Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
In today’s video, we’re discussing Hogwarts Professor Minerva McGonagall.
Minerva McGonagall is a Scottish half-blood witch that attended Hogwarts school of witchcraft
and wizardry.
We know a lot about her past- her love interests, her career path, her parents (thanks to extra
publications from Rowling), but one important aspect about her character remains unclear-
her age.
You see, her age is subject to a considerable amount of speculation, and this is because
In Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald, we see a young woman by the name of ‘McGonagall’
at Hogwarts, a woman who, if I had to guess, is in her 20s or so.
We know that McGonagall teaches alongside Dumbledore, and we know that at ONE point
she’s a young professor at the school- so, what’s the problem?
Well, all of this would be fine…If it had been consistent with what JK Rowling had revealed
about McGonagall in the original series.
Originally, Rowling stated that McGonagall started teaching at the school in 1956 at
the age of 21.
However, Fantastic Beasts 2 takes place in the year 1927, 29 YEARS before she’s supposed
to have taught there - which just doesn’t really add up.
Expanding on this, if she really had started at the school in 1956 at the age of 21, then
it means that she was born in the year 1935.
This adds to the confusion even more as that’s 7 or 8 years AFTER she’s seen on screen.
Harry Potter canon also supports Rowling’s claim that McGonagall began teaching there
in 1956.
In a 1995 conversation between Umbridge and McGonagall, McGonagall reveals that she had
been working at Hogwarts “Thirty-nine years this December,".
Which is consistent with what Rowling had said initially.
In the most recent trailer for Fantastic Beasts 3: the Secrets of Dumbledore- we see young
McGonagall once again, warning Dumbledore about something pertaining to the imminent
threat that is Gellert Grindelwald.
So- what on EARTH is going on?
Well- the first thing I want to address is that the McGonagall we’ve seen so far has
NOT YET been referred to by her first name.
The McGonagall from the Harry Potter series is ‘Minerva’- and at this point this new
‘McGonagall’ has no link to that name - at least not from within the film.
This has led some fans to the conclusion that this McGonagall must be Minerva’s mother,
but I’ve got a big wrench to throw in that theory.
You see, the published screenplay for the film contradicts this entire argument, as
it’s clearly shown that this is in fact Minerva.
And no, Minerva wasn’t named after her mother- her mother was Isobel Ross.
On top of all of that, Minerva's father (who she got the McGonagall name from) was a Muggle
- which means there’s no large wizarding family that shares the McGonagall name.
This eliminates other prospects- like distant relatives, cousins etc.
So- what does all of this mean?
How can McGonagall be teaching at Hogwarts school BEFORE she’s even born?
I’d like to imagine that there is some convoluted explanation for breach of canon, perhaps involving
a time-turner or alternate dimensions, but I think the harsh reality here is that this
is no carefully chosen plot twist, but instead is an attempt to shoehorn a popular character
like McGonagall back in to the story.
Am I happy that canon is broken?
Certainly not.
But I must admit I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t happy to see a fan favourite
like McGonagall slotted back in to the story.
If you guys want to know the FULL Backstory of Minerva McGonagall, from her birth to her
life AFTER the battle of Hogwarts, then check out my video in the PINNED comment.
What do you guys think?
How is McGonagall’s presence in Fantastic Beasts explained?
Leave a comment down below.
Until next time
Remember
Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts
are open