Post by Astoria Greengrass on Oct 2, 2010 20:41:02 GMT -5
Full Name: Professor Minerva McGonagall
Nicknames: none
Date of Birth: May 7th
Gender: Female
Occupation: Headmistress at hogwarts
Race: wizard
Appearance: Minerva McGonagall was first described as a tall, rather severe-looking woman, and later as a "sprightly" seventy years old. She often wore emerald green robes - even though she was head of Gryffindor - although starting in 1993, she began wearing black robes. She also wore a pointed hat cocked to one side, and always had a very prim expression. She rarely let her black hair down and the majority of the time had it combed back into a tight bun. Minerva was a fan of tartan print and would often wear it to Quidditch games along with a woolly hat covering her ears. Minerva wore square spectacles that matched the markings around the eyes of her Animagus and Patronus: a silver tabby cat.
Possessions: Naomi (owl)
Personality: Minerva was usually very serious and stern, and was held in great respect (and some fear) by nearly all students. She tolerated neither talking nor silliness from her pupils. She turned cold towards people who said or did things in front of her that were stupid, or if she thought they were trying to be funny. She once told students that the Yule Ball would be a time for them to "let their hair down," pursing her lips disapprovingly as she said it.
Despite her stern demeanour, Minerva did have a fun side. She was an avid Quidditch fan, and had a great love for cats and tartan plaid (the latter being two objects of affection for Dolores Umbridge, ironically, given the contempt the two witches felt for one-another). She also exhibited a dry sense of humour which usually came out when times were tough. True to a Gryffindor, Minerva valued bravery and loyalty highly and when she and Dolores Umbridge were in a fight, Umbridge claimed she had not been showing her loyalty to the Minister for Magic; this was a deep blow on Minerva.
Minerva was not afraid of speaking her mind and had quite a sharp tongue however she usually maintained great emotional composure.
However, from time to time Minerva could show a bit of a softer side, as seen during the return of Rubeus Hagrid in 1993 and when Dolores Umbridge sacked Sybill Trelawney. She also showed that she was capable of having fun, such as during the Christmas Feast in 1991 when she giggled after Hagrid kissed her on the cheek. Minerva, although she did not show it at times, was a huge supporter of Harry and trusted the likes of Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick, Pomfrey and Hagrid. She could be very warm, affectionate and supportive in times of great need. She had the nerve in 1998 to call Severus Snape a coward which could lead to her sacking or, perhaps, something worse. She was also deeply affected by Harry's supposed death, screaming out "No" when she saw his "body" and surprising Harry as he never knew she could sound like that.
Likes: Gryffindor students
Dislikes: certain students
Strengths: Minerva was a master duellist, capable of holding her own against much younger and more agile Death Eaters and even Voldemort himself. In 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts she fiercely duelled Severus Snape and drove him from the school. Harry noted that McGonagall moved faster than he could believe. Later in that same battle, she also duelled Voldemort himself, alongside Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn. The fact that Minerva survived being hit by four simultaneous Stunners to the chest shows her strength, as this was an injury from which most witches would have died, especially at her age.
Throughout her teaching career, Minerva taught Transfiguration. She considered it to be amongst the most complex and dangerous magic taught at Hogwarts. During the Battle of Hogwarts Minerva demonstrated her astonishing mastery of this branch of magic by Transfiguring dozens of desks and suits of armour to help defend the school from Lord Voldemort. She also put her skills with Transfiguration to use during her duel with Severus Snape, a notably powerful wizard. As stated below, Minerva became an Animagus in order to further her research on the different branches of Transfiguration. She was taught by Albus Dumbledore and took his position as Transfiguration Teacher.
Being an Animagus gave Minerva the ability to transform into the form of a tabby cat at will. She often used this ability when she did not wish to be recognised. An example of this usage was when she spied on the Dursley family before Albus Dumbledore brought Harry Potter to them. When Hermione Granger searched for Animagus references in her third year, she saw that McGonagall was one of the few registered Animagi in the 20th century. On his notes regarding The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Albus Dumbledore states that Minerva asked him to explain that, while Animagi are usually people who seek to avoid punishment when they have broken the law, she merely became one to further her research on all branches of Transfiguration.
Patronus Charm: Minerva was skilled in the creation of a corporeal Patronus which takes the form of a cat, identical to her Animagus. She was the only person seen to cast three Patronuses at once, though admittedly not in the presence of a Dementor. In addition, Minerva was able to use her Patronus as of means of communication, as taught to her by Albus Dumbledore. Minerva has also been known to be skilled at nonverbal magic. In 1994 when Moody (Barty Crouch Jr.) transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret, McGonagall transfigured him back without saying a word. In 1998 when she tied up the Carrows, she conjured a silver rope and a net from her wand and later produced three Patronuses, all wordlessly. Professor McGonagall was among the few people that did not practise the Dark Arts known to cast the Imperius Curse, casting it successfully on Amycus Carrow.
