Harry Potter Poster #76 FRAMED Professor Minerva McGonagall Maggie Smith

Description

Minerva McGonagall is Deputy Headmistress, head of Gryffindor House, Transfiguration professor, and later Headmistress at Hogwarts, where she began teaching in December 1956. She is first introduced in the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, when she meets Dumbledore at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey (the home of Harry Potter’s aunt and uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley). McGonagall is described as a tall, rather severe-looking woman, with black hair typically drawn into a tight bun. She wears emerald green robes, a pointed hat, and always has a very prim expression. She speaks with a slight Scottish accent. 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 British Shorthair silver tabby cat; she has the distinction of being the first Animagus introduced in the series and being one of the few registered Animagi of the century, though she was rarely seen using the ability. Harry’s immediate impression of her is of someone who is not to be crossed. She has a fondness for tartan, and her handkerchief, at least one hat, dressing gown, and dress robes are patterned with it. In the films, McGonagall often wears a Scottish brooch of a specific Scots style set with Cairngorm quartz citrines and Scottish agate. Rowling has said McGonagall’s birthday is 4 October. She has a wand of 9 inches, made of pine and with a core of dragon heartstring. Her mother is a witch called Isobel McGonagall and her father is a muggle.

In the first book, after seeing Harry fly masterfully his very first time on a broom, she recommends him to fill the position of Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and sends him a broom, even though first-year students are normally prohibited from playing the sport or owning brooms. Furthermore, although a rigorous disciplinarian, she often assists Harry indirectly with activities that are not strictly within the rules of Hogwarts; for example, she allows Harry and his friends to use the Transfiguration classroom to practice for tasks in the Triwizard Tournament. She promises Harry she would do everything in her power to help him to achieve his goal of becoming an auror, and she keeps her promise. Despite her stern front, McGonagall is shown to have good intentions at heart and has been known to display a range of emotions, which can often be a shock to her colleagues and students.

It is revealed in Order of the Phoenix that McGonagall is a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She and Dolores Umbridge seem to have a mutual dislike for each other, as Umbridge continuously usurps more and more power from the staff and from Dumbledore and McGonagall in particular. McGonagall quietly resists, vowing to assist Harry’s lukewarm desire to become an auror primarily to spite Umbridge, and ignoring or even quietly aiding Peeves and the students in their destructive pranks. When McGonagall attempts to stop Umbridge and her fellow Ministry cronies from unjustly taking Hagrid away by force, she is hit by four stunning spells without warning, before she can draw her wand. In an unconscious state, she is rushed to St Mungo’s, where she recovers for a while. McGonagall returns to the school towards the end of the book, though she temporarily uses a walking stick . After the death of Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince, she becomes the acting Headmistress of Hogwarts.

However, in the series finale, she does not become headmistress at the start of term as expected; Snape is appointed by the new Minister for Magic Pius Thicknesse, who is actually under the Imperius Curse and acting for Voldemort. Despite the many changes, she is retained as head of Gryffindor House. Before the Battle of Hogwarts, she goes to the Ravenclaw tower and finds Alecto Carrow stunned and her brother Amycus searching for Harry. She’s surprised when Amycus tells her Voldemort warned them Harry would try to break in the Ravenclaw Tower, proudly telling him Harry has no business on the Ravenclaw Tower, for Harry is in her House, Gryffindor. When Amycus suggests blaming the students to compensate for his sister’s state, McGonagall immediately intervenes. In response, Amycus spits in her face. Harry, who is present and hidden under his invisibility cloak, reveals himself and uses the Cruciatus Curse on Amycus. Harry then informs McGonagall that Voldemort is on his way and after tying up both the Carrows and placing them in a net, she sends three Patronuses – which manifest in her Animagus form – to warn the other three Heads of House. When on her way to meet the Heads of House, she meets Snape, who questions her about Potter’s whereabouts. Not knowing Snape is actually still following Dumbledore’s orders and has important information for Harry, she attacks him, engaging in a fierce duel. With help from Professors Sprout and Flitwick, she succeeds in driving Snape away. McGonagall then takes charge of the school again and proceeds to secure it against Voldemort to ensure Harry can fulfil his mission from Dumbledore. She also organises the evacuation of the school’s under-age students to ensure their safety. She then leads the remaining students, the staff of Hogwarts, and members of the Order of the Phoenix in the fight against Voldemort. She is seen during the battle with a large gash on her cheek and commanding a herd of charmed desks to charge at Death Eaters. When Harry has been apparently killed, she screams, causing Bellatrix Lestrange to laugh. Finally, McGonagall ends up duelling Voldemort alongside Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn. As is confirmed in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, McGonagall becomes Headmistress of Hogwarts after the Battle of Hogwarts and Snape’s death; however, in an interview Rowling said McGonagall would be retired by the time of the Deathly Hallows epilogue (19 years after the main events of Deathly Hallows), as she is “getting on in years.”

McGonagall is played by Dame Maggie Smith in the film adaptations. Smith has described her role as “Miss Jean Brodie in a wizard’s hat”, Given that her role becomes progressively smaller as the series goes on, she notes that Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is her favourite thus far. Smith appeared in all the films of the series except for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, which does not take place in Hogwarts. Rowling has stated that she always pictured Smith portraying McGonagall, and claimed the actress to be at the top of her list.

Rowling named the character after the poet (and tragedian) William McGonagall, whose name she liked. Her first name, Minerva, comes from the Roman goddess of wisdom.

Dame Margaret Natalie “Maggie” Smith, CH, DBE (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. She made her stage debut in 1952 and has had an extensive, varied career in stage, film and television spanning over sixty years. Smith has appeared in over 50 films and is one of Britain’s most recognisable actresses. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1990 New Year Honours for services to the performing arts, and Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to drama.

Due to the international success of the Harry Potter movies, she is now widely known for playing Professor Minerva McGonagall, opposite Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. She has appeared in seven of the eight films in the series from 2001 to 2011. She and Radcliffe had worked together previously in the 1999 BBC television adaptation of David Copperfield, in which she played Betsey Trotwood and received a BAFTA TV Award nomination. She received her sixth Academy Award nomination for the 2001 film Gosford Park, directed by Robert Altman and won her first Emmy Award for the 2003 TV film My House in Umbria.

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