[HPforGrownups] RE: Minerva McGonagall is Ever So Evil

[Amanda Geist]

No: HPFGUIDX 39625

Bluesqueak asked

> Why did Dumbledore sent *Snape* out to look for Harry and Ron? Why
> not McGonagall, their head of House? Surely someone else could have
> taken care of the Sorting for her when two of her own students were
> missing?

Where did you get the idea that Dumbledore *sent* Snape? I always thought
that Snape noticed they were missing and then went to find them. Why should
Snape pass up the wonderful opportunity to snag Harry in serious trouble?
But it probably was that he was sent. Let's think about it.

McGonagall runs the Sorting Hat ceremony. She'd have to deal with that. It
would not be Dumbledore who noticed them missing, it would be Hagrid. I
seriously doubt Hagrid would report this to Snape, but he might. He'd tell
someone.

If it were Dumbledore, he may well have let his second-in-command continue
with her regular Sorting Ceremony duties, and send the next lieutenant in
line, Snape, to look into the missing students. Seems eminently reasonable
to me.

If it were not Dumbledore, I'd bet it was Snape's own initiative--he does
seem to be looking out for Harry, happily or not, and McGonagall might not
have noticed, all preoccupied with the Sorting Ceremony. Or maybe a busy
McGonagall asked Snape to do it.

But I don't think any of this makes McGongagall evil.

--Amanda