Weaknesses: If seeing any students being hurt
Wand: sixteen and a half inches Oak Veela hair good tranfigaturation
Happiest thought: chocolate
Boggart: Lord voldermort turns into a balloon
Patronus: Cat
Heritage: Unknown
Social Standing: hogwarts staff
House: Gryffindor
History: Minerva McGonagall attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a pupil from 1937 to 1944, meaning she was a year above Tom Riddle. She was Sorted into Gryffindor House, of which she would later serve as Head. In her sixth year at Hogwarts, she went through the 1942-43 opening of the Chamber of Secrets, but she survived. She then went through the rest of her schooling as intended. At this time, she also trained to become an Animagus and to conjure a Patronus.
Transfiguration Professor McGonagall.
In December 1956, Minerva returned to Hogwarts to teach Transfiguration, after Albus Dumbledore ascended to the position of Headmaster of the school. As a teacher, Minerva was a strict disciplinarian, maintaining control of her students with a stern hand that made her someone not to be crossed. Her lessons consisted of but were not limited to match-to-needle, raven-to-goblet, beetle-to-button, and mouse-to-snuffbox transformations.
Later on in her career, Minerva would also be appointed the position of Head of Gryffindor House. Albus Dumbledore would trust her enough to allow her to become Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and fill in for him on the occasions of his absence. After the first rise of Lord Voldemort, Minerva McGonagall took part in fighting the Dark Wizard and his followers. In the early days of the First Wizarding War, McGonagall joined the Order of the Phoenix, led by Albus Dumbledore, and she played a vital role in the resistance against Voldemort and his army of followers. Throughout the war, McGonagall stayed loyal to the Order.
In 1981, after Harry Potter's defeat of Voldemort and the death of his parents at Godric's Hollow, she travelled to Surrey and there spent an entire day observing the Dursley family seeing whether or not they met the standards of looking after Harry. She was thus present, along with Rubeus Hagrid, when Dumbledore placed Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep, despite her objections to leaving him with these Muggles, whom she considered to be the "worst kind" of them. She kept a close eye on Harry from time to time during his early childhood, as did other members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Between the WarsAfter the First Wizarding War, Minerva continued to teach at Hogwarts. In 1991 when the Philosopher's Stone was brought to Hogwarts for protection, she contributed to the defences set up around the magical artifact by transfiguring an enormous chess set and animating it to behave as a normal Wizard's chess set would. As part of its protection duty, it required that the person or persons seeking to get past would have to take the place of a piece on the board and play an actual game of wizard's chess, at great physical risk to themselves.
The year 1991 was also the year that Harry Potter came to Hogwarts. McGonagall was head of Gryffindor's house and as such she took Harry Potter into her house. Though Minerva often maintained her strict persona in regards to the boy, she was not above bending the rules for him on occasion, such as when she caught him flying on a broomstick without proper supervision. Instead of expelling him, which was Madam Hooch's stated punishment for anyone caught doing so, Minerva instead took him to see Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, to comment on his prodigious skill with the broom.
Harry made the team, remarkable for a First year, and became the youngest Seeker in a century. McGonagall made arrangements for Harry to have a Nimbus 2000, the fastest broomstick of the time, for use during games and practices. Come the end of the school year, Gryffindor had won the house cup after receiving the most house points that year.
In the beginning of the 1992 school term, Minerva had to deal with Harry and Ron, who crashed a Flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow, due to the barrier of the King's Cross Station was sealed by Dobby and the two couldn't board the train. This nearly exposed the wizarding world to muggles, but Minerva was more fair than Snape, the one who brought the matter up in the first place. Minerva ultimately let them off with a mere detention and a letter to their parents and guardians; she did not take any house points as Harry pointed out that term had not started yet when they took the car, and she almost smiled at this remark.
Later, Minerva was present for the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets. She, along with the rest of the teaching staff, scoured the castle for the Chamber, but to no avail. She also had to deal with the less than helpful Gilderoy Lockhart, who had been hired for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. McGonagall had little liking or use for the man, and by the end of the year was only one of the many staff who utterly despised him.
