McGonagall

[finwitch <finwitch@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50304

Michelle:

I not so certain that she doesn't know already. After all she showed 
no supprised of being asked to take a dog to Dumbledores office (I 
don't know if he asks this of her before he send Snape to get Winky I 
don't have the book on me)- one has to ask why she didn't seemed 
supprise - I got a suspeciion that maybe she already knew what/ who 
the dog was.

I wouldn't be supprised to find out that she knew that the dog was an 
animagus even if she didn't know who the animagus was - after all she 
is one herself, and I'm beginning to wonder if an animagus can spot 
another animagus in animal form more easily than an non-animagus.

Me:

I've been thinking about an animagus being able to spot another 
easily, but one thing is against it: How come she could not tell that 
Ron's rat was animagus during the time Wormtail was with Percy added 
to two with Ron? No doubts at all?

Still, maybe she did _doubt_ but kept it quiet (except telling 
Dumbledore about an odd rat of Weasleys). Dumbledore could have told 
her any time between finding out the truth and Sirius being back. 
McGonagall would grasp the animagi part right away - "so that's how 
it was with the Weasley rat"...

Michelle on why McGonagall isn't of the old gang:
Opinions on this are split some suggest the fact that she found out 
about the Potters deaths and where Dumbledore was going to take Harry 
from Hagrid rather than Dumbledore as evidence that she was not.
Theres also that pesky detail that she say you - know -wh rather than 
calling him Voldemort too.

Me:
Being unafraid to speak out Voldemort's name is, I believe, a 
requirement to membership in the 'old crowd', but McGonagall IS on 
Dumbledore's side like Snape and Hagrid. The three non-members 
Dumbledore trusts most so far as we know.

But as to why McGonagall was 'sent away'... She knows that PP is 
unregistered rat-animagus - and she may have doubts about the dog's 
true identity. She is, however, a _registered_ animagus - and feels 
need to at least keep a face that she knows not about Sirius' 
ability, lest she'd be oblidged to report him.

Still, Sirius innosence and PP's rat-animagi.. She knows that much, I 
think. I think McGonagall chooses to remain ignorant of Sirius' dog-
animagi... otherwise she as registered animagi would, I believe, be 
oblidged to turn him in.

BTW, wonder if any of Mrs Figg's cats are animagi, too?
Or perhaps, as punishment for being unregistered cat-animagi they 
were transfigured into cats for say 6 years?

-- Finwitch