Gender Female
Hair colour Black
Eye colour Unknown
House Gryffindor
Parentage Unknown
Loyalty Order of the Phoenix
Film portrayer Maggie Smith
First appearance Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Minerva McGonagall (born October 4, ca. 1924)[1] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. She is the Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor House, and Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she began teaching in December, 1956. McGonagall considers Transfiguration to be the most complex and difficult branch of magic.

Stern, snappy, and reserved, Professor McGonagall has nonetheless shown herself to have the best interests of the students of Hogwarts, of her wards in Gryffindor, and especially of Harry himself in mind. McGonagall is also one of Albus Dumbledore's staunchest supporters and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She is the first magical character and Animagus we are introduced to in the series.

McGonagall has black hair drawn into a tight bun. She wears emerald green robes, and always a very prim expression. She is, according to Rowling, a "sprightly" 70 years old. She wears square glasses with markings on them that are the same as the ones around her eyes when she is a tabby cat. She also has a fondness for tartan patterns, apparently derived from a Scottish heritage; even her dressing gown is tartan.

Her name derives from two sources: one is Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom (a name that suits Minerva very well). Her surname comes from that of a 19th century Dundee eccentric, William Topaz McGonagall[2]. He is often regarded as the worst poet in the history of the English language.

McGonagall is played by Maggie Smith in the films.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

We are first introduced to Minerva McGonagall in the opening chapter of the Philosopher's Stone, The Boy Who Lived, when she meets Albus Dumbledore at Number four Privet Drive. She is immediately shown to be an Animagus, a witch or wizard who has the ability to turn into an animal without the aid of a wand, and as such she waits on a brick wall all day in the form of a tabby cat. In this chapter, Professor McGonagall's complete personality is summarised: her caring side (she is worried when Dumbledore reveals he plans to leave Harry Potter, fresh from Lord Voldemort's attack on him, with the Dursley family, his only living relatives), her snappy, brusque side (she criticises a number of people, including Hagrid), and ultimately, her intelligence (to become an Animagus is very difficult, and can sometimes take years to master the magic).

McGonagall is the member of staff who performs the Sorting Ceremony at Hogwarts. She demands complete respect from all of her students.

McGonagall is very keen on Quidditch, and, as Head of Gryffindor House, she takes an interest in the house Quidditch team's progress. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, she recommends Harry as seeker after seeing him skillfully fly on a broom, despite the fact that, as a first year, he would not normally be allowed the position.

McGonagall, despite being a strict disciplinarian, often assists Harry in an indirect way. She has often hinted at certain things for Harry's benefit. One example at this is when she warned Harry in his fifth year that the Ministry of Magic was monitoring communication in and out of Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagall is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, as is revealed in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She warns Harry not to provoke Dolores Umbridge, as she works for the Ministry of Magic. In that book, she also attempts to keep Umbridge and her minions from taking Hagrid away forcefully, and pays for her attempt when she gets hit by four Stunning Spells. She is taken from the school to St Mungo's. However, after the battle in the Department of Mysteries, she returns to the school safe and well, returned to her usual brisk self.

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