McGonagall and Umbridge
McGonagall - described by both the narrative and many fans (adella711 and I both recently took polls reflecting this, so even 'subversive' readers such as slashers seem to agree) as the fairest teacher at Hogwarts.
Umbridge - loathed by text and audience alike.
But are they so different?
McGonagall, pre-OotP
Philosopher's Stone, page 111 -
Ah, the contrasts we can draw immediately with Chamber of Secrets, page 85:
On one side, we have the Nasty Slytherins benefitting from nepotism in order to accept a new member of the team.
On the other side, we have the truly talented orphan boy wonder, Harry.
Now, we don't know as much about Draco's appointment to the team as Harry's, although in both, the previous Seeker is never mentioned. Buh-bye!
We know for instance, that Harry is accepted onto his team without a broom.
What we don't know in the Slytherin parallel case, is whether or not Lucius decided to purchase brooms in order to 'buy' his son's way onto the team, or whether he bought them as a congratulatory present for his son's new position.
We also have to presume that the broomstick rule is not applicable after first year, otherwise we'd have a 'OMG he's the second youngest seeker in a century!111' style hullaballoo over Malfoy's appointment.
We do know, however that McGonagall is the only teacher to become involved in sports teams and the members therein.
One would think Snape, who has at least a passing knowledge of the rules in order to referee in PS; and is known to favour members of his house, would be involved in Malfoy's joining the Slytherin team.
He's mentioned, but in the context of demanding the pitch for team, not in deciding who gets to play.
This is supported by OotP, in which Angelina in her capacity as new captain, allows Ron to replace the previous Keeper.
So - students run teams with one exception.
McGonagall.
McGonagall, who undermines Madame Hooch's authority (after all, McG is the Deputy Headmistress, and Hooch is when it comes down to it, just a jock, if likely an ex-Gryffindor jock) and not only doesn't punish students seen to be breaking Hooch's rule, but actively rewards one of them.
One. Hmm.
Did she see the entire pseudo-match play out? One would think not, since Draco remained unpunished, but then she saw the catch:
"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."
And it's unlikely even Harry Potter could catch a ball thrown by no-one.
Besides, without the catch, Harry looks even less worthy of being rewarded: flying alone, fifty feet in the air on his first lesson?
Kind of looks like showing off, even with a teacher present.
Without? Tsk tsk.
So Harry gets a position on the first year team, and Draco doesn't. Boo hoo.
Maybe Draco just isn't as good a flyer. And McGonagall didn't punish him.
Certainly that incident alone is arguable at best as evidence of favouritism. But is the next?
DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.
-- Professor McGonagall
So having ones father purchase brooms is 'buying (your) way in' (as presented by the authorial avatar Hermione, interestingly a character who is often compared to McGonagall; and with no arguments against it, by the narrative itself) but having one's Head of House both elect you to the team and purchase you expensive athletic equipment is fair and square?
Would Snape, for example, doing the same thing escaped criticism unscathed?
I doubt it.
The text seems to accept this as perfectly normal coming from McGonagall:
"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks...."
"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"
"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them -- we'll be able to see if it's true."
"Wish McGonagall favored us, " said Harry.
McGonagall - Order of the Phoenix
"Ah. I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to - "
"Add some more?"
Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle; she was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.
"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forwards. "Out of St Mungo's, I see!"
"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her travelling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two - Crabbe - Goyle - "
She beckoned them forwards imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.
"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's; "take these up to my office for me."
They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.
"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"
"What?" snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. "Oh - well - I suppose…"
"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and Miss Granger," said Professor McGanagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hour-glass as she spoke.
"Oh - and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass.
"Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr Potter, I think, Professor Snape - so there we are…"
Glad to see your life being in danger has made you aware of the important things in life!
I realise the removal of Crabbe and Goyle was a way to even the playing field for Harry (again) but I loathe the implication - that's the role of a Slytherin to a Gryffindor - they can carry their bags!
Meet the new boss - same as the old boss.
Even Snape doesn't send the Trio to do petty task for him.
