Minerva McGonagall

Heroic Benchmark

Human
Tabby cat
Books

Full Name

Minerva McGonagall

Alias

Prof. Minerva
McGonagall

Origin

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Family

Robert McGonagall Snr (father)
Isobel McGonagall (née Ross) (mother)
Malcolm McGonagall (brother)
Robert McGonagall Jr. † (brother)
Elphinstone Urquart † (husband)
Nieces and nephews
William McGonagall (possible paternal ancestor)
M. G. McGonagall (possible paternal relative)
Minerva (maternal great-grandmother)
Mr. Ross (maternal grandfather)
Mrs. Ross (maternal grandmother)

Allies

Order of the Phoenix:

Albus Dumbledore †
Rubeus Hagrid
Severus Snape †
Remus Lupin †
Sirius Black †
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody †

Filius Flitwick
Quirinus Quirrell (formerly)
Dumbledore's Army:

Harry Potter
Ron Weasley
Hermione Granger
Neville Longbottom
Ginny Weasley
Fred Weasley †
George Weasley
Luna Lovegood

Oliver Wood
Cedric Diggory †

Enemies

Death Eaters:

Lord Voldemort †
Bellatrix Lestrange †
Peter Pettigrew †
Severus Snape † (formerly)
Lucius Malfoy (formerly)
Draco Malfoy (formerly)
Narcissa Malfoy (formerly)

Vincent Crabbe
Gregory Goyle †
Quirinus Quirrell
Dolores Umbridge

Powers / Skills

High Intelligence
Leadership
Intimidation
Vast Powerful Magical Abilities:

Transfiguration (Specialty)
Animagus Transformation
Non-verbal spells skills
Multiple other spells

Goals

Defend Hogwarts against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters as to give Harry Potter enough time to locate and destroy the Dark Lord's Horcruxes (succeeded).

Goodness Zone

Leading the Hogwarts' defense against Lord Voldemort.

Giving Harry his first broom.
Standing up to Dolores Umbridge.

Type of Hero

Severe Disciplinarian

Professor Minerva McGonagall, also known simply as McGonagall, is a major character in the Harry Potter franchise. Attending at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the Transfiguration Teacher, Minerva is the director of Gryffindor House. Despite being very severe in her teaching ways, she is an extremely compassionate person. She is also a member of the Order of the Phoenix and one of Dumbledore's closest friends.

She was portrayed by the late Maggie Smith.

Her Good Ranking[]

Her Heroic Deeds[]

Though not an official member in the Order of the Phoenix, she still was a notable ally to them in the First Wizarding War.
Tried to comfort Rubeus Hagrid after he broke down crying while delivering Harry to the Dursleys.
She didn't punish Harry for flying without permission due to his exceptional flying ability for a first year and instead recommended him to Oliver Wood, the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team.
She got Harry his first broom, a Nimbus 2000.
She was one of the teachers that helped protect the Sorcerer's Stone.
She is shown to be a very fair person, such as when she took away 150 points from Gryffindor due to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's wrongdoings (in the books, Neville's instead of Ron's), despite it being her own house and her massive desire to win the house cup.
She didn't expel Ron and Harry, despite them being seen by Muggles while Ron was driving his father's flying car to school. Though she still gave them some punishment, it was a very merciful act.
Gave Hermione a Time-Turner so she could attend many classes conflicting with her schedule in her third year.
Was one of the teachers who interrogated Barty Crouch Jr. and saved Harry from him.
Stood up against Dolores Umbridge's inhuman treatment of Hogwarts' students and staff.
Helped fight the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries.
Mourned Dumbledore's death, by pointing her wand upwards while using a light spell along with the others after he died.
Was one of the leaders of Hogwarts' defense against the Death-Eaters, giving orders, fighting them herself, and even bringing statues to life to help in the fight.
She is almost totally seriously played, but she doesn't darken the story's mood.

Why She Doesn't Stand Out?[]

She fails the admirable standards too much to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville (who himself fails the in-story standards). She has a lot of resources and page time/screen time, but most of her acts amount to supportive heroism, causing her to fail the baseline.
She has a corrupting moment where she punished Neville in the Prisoner of Azkaban by banning him from Hogsmeade and disallowing his peers to tell him the password to the Gryffindor Common Room after his list of passwords was left unattended. While it's understandable that she wanted everybody safe from Sirius Black (who was still believed to be a murderer), this act is very harsh and detracts from her heroism.