How does McGonagall know?

[jrober4211]

No: HPFGUIDX 32632

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "oz_widgeon" <Littlered32773 at y...> wrote:
> Okay, I lied, I'll go back to the sofa in a minute and continue 
being 
> miserable.  I have another question that popped up while re-re-re-
re-
> reading PoA.
> First, let me put my quotes in:
> 
> Chapter 13 Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw:
> 
> [Gryf beat Ravenclaw at Quiddich and are in the common room 
> celebrating]
> 'The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned 
up 
> in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning to 
> insist they all go to bed.'  (PoA 265 US)
> 
> [They have all gone to bed.  Ron wakes up screaming that Sirius 
Black 
> tried to attack him, the whole house wakes and noise begins again]
> '"Now really, enough's enough!"  Professor McGonagall was back.  
She 
> slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and 
> stared furiously around.' (PoA 267 US)
> 
> Now, we know from CoS I believe, that Harry has only seen 
McGonagall 
> in the common room a few times, so she's not a regular visitor.  
> Twice in one night seems a bit of an event.  My question is, how 
does 
> she KNOW they're up?  I get the impression that the walls are quite 
> thick, and muffle sound.  If they didn't, wouldn't it be quite easy 
> to figure out where the other common rooms are?  (Follow the 
noise).  
> So, does McG live somewhere off the common room, though perhaps 
with 
> a private entrance that she can hear things in the common room, or 
> does she have some type of magical device that allows her to keep 
> tabs on them?  The latter theory bothers me, as she then would know 
> everything the trio plots and would also know about Sirius in the 
> fire in GoF.  Any thoughts?
> 
> Slon (who is REALLY back to the sofa now as her head seriously 
hurts)

I was under the assumption that her quarters are nearby, so I suppose 
it is possible for her to hear very loud noises. The first entrance 
into the common room , the night of the party, was probably just good 
common sense. As a parent of teenagers, I check periodically after 
midnight to make sure my teens are in bed if they have over night 
guests. The second time she arrived, I suppose she heard all the 
screaming from the fat lady as she was attacked by Sirius after he 
awakened Ron.Of course she didn't start off by saying, " ok , who 
vandalized the portrait? " when she entered the common room. I guess 
its possible to hear blood curdling screams from teen agers through 
thick masonry walls.

Jo Ellen

Jo Ellen