Crabbe and Goyle bring me to the next part of this -
Umbridge
It fascinates me that post OotP, much of the discussion regarding Draco was 'Will he become a DeathEater?' All signs looked likely.
But it appears people are overlooking two excellent candidates right in front of them - Crabbe and Goyle.
Like Draco, their fathers are DeathEaters. Unlike Draco, who seems frightened of blood, Crabbe and Goyle are clearly capable of defending themselves.
(As I argued previously, their violent reputation seems unjustified bearing in mind we've seen them use their fists only in self-defense, but there's no question that these two are unafraid of physical confrontations. They may not be magically talented - especially after a year without DADA lessons - but they managed to put Neville in the hospital wing between them.)
Now if I can work out that these two don't have the happiest of futures lying ahead of them, so can anyone.
Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Umbridge.
We've seen Dumbledore's frankly negligent attitude to Slytherins over the years (Severus Snape and Tom Riddle being two excellent examples) and indeed to this particular generation: the house cup in PS, seemingly designed as a giant 'FUCK YOU' to one quarter of the school.
However, presumably he was the one responsible for nominating Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson as Prefects, so let's leave him...for now.
Snape seems more preoccupied with twenty year old schoolboy grudges than with any of his students. In fact, despite having experienced the prejudices of the school's system first hand, and it's favouring of athletic popular types such as James, and now Harry; he has canonically never awarded a single point to Slytherin, and focuses his extra time on guess who?
Now here's an interesting question: McGonagall versus Umbridge. Are they really so different?
Certainly McGonagall wouldn't dream of using Umbridge's more questionable methods.
She supports Dumbledore, presumably, in his appointment of incompetent teachers such as Hagrid and Trelawney, and opposes their dismissal.
She vowes to help at least one student attain their chosen career.
Can you possible guess who?
I'll give you a clue - someone who has the Order of the Phoenix, Albus Dumbledore (one of the most powerful Wizards alive), with half the DADA professors introduced working in Hogwarts specifically because of his presence. (Interestingly both Moody and Lupin were shown to teach one other student: Boy Who Could Have Been Neville Longbottom. If you're not in a prophecy, you don't get an education?)
Someone who has his entire House willing to fall in line behind him, as well as the DA who have proven themselves willing to 'defend' him to the point of rendering his enemies unable to move and physically unrecognizable.
Harry doesn't need McGonagall as his private tutor, smoothing his way into Aurorhood.
To be frank, he's guaranteed based on his scar. Even Fudge, who's criticised by Dumbledore for being unwilling to follow Dumbledore's commands, is willing to 'bend the rules':
"Ah, well, Snape... Harry Potter, you know... we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."
and the next Minister is unlikely to be any different (it's going to be a 'baddie' now, isn't it? ;)
Now, Umbridge, interestingly, we see seeking out genuinely minor characters.
McGonagall admits in PoA that she often was 'sharp' to Peter Pettigrew, who wasn't as talented magically or athleticly as his 'extremely bright' if bullying friends James Potter and Sirius Black.
Sound familiar? Indeed, the hapless Neville is not one of Minerva's favourite students, especially after his dangerous mistake in PoA:
Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention, and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him.
Umbridge doesn't suffer this particular flaw. Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Draco Malfoy.
None wildly gifted, that we've seen.
Not only does she focus her attentions of pupils besides the famous one, she appears to know their first names, indicating a closeness with them that McGonagall, who relies on surnames, lacks.
Of course, the reactionary moral majority squealed at the Slytherin's 'evil' at associating themselves with bureaucracy but failed to see that Umbridge's 'playing it by the book' was merely taking advantage of the flaws already inherent in the system.
It wasn't, for example, Umbridge's fault that the teaching standards at Hogwarts were mixed, at best, with students being injured under Hagrid's care, for example.
It wasn't Umbridge's fault that Harry and George failed to control their tempers post Quidditch, or that under the previous Head, a detention would have sufficed (this being McGonagall's prescribed punishment, not Dumbledore's. However, anyone who genuinely thinks Dumbledore would have pushed for a harder punishment? Probