McGonagall-ness (Re: Angry Harry in HBP?)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 119896


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "madlysarcastic" 
<madettebeau at g...> wrote:
> 
> Alla wrote:
> 
> > We discussed Mcgonagall recently and yes, I think she should have 
> > done MUCH more for Harry than telling him "to get a grip", BUT I 
do 
> > think that she was acting in character.
> > 
> > 
> > Have you EVER seen her acting nice and motherly to Harry during 
the 
> > course of the series? She is fair, IMO but not kind.

Maddy:
 > Ah, but you're forgetting that she gave Harry his Nimbus 2000 in 
PS/SS
> and let him on the Quidditch team in his first year. And I'd say
> that's acting pretty kind. And yes, it probably was largely due to 
the
> fact that Harry showed great ability as a Seeker and she wanted to 
see
> Gryffindor win the Cup, but I think she wouldn't have done that for
> just anyone.
> 
> No, I wouldn't ever describe McGonagall as "motherly", but that
> doesn't detract from her ability to be nice and kind.
> 
> While she is very strict (yet, as you said, fair) I've found there 
are
> quite a few small instances where McGonagall shows a small amount of
> affection (whether it be a joke or advice) or gives a fleeting 
smile.
> She's not the type of person to be overly affectionate, or have
> favourite students, but I think she does have a tiny soft spot for
> Harry. I think she shows affection in very small, infrequent doses,
> but that doesn't mean it's not there.

Geoff:
As I was reading through the various posts on this thread, my mind 
suddenly took me back to my own schooldays.

McGonagall is very much one of the old school. A strict 
disciplinarian but who has a soft spot for the needs of her students.

In my last three years at my grammar school in South London (Fifth 
Year, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth), I had the same form teacher, who 
also taught me Maths. He was a rather dour Northcountryman (from 
Durham IIRC) but he knew how to teach the subject and he also had a 
very dry sense of humour, which matched mine and I found in him 
someone as a model in later years. He also had a soft spot, because 
on one occasion he surprised me greatly when, having found out I was 
a railfan, he gave me a couple of small books in his possession which 
described journeys on the main lines out of London and what you were 
passing; I kept these books for many years afterwards and was often 
thankful that I had come under the tutelage of this teacher.

Again, when I first taught, I had a Headmaster who hailed from North 
Wales and was a small human volcano. He was strict on discipline and 
ran a very tight ship but he considered at base that he had a family 
of 400 boys. He was not afraid to admit if he made a mistake, he got 
to know every boy by name and would keep as far up to date as he 
could with their achievements. He was not distant, he was not 
sentimental but the lads almost worshipped the ground he walked on...

I think Minerva McGonagall is another member of this class. Firm but 
fair.