange had previously mocked him for being unable to do. What's more, Harry noted the worst sound he ever heard was McGonagall's scream when she believed Harry to be dead.

As a House advisor, McGonagall's contribution to the guardians of the Philosopher's Stone was a life-sized set of Wizard's Chess, transfigured to make it "alive."

In her Gryffindor capacity, it is unlikely that she would have taken her usual unbiased approach to discipline as far as to harm her beloved Quidditch team. Indeed, when she caught Harry disobeying Madam Hooch's instructions and flying a broomstick, her reaction was to recruit him as Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team rather than to punish him. On the other hand, she did support Snape in giving Harry detention on the same day as a final Quidditch match in 1997.

Deputy Headmistress
In her capacity as Deputy Headmistress, McGonagall leads the Sorting of first-years and acts in Albus Dumbledore's stead when he is away from Hogwarts. She also sends letters to first years to inform them of their acceptance at Hogwarts.

Against High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge
Minerva McGonagall saw it as a personal affront when Dolores Umbridge invaded Hogwarts in the capacity of High Inquisitor. Minerva was also seen to be furious when Dolores Umbridge took control of Hogwarts and looked at her with utter disgust. She was also seen to share the bewilderment of other professors at Dolores' very pink matching outfits and pink frilly possessions. McGonagall did all she could to circumvent Umbridge's authority without risking her own security as Deputy Headmistress. Indeed, she treated Umbridge with as little credence and respect as possible while Hogwarts was under investigation by the Ministry of Magic, and even gave Peeves tips on how to unscrew a chandelier when he was trying to cause havoc for Umbridge. McGonagall also managed to put aside her dislike of Professor Trelawney for a time.

Minerva McGonagall did all she could to thwart the influence of the Ministry over Hogwarts. On the night that Rubeus Hagrid was attacked by Aurors on the Hogwarts grounds, she received four Stunners to the chest after attempting to intervene. She spent the rest of the school year in St Mungo's, recuperating. She returned after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and when Peeves chased Umbridge out with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk, she and the other teachers only tried half-heartedly to stop him or to stop the other students from watching and cheering. In fact McGonagall was so happy about this she was heard commenting that she'd have joined the students in watching Umbridge being chased away and cheered as well but Peeves was using her walking stick (she was a bit weak still from the Stunners) so she couldn't make it to the door.

Ironically, she shared with Umbridge a love for cats. Even in that single common trait, their tastes in cats were very different. McGonagall's Patronus and Animagus form cats were noble and dignified, like herself, and bore the markings of spectacles. On the other hand, Umbridge had an affection for "cutsie" cats, and covered her office in pictures of revoltingly-adorable kittens. Umbridge's Patronus was a "princess"-type cat - a fluffy Persian breed, which would require a lot of maintenance. This could be yet another source of irritation for McGonagall - the trivializing of her patron animal must have annoyed her a great deal.

Headmistress
Upon Albus Dumbledore's death in 1997, Minerva McGonagall succeeded as Headmistress of Hogwarts. Subsequent to Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry of Magic, Severus Snape was temporarily appointed Headmaster by Pius Thicknesse, and McGonagall returned to her former duties. Following Snape's murder in 1998, McGonagall recommenced her duties as Headmistress. She had retired by the time Harry's second son, Albus Severus Potter, was going to Hogwarts for the first time.

Order of the Phoenix
Minerva McGonagall was a leading member of the Order of the Phoenix, and played a pivotal role in the Battle of Hogwarts. With help from Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood, she incapacitated the Death Eaters Amycus and Alecto Carrow. She also had a brief duel with Severus Snape, which ended with him fleeing out of a window. She then led the rest of Hogwarts' defenders in battle against the remaining Death Eaters. At one point in the Battle of Hogwarts she even dueled with Voldemort himself, alongside Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn, but the duel was interrupted by Bellatrix Lestrange's death at Molly Weasley's hands.

Appearance
McGonagall is described as a tall, rather severe-looking woman, with black hair typically drawn into a tight bun, only letting her hair down at the Yule Ball. She wears emerald green robes, a pointed hat that is cocked to one side, and always has a very prim expression. She is, according to Rowling, a "sprightly" 70-year-old. McGonagall wears square spectacles that match the markings around the eyes of her Animagus form of a silver tabby cat.

Magical Abilities and Skills


Transfiguration Master: Throughout her time at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall has taught Transfiguration as a class. She herself considers it to be amongst the most complex and dangerous magic taught at Hogwarts.

Expert Duelist: McGonagall is an exceptional duellist, capable of holding her own against much younger and more agile Death Eaters as seen in The Battle of the Lightning-Struck Tower and in the Battle of Hogwarts in which she fiercely duels Severus Snape. Later in the battle she also duels Voldemort alongside Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn.

Animagus: Ability to transform into the form of a silver tabby cat.

Patronus Charm: Skilled in the creation of a corporeal patronus which takes the form of a cat. She is the only person throughout the books who has been seen casting three Patronuses at once, although not in the presence of any dementors.

Etymology
Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom. McGonagall comes from the Scotsman William Topaz McGonagall, considered one of the worst poets in the English language.

The surname was chosen by J.K. Rowling because she loved the surname, not because he resembled Minerva McGonagall in any way.

Behind the scenes

 * In an interview after the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J. K. Rowling said that Hogwarts had a different Head by the time Harry Potter's children arrived in 2017, saying that McGonagall was "getting on a bit". This is a bit odd, as Professor McGonagall would have been around ninety years old when Harry's children attended Hogwarts, and Dumbledore was 116 at the time of his death. Professor McGonagall does not seem the sort to take early retirement any more than Dumbledore was.
 * A movie from 1974 entitled "The Great McGonagall" was about the aforementioned poet William McGonagall.
 * At the time Tom Marvolo Riddle came to Hogwarts Minerva McGonagall was on her second year, even though it is not mentioned that she knew him.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * 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)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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