Character: Minerva McGonagall

[Minnesota Girlie]

No: HPFGUIDX 9225

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, John Walton <john at w...> wrote:

 1) In PS, she jumps to the conclusion that Harry and Hermione tried 
to lure
> Draco out of bed up to the tower with the story about the dragon. 
Does this
> seem unfair and out of keeping with her fair-but-firm attitude?
> 

Well, thinking that the dragon is just a story (it does seem a bit 
farfetched for two first-years to be smuggling a _dragon_ out of, let 
alone into, Hogwarts) is better than expelling Harry Potter, THE
Harry 
Potter. And, of course, she'd be accused of preferring Harry to 
everyone else if she expels Hermione and not Harry (which would 
definitely get Lucius Malfoy's silk boxers with twinkling faerie 
lights on them in a bunch). 

> 3) What is the significance of her "protection" method for the 
Philosopher's
> Stone (the giant chess-set)?

Well.... looking at how bad Harry is at it, wizarding chess seems
sort 
of hard. It is so McGonagall -- something stern, big (well this isn't 
so much McGonagall), unyielding, which needs a certain amount of
skill 
to get through. Besides, we needed something for Ron to be really
good 
at, since Harry had the winged keys and Hermione had the 
potion-riddle.


> 
> 4) Continuing the theme from question 1, what are possible reasons 
for
> McGonagall not punishing Harry -- indeed, rewarding him -- for 
flying
> unsupervised in PS? Hermione even thinks that this is inconsistent 
with
> McGonagall in general. Again, does this have any greater 
significance than a
> Good Plot Device?

She doesn't want Harry to leave Hogwarts, much like Fudge does not
and 
Dumbledore does not. Besides, as you pointed out with her having a 
certain soft-spot when it comes to Harry's hard-knock life living
with 
the Dursleys, I bet she wouldn't be able to stand the thought of
Harry 
having to spend the rest of his life as a Muggle.


~ Minnesota Girlie