Minerva McGonagall--DD's Right-Hand Woman or Truly a Secondary Character?

[arrowsmithbt]

No: HPFGUIDX 115466


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" <susiequsie23 at s...> 
wrote:
> 
> These are aspects of Minerva McGonagall that we've gotten to see.  
> But who IS she, really?  What roles does she play?  Sure, she 
> teaches Transfiguration, she's Head of Gryffindor House, and she's 
> Deputy Headmistress, but how important is she to the Harry Potter 
> story?  Was she in the Order the first time?  Does she do anything 
> useful for the Order this time?  Is it only at Hogwarts that her 
> rank & responsibility are high?  If so, why?  If not, why don't we 
> hear about it?  Is she a powerful witch?  And what the hell is her 
> relationship to DD?
> 

Is she actually a member of the Order?
I don't remember any canon that states unequivocally that she is; might
be wrong though.

I think she's DD's back-up at Hogwarts, pure and simple and she'd only
get involved peripherally with Order stuff - and then only in emergencies.

Yes, she is seen in the vicinity of GH - in Muggle clothes. Which could
(if one of my pet theories turns up trumps) mean that she's Muggle born 
or half-blood. (I think that an "identifier" for pure-bloodedness is that
the adults *always* wear robes - remember Madam Malkin "Robes for
*all* occasions". Any adult seen voluntarily wearing Muggle clothing, so 
the QWC might not count, is not pureblood; which casts an interesting 
light on Dear Dolly.)

I seem to remember a reference to a Quidditch cup/prize/plaque (?Lexicon)
with the name McGonagall on it; dated about 50 years ago and the first
initial wasn't M. A brother possibly? Or husband? Was she born McGonagall
or did she acquire it? And what happened to him anyway? Scope for lots
of  speculation there.
No canon unfortunately.

One possibility to add - she's Hermione's role model. 
This is Hermione in 50  years.

Kneasy