Minerva McGonagall-/Dumbledore

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 115471


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "cubfanbudwoman" 
<susiequsie23 at s...> wrote:

> SSSusan:
> Right.  I wonder, though, how/why things changed so much in the 
> intervening 10-11 years.  Why, for instance, he's "Albus" and she's 
> ostensibly sharing a cuppa hot chocolate with him in the evening....

Geoff:
But she's on first name terms from the beginning....

'"What they're saying," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort 
turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour 
is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead."
Dumbledore bowed his head.Professor McGonagall gasped.
"Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe 
it... Oh, Albus..."
Dumbledore reached out and  patted her on the shoulder.'

(PS "The Boy Who Lived" p.14 UK edition)

Interestingly, she also referred to him rather familiarly as 
just "Dumbledore" in at least four places here.

"A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to 
have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I 
suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"

(ibid. p.13)

'"I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only 
family he has left now."
You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried 
Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number 
four. "Dumbledore - you can't....."

"...I've written them a letter."
"A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down 
on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this 
in a letter?"'

(ibid. p.15)

'Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed 
and then said,"Yes - yes, you're right of course. But how is the boy 
getting here, Dumbledore?"'

(ibid. p.16)

Bearing in mind Dumbledore's insistence on calling fok by their 
title, this seems to imply a measure of familiarity and informality 
between them.

Geoff
Enjoy views of Exmoor and preserved 
West Somerset Railway steam at:
http://www.aspectsofexmoor.com