In the final weeks of that school year, Minerva served as temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts after the Board of Governors suspended Dumbledore for failing to stop the attacks against students. She was also quite shaken and softened up, as when Harry and Ron tried to sneak off to investigate on the matters but was caught by Professor McGonagall, she let them off under the belief that they were trying to visit a petrified Hermione; normally, she would punish them with detention. When Ginny Weasley was later taken into the Chamber of Secrets, where "her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever," Minerva despairingly believed that they were facing the end of Hogwarts. However, once the monster of the Chamber had been dealt with, Dumbledore returned to the school and Minerva returned to her normal duties. The summer of 1993 also saw the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban. When the school year began in September, Minerva had to deal with the effects that the Dementors had on her students, such as Harry Potter. She also authorised Hermione Granger to use a Time-Turner in order to take extra classes, a wise decision on her part that would prove more useful in future events that year.
Throughout the year, Minerva assisted in guarding the school, yet nonetheless Black continued to infiltrate the castle. He even made it into Gryffindor Tower when Hermione's cat Crookshanks, befriended by Sirius, gave him a discarded list of passwords. When Harry received a Firebolt following the destruction of his Nimbus 2000, McGonagall had it confiscated to be "examined" because she believed (correctly) it to have been sent by Black, and therefore lethally cursed (which was incorrect.) It was returned to him later. In the spring of 1994, she also witnessed the Gryffindor Quidditch team win the Quidditch Cup for the first time since Charlie Weasley had played for the team during his Hogwarts education. McGonagall was delighted by Gryffindor's victory, but upset to see its captain Oliver Wood leaving. Later on in the year, three students from her house — Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger — would run into trouble when Sirius Black returned to Hogwarts.
In the autumn of 1994, Hogwarts hosted the magical schools, the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute for the Triwizard Tournament. Minerva more than once exhorted her students to provide a good appearance to their guests. She attended the Yule Ball with Albus Dumbledore and notably wore her hair down for the first time since Harry started his education at Hogwarts. At the end of the Tournament, however, Minerva accompanied Dumbledore and Severus Snape in the rescue of Harry Potter from the Death Eater that had spent the entire school year impersonating the Auror Alastor Moody, that year's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
She was instructed to guard Crouch Jr. after he revealed his part in the rebirth of Voldemort, but was unable to prevent the Dementor brought by Minister Cornelius Fudge from giving the Death Eater the Dementor's Kiss. She was intensely furious at Fudge for this blunder, and screamed more than Harry had ever seen before. Thus, when the Minister refused to believe Dumbledore and Harry Potter about the return of Voldemort, Minerva nonetheless stood in support of her superior and her student. The Second Wizarding War had begun.
Once the Second Wizarding War had begun, Minerva rejoined the Order of the Phoenix and spent much of the summer of 1995 doing work for the Order. Though these duties took up much of her time, Minerva would face even greater challenges at Hogwarts. Because Dumbledore was unable to find a new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts, the Ministry of Magic appointed Dolores Umbridge, a senior Ministry official and stout supporter of Fudge, to the Hogwarts staff. Minerva saw this appointment as an affront to the school itself and did little to hide her disgust.
When Harry Potter crossed Umbridge, earning a detention in his first class with her, Minerva was sympathetic, but warned him that Umbridge was not to be trifled with and that he should keep his head down. 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 in the face of Umbridge's persecution of Hogwarts' inhabitants.
Minerva brings Harry to Dumbledore's office after he has a nightmare. After Umbridge's appointment as High Inquisitor, Minerva was forced to endure the other woman's presence during her evaluation of Minerva's teaching. Minerva kept her temper under control, maintaining an icy exterior and yet still unleashed a dry and pointed wit on Umbridge. The encounter did serve to cheer students like Ron Weasley who heartily disliked Umbridge. Still, darker times lay ahead.
Despite Minerva's best efforts to thwart the Ministry's influence at Hogwarts, things continued to grow worse. After Dumbledore was ousted from the school, Umbridge was appointed Headmistress over Minerva. When Umbridge invaded the career advising of the 5th-year students, Minerva finally lost her temper. During Harry Potter's session, when Umbridge kept interrupting the conversation and declaring that Harry would never be an Auror at the Ministry, Minerva declared to Harry that she would help him in any way necessary to achieve his goal. The atmosphere at Hogwarts continued to devolve under Umbridge's leadership.
McGonagall confined to a wheelchair following her vicious attack.
During the O.W.L. examinations, events came to a head. When Dolores Umbridge and several Aurors attempted to evict Hagrid from the grounds of Hogwarts, Minerva sought to intervene on behalf of her colleague. However, before she could even draw her wand, Minerva was promptly hit with four Stunning Spells in the chest, which required that she be moved from Hogwarts to St Mungo's for treatment.
Minerva did not return to Hogwarts until after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, when she promptly gave the six students involved 50 House points each for "alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who." She also watched with some happiness when Peeves chased Umbridge from the school, commenting that she would've joined Peeves in chasing Dolores away, but Peeves had appropriated her walking stick.
McGonagall starts the respectful wand raising following the death of Albus Dumbledore, both in respect for the murdered Headmaster and to be rid of the Death Eaters' Dark Mark above the school. After her recovery at St. Mungo's, Minerva resumed her duties within the Order of the Phoenix as well as her teaching duties once the new school year began. Later in the school year, she participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997 after Draco Malfoy snuck Death Eaters into the school through the Room of Requirement. She was stuck on the level below Harry and Dumbledore and couldn't pass on the stairs to reach them, however Snape could and pushed past her. After the battle, she was devastated at the death of Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape, the man whom she had known nearly her entire life as a teacher, mentor, and friend, and whose murderer she had let pass. In the final days of the school year, Minerva took over Dumbledore's former position and became Headmistress of Hogwarts, though she was stripped of this position in favour of Snape once Voldemort took over.
Voldemort's infiltration of Hogwarts As the war continued, Minerva remained at Hogwarts, even when it was taken over by Voldemort, most likely to make sure little harm came to students and that the Order of the Phoenix was informed on what was going on at Hogwarts. Even when Severus Snape was appointed Headmaster and Alecto and Amycus Carrow were given free rein in the school, Minerva did as much as she could to protect the students.
In May 1998, Minerva was present when Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley returned to Hogwarts in the middle of the night in search of Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, becoming aware they were there after Harry defended her honour by successfully performing the Cruciatus Curse for the first (and likely only) time on Amycus Carrow.
With help from Harry and Luna Lovegood, she incapacitated the Carrow siblings in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Realising that a battle was upon them, Minerva gathered Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout and together the three House Heads banished Severus from Hogwarts, Minerva even calling him a coward as he fled the school. Harry informed McGonagall of a quest that Dumbledore had left him, and she offered to hold Voldemort and his army back whilst Harry fulfilled this quest.
After ordering the evacuation of younger students through the Hog's Head, Minerva begun to help fortify the castle against the coming attack, with the assistance of her fellow teachers, Order members, and even the older students who had stayed behind to fight. When Pansy Parkinson suggested they take the deal offered to them by Voldemort - that of their lives in exchange for Harry Potter — Minerva ordered the girl and all those not willing to fight to leave.
Minerva fought skillfully in the first part of the battle, and stood defiant in the lull. She stood among many students in a crowd when Voldemort himself walked into the Hogwarts grounds. It was only when Minerva saw Harry Potter's body being carried by Rubeus Hagrid that she began to despair, letting out a scream terrible to anyone who heard it, equal to that of Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's together.
Nonetheless, Minerva continued to fight when the battle resumed after the attack by the Centaurs on Voldemort and the Death Eaters. In the final moments of the battle, she duelled with Voldemort alongside Horace Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt, though they were blasted aside by his fury when Bellatrix Lestrange was killed in a duel with Molly Weasley. They might have resumed the duel but for the fact that Harry revealed himself, insisting that he himself must duel Voldemort one final time. After Voldemort was finally killed by Harry, she, along with everyone else, hugged Harry in a uncharacteristic display of emotion.
With the conclusion of the war, Minerva returned to the position of Headmistress of Hogwarts and remained there until at least 2008, as she gave permission for Dumbledore's notes on The Tales of Beedle the Bard to be published. It is possible she was responsible for the employment of former Gryffindor student Neville Longbottom as the new teacher for Herbology.
Name: Narcissa
How long have you been RPing? 3 years
Where did you find us? message from snape
Sample RP:Minerva ran, or tripped in this case, into the Hospital Wing, her chest heaving from the exhaustion of having run the entire way. She held up a hand, indicating that, no, she did not wish to be helped and that she would be ready to say something once her breath decided to miraculously return. Obviously running from one side of the school to the other at this time of night was not something her body was built for anymore. She clutched her side and had to lean against the wall for support, closing her eyes slightly as she attempted to steady her breathing.
She slowly opened her eyes again when she had regained control of her body she straightened up and walked, though rather shakily, forwards. "Minister," she said. Having heard his request for Persephone to leave the Hospital Wing, she felt that it was her turn to speak up for the Head of Slytherin. "I do believe that the Headmistress of Hogwarts School still reserves the right to dismiss any members of the staff on school grounds, regardless of what the Minister of Magic himself appears to think."
In her frenzied state, after being pulled out of bed at well past midnight, she thought that it was excusable that her feet were still in her slippers and she only had enough time to pull on a nightgown before making her way to the Hospital Wing. "So I would request for Professor Silverton to remain in the room as it was her who alerted myself about Mr. Potter's nighttime excurision in the first place, not to mention that she probably saved his life."
Nicknames: none
Date of Birth: May 7th
Gender: Female
Occupation: Headmistress at hogwarts
Race: wizard
Appearance: Minerva McGonagall was first described as a tall, rather severe-looking woman, and later as a "sprightly" seventy years old. She often wore emerald green robes - even though she was head of Gryffindor - although starting in 1993, she began wearing black robes. She also wore a pointed hat cocked to one side, and always had a very prim expression. She rarely let her black hair down and the majority of the time had it combed back into a tight bun. Minerva was a fan of tartan print and would often wear it to Quidditch games along with a woolly hat covering her ears. Minerva wore square spectacles that matched the markings around the eyes of her Animagus and Patronus: a silver tabby cat.
Possessions: Naomi (owl)
Personality
[/font][/size]Personality: Minerva was usually very serious and stern, and was held in great respect (and some fear) by nearly all students. She tolerated neither talking nor silliness from her pupils. She turned cold towards people who said or did things in front of her that were stupid, or if she thought they were trying to be funny. She once told students that the Yule Ball would be a time for them to "let their hair down," pursing her lips disapprovingly as she said it.
Despite her stern demeanour, Minerva did have a fun side. She was an avid Quidditch fan, and had a great love for cats and tartan plaid (the latter being two objects of affection for Dolores Umbridge, ironically, given the contempt the two witches felt for one-another). She also exhibited a dry sense of humour which usually came out when times were tough. True to a Gryffindor, Minerva valued bravery and loyalty highly and when she and Dolores Umbridge were in a fight, Umbridge claimed she had not been showing her loyalty to the Minister for Magic; this was a deep blow on Minerva.
Minerva was not afraid of speaking her mind and had quite a sharp tongue however she usually maintained great emotional composure.
However, from time to time Minerva could show a bit of a softer side, as seen during the return of Rubeus Hagrid in 1993 and when Dolores Umbridge sacked Sybill Trelawney. She also showed that she was capable of having fun, such as during the Christmas Feast in 1991 when she giggled after Hagrid kissed her on the cheek. Minerva, although she did not show it at times, was a huge supporter of Harry and trusted the likes of Dumbledore, Sprout, Flitwick, Pomfrey and Hagrid. She could be very warm, affectionate and supportive in times of great need. She had the nerve in 1998 to call Severus Snape a coward which could lead to her sacking or, perhaps, something worse. She was also deeply affected by Harry's supposed death, screaming out "No" when she saw his "body" and surprising Harry as he never knew she could sound like that.
Likes: Gryffindor students
Dislikes: certain students
Strengths: Minerva was a master duellist, capable of holding her own against much younger and more agile Death Eaters and even Voldemort himself. In 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts she fiercely duelled Severus Snape and drove him from the school. Harry noted that McGonagall moved faster than he could believe. Later in that same battle, she also duelled Voldemort himself, alongside Kingsley Shacklebolt and Horace Slughorn. The fact that Minerva survived being hit by four simultaneous Stunners to the chest shows her strength, as this was an injury from which most witches would have died, especially at her age.
Throughout her teaching career, Minerva taught Transfiguration. She considered it to be amongst the most complex and dangerous magic taught at Hogwarts. During the Battle of Hogwarts Minerva demonstrated her astonishing mastery of this branch of magic by Transfiguring dozens of desks and suits of armour to help defend the school from Lord Voldemort. She also put her skills with Transfiguration to use during her duel with Severus Snape, a notably powerful wizard. As stated below, Minerva became an Animagus in order to further her research on the different branches of Transfiguration. She was taught by Albus Dumbledore and took his position as Transfiguration Teacher.
Being an Animagus gave Minerva the ability to transform into the form of a tabby cat at will. She often used this ability when she did not wish to be recognised. An example of this usage was when she spied on the Dursley family before Albus Dumbledore brought Harry Potter to them. When Hermione Granger searched for Animagus references in her third year, she saw that McGonagall was one of the few registered Animagi in the 20th century. On his notes regarding The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Albus Dumbledore states that Minerva asked him to explain that, while Animagi are usually people who seek to avoid punishment when they have broken the law, she merely became one to further her research on all branches of Transfiguration.
Patronus Charm: Minerva was skilled in the creation of a corporeal Patronus which takes the form of a cat, identical to her Animagus. She was the only person seen to cast three Patronuses at once, though admittedly not in the presence of a Dementor. In addition, Minerva was able to use her Patronus as of means of communication, as taught to her by Albus Dumbledore. Minerva has also been known to be skilled at nonverbal magic. In 1994 when Moody (Barty Crouch Jr.) transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret, McGonagall transfigured him back without saying a word. In 1998 when she tied up the Carrows, she conjured a silver rope and a net from her wand and later produced three Patronuses, all wordlessly. Professor McGonagall was among the few people that did not practise the Dark Arts known to cast the Imperius Curse, casting it successfully on Amycus Carrow.
Weaknesses: If seeing any students being hurt
Wand: sixteen and a half inches Oak Veela hair good tranfigaturation
Happiest thought: chocolate
Boggart: Lord voldermort turns into a balloon
Patronus: Cat
History
Heritage: Unknown
Social Standing: hogwarts staff
House: Gryffindor
History: Minerva McGonagall attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a pupil from 1937 to 1944, meaning she was a year above Tom Riddle. She was Sorted into Gryffindor House, of which she would later serve as Head. In her sixth year at Hogwarts, she went through the 1942-43 opening of the Chamber of Secrets, but she survived. She then went through the rest of her schooling as intended. At this time, she also trained to become an Animagus and to conjure a Patronus.
Transfiguration Professor McGonagall.
In December 1956, Minerva returned to Hogwarts to teach Transfiguration, after Albus Dumbledore ascended to the position of Headmaster of the school. As a teacher, Minerva was a strict disciplinarian, maintaining control of her students with a stern hand that made her someone not to be crossed. Her lessons consisted of but were not limited to match-to-needle, raven-to-goblet, beetle-to-button, and mouse-to-snuffbox transformations.
Later on in her career, Minerva would also be appointed the position of Head of Gryffindor House. Albus Dumbledore would trust her enough to allow her to become Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and fill in for him on the occasions of his absence. After the first rise of Lord Voldemort, Minerva McGonagall took part in fighting the Dark Wizard and his followers. In the early days of the First Wizarding War, McGonagall joined the Order of the Phoenix, led by Albus Dumbledore, and she played a vital role in the resistance against Voldemort and his army of followers. Throughout the war, McGonagall stayed loyal to the Order.
In 1981, after Harry Potter's defeat of Voldemort and the death of his parents at Godric's Hollow, she travelled to Surrey and there spent an entire day observing the Dursley family seeing whether or not they met the standards of looking after Harry. She was thus present, along with Rubeus Hagrid, when Dumbledore placed Harry on the Dursleys' doorstep, despite her objections to leaving him with these Muggles, whom she considered to be the "worst kind" of them. She kept a close eye on Harry from time to time during his early childhood, as did other members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Between the WarsAfter the First Wizarding War, Minerva continued to teach at Hogwarts. In 1991 when the Philosopher's Stone was brought to Hogwarts for protection, she contributed to the defences set up around the magical artifact by transfiguring an enormous chess set and animating it to behave as a normal Wizard's chess set would. As part of its protection duty, it required that the person or persons seeking to get past would have to take the place of a piece on the board and play an actual game of wizard's chess, at great physical risk to themselves.
The year 1991 was also the year that Harry Potter came to Hogwarts. McGonagall was head of Gryffindor's house and as such she took Harry Potter into her house. Though Minerva often maintained her strict persona in regards to the boy, she was not above bending the rules for him on occasion, such as when she caught him flying on a broomstick without proper supervision. Instead of expelling him, which was Madam Hooch's stated punishment for anyone caught doing so, Minerva instead took him to see Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, to comment on his prodigious skill with the broom.
Harry made the team, remarkable for a First year, and became the youngest Seeker in a century. McGonagall made arrangements for Harry to have a Nimbus 2000, the fastest broomstick of the time, for use during games and practices. Come the end of the school year, Gryffindor had won the house cup after receiving the most house points that year.
In the beginning of the 1992 school term, Minerva had to deal with Harry and Ron, who crashed a Flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow, due to the barrier of the King's Cross Station was sealed by Dobby and the two couldn't board the train. This nearly exposed the wizarding world to muggles, but Minerva was more fair than Snape, the one who brought the matter up in the first place. Minerva ultimately let them off with a mere detention and a letter to their parents and guardians; she did not take any house points as Harry pointed out that term had not started yet when they took the car, and she almost smiled at this remark.
Later, Minerva was present for the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets. She, along with the rest of the teaching staff, scoured the castle for the Chamber, but to no avail. She also had to deal with the less than helpful Gilderoy Lockhart, who had been hired for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. McGonagall had little liking or use for the man, and by the end of the year was only one of the many staff who utterly despised him.
In the final weeks of that school year, Minerva served as temporary Headmistress of Hogwarts after the Board of Governors suspended Dumbledore for failing to stop the attacks against students. She was also quite shaken and softened up, as when Harry and Ron tried to sneak off to investigate on the matters but was caught by Professor McGonagall, she let them off under the belief that they were trying to visit a petrified Hermione; normally, she would punish them with detention. When Ginny Weasley was later taken into the Chamber of Secrets, where "her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever," Minerva despairingly believed that they were facing the end of Hogwarts. However, once the monster of the Chamber had been dealt with, Dumbledore returned to the school and Minerva returned to her normal duties. The summer of 1993 also saw the escape of Sirius Black from Azkaban. When the school year began in September, Minerva had to deal with the effects that the Dementors had on her students, such as Harry Potter. She also authorised Hermione Granger to use a Time-Turner in order to take extra classes, a wise decision on her part that would prove more useful in future events that year.
Throughout the year, Minerva assisted in guarding the school, yet nonetheless Black continued to infiltrate the castle. He even made it into Gryffindor Tower when Hermione's cat Crookshanks, befriended by Sirius, gave him a discarded list of passwords. When Harry received a Firebolt following the destruction of his Nimbus 2000, McGonagall had it confiscated to be "examined" because she believed (correctly) it to have been sent by Black, and therefore lethally cursed (which was incorrect.) It was returned to him later. In the spring of 1994, she also witnessed the Gryffindor Quidditch team win the Quidditch Cup for the first time since Charlie Weasley had played for the team during his Hogwarts education. McGonagall was delighted by Gryffindor's victory, but upset to see its captain Oliver Wood leaving. Later on in the year, three students from her house — Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger — would run into trouble when Sirius Black returned to Hogwarts.
In the autumn of 1994, Hogwarts hosted the magical schools, the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and the Durmstrang Institute for the Triwizard Tournament. Minerva more than once exhorted her students to provide a good appearance to their guests. She attended the Yule Ball with Albus Dumbledore and notably wore her hair down for the first time since Harry started his education at Hogwarts. At the end of the Tournament, however, Minerva accompanied Dumbledore and Severus Snape in the rescue of Harry Potter from the Death Eater that had spent the entire school year impersonating the Auror Alastor Moody, that year's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
She was instructed to guard Crouch Jr. after he revealed his part in the rebirth of Voldemort, but was unable to prevent the Dementor brought by Minister Cornelius Fudge from giving the Death Eater the Dementor's Kiss. She was intensely furious at Fudge for this blunder, and screamed more than Harry had ever seen before. Thus, when the Minister refused to believe Dumbledore and Harry Potter about the return of Voldemort, Minerva nonetheless stood in support of her superior and her student. The Second Wizarding War had begun.
Once the Second Wizarding War had begun, Minerva rejoined the Order of the Phoenix and spent much of the summer of 1995 doing work for the Order. Though these duties took up much of her time, Minerva would face even greater challenges at Hogwarts. Because Dumbledore was unable to find a new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts, the Ministry of Magic appointed Dolores Umbridge, a senior Ministry official and stout supporter of Fudge, to the Hogwarts staff. Minerva saw this appointment as an affront to the school itself and did little to hide her disgust.
When Harry Potter crossed Umbridge, earning a detention in his first class with her, Minerva was sympathetic, but warned him that Umbridge was not to be trifled with and that he should keep his head down. 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 in the face of Umbridge's persecution of Hogwarts' inhabitants.
Minerva brings Harry to Dumbledore's office after he has a nightmare. After Umbridge's appointment as High Inquisitor, Minerva was forced to endure the other woman's presence during her evaluation of Minerva's teaching. Minerva kept her temper under control, maintaining an icy exterior and yet still unleashed a dry and pointed wit on Umbridge. The encounter did serve to cheer students like Ron Weasley who heartily disliked Umbridge. Still, darker times lay ahead.
Despite Minerva's best efforts to thwart the Ministry's influence at Hogwarts, things continued to grow worse. After Dumbledore was ousted from the school, Umbridge was appointed Headmistress over Minerva. When Umbridge invaded the career advising of the 5th-year students, Minerva finally lost her temper. During Harry Potter's session, when Umbridge kept interrupting the conversation and declaring that Harry would never be an Auror at the Ministry, Minerva declared to Harry that she would help him in any way necessary to achieve his goal. The atmosphere at Hogwarts continued to devolve under Umbridge's leadership.
McGonagall confined to a wheelchair following her vicious attack.
During the O.W.L. examinations, events came to a head. When Dolores Umbridge and several Aurors attempted to evict Hagrid from the grounds of Hogwarts, Minerva sought to intervene on behalf of her colleague. However, before she could even draw her wand, Minerva was promptly hit with four Stunning Spells in the chest, which required that she be moved from Hogwarts to St Mungo's for treatment.
Minerva did not return to Hogwarts until after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, when she promptly gave the six students involved 50 House points each for "alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who." She also watched with some happiness when Peeves chased Umbridge from the school, commenting that she would've joined Peeves in chasing Dolores away, but Peeves had appropriated her walking stick.
McGonagall starts the respectful wand raising following the death of Albus Dumbledore, both in respect for the murdered Headmaster and to be rid of the Death Eaters' Dark Mark above the school. After her recovery at St. Mungo's, Minerva resumed her duties within the Order of the Phoenix as well as her teaching duties once the new school year began. Later in the school year, she participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997 after Draco Malfoy snuck Death Eaters into the school through the Room of Requirement. She was stuck on the level below Harry and Dumbledore and couldn't pass on the stairs to reach them, however Snape could and pushed past her. After the battle, she was devastated at the death of Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape, the man whom she had known nearly her entire life as a teacher, mentor, and friend, and whose murderer she had let pass. In the final days of the school year, Minerva took over Dumbledore's former position and became Headmistress of Hogwarts, though she was stripped of this position in favour of Snape once Voldemort took over.
Voldemort's infiltration of Hogwarts As the war continued, Minerva remained at Hogwarts, even when it was taken over by Voldemort, most likely to make sure little harm came to students and that the Order of the Phoenix was informed on what was going on at Hogwarts. Even when Severus Snape was appointed Headmaster and Alecto and Amycus Carrow were given free rein in the school, Minerva did as much as she could to protect the students.
In May 1998, Minerva was present when Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley returned to Hogwarts in the middle of the night in search of Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, becoming aware they were there after Harry defended her honour by successfully performing the Cruciatus Curse for the first (and likely only) time on Amycus Carrow.
With help from Harry and Luna Lovegood, she incapacitated the Carrow siblings in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Realising that a battle was upon them, Minerva gathered Filius Flitwick and Pomona Sprout and together the three House Heads banished Severus from Hogwarts, Minerva even calling him a coward as he fled the school. Harry informed McGonagall of a quest that Dumbledore had left him, and she offered to hold Voldemort and his army back whilst Harry fulfilled this quest.
After ordering the evacuation of younger students through the Hog's Head, Minerva begun to help fortify the castle against the coming attack, with the assistance of her fellow teachers, Order members, and even the older students who had stayed behind to fight. When Pansy Parkinson suggested they take the deal offered to them by Voldemort - that of their lives in exchange for Harry Potter — Minerva ordered the girl and all those not willing to fight to leave.
Minerva fought skillfully in the first part of the battle, and stood defiant in the lull. She stood among many students in a crowd when Voldemort himself walked into the Hogwarts grounds. It was only when Minerva saw Harry Potter's body being carried by Rubeus Hagrid that she began to despair, letting out a scream terrible to anyone who heard it, equal to that of Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's together.
Nonetheless, Minerva continued to fight when the battle resumed after the attack by the Centaurs on Voldemort and the Death Eaters. In the final moments of the battle, she duelled with Voldemort alongside Horace Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt, though they were blasted aside by his fury when Bellatrix Lestrange was killed in a duel with Molly Weasley. They might have resumed the duel but for the fact that Harry revealed himself, insisting that he himself must duel Voldemort one final time. After Voldemort was finally killed by Harry, she, along with everyone else, hugged Harry in a uncharacteristic display of emotion.
With the conclusion of the war, Minerva returned to the position of Headmistress of Hogwarts and remained there until at least 2008, as she gave permission for Dumbledore's notes on The Tales of Beedle the Bard to be published. It is possible she was responsible for the employment of former Gryffindor student Neville Longbottom as the new teacher for Herbology.
OOC
[/font][/size]Name: Narcissa
How long have you been RPing? 3 years
Where did you find us? message from snape
Sample RP:Minerva ran, or tripped in this case, into the Hospital Wing, her chest heaving from the exhaustion of having run the entire way. She held up a hand, indicating that, no, she did not wish to be helped and that she would be ready to say something once her breath decided to miraculously return. Obviously running from one side of the school to the other at this time of night was not something her body was built for anymore. She clutched her side and had to lean against the wall for support, closing her eyes slightly as she attempted to steady her breathing.
She slowly opened her eyes again when she had regained control of her body she straightened up and walked, though rather shakily, forwards. "Minister," she said. Having heard his request for Persephone to leave the Hospital Wing, she felt that it was her turn to speak up for the Head of Slytherin. "I do believe that the Headmistress of Hogwarts School still reserves the right to dismiss any members of the staff on school grounds, regardless of what the Minister of Magic himself appears to think."
In her frenzied state, after being pulled out of bed at well past midnight, she thought that it was excusable that her feet were still in her slippers and she only had enough time to pull on a nightgown before making her way to the Hospital Wing. "So I would request for Professor Silverton to remain in the room as it was her who alerted myself about Mr. Potter's nighttime excurision in the first place, not to mention that she probably saved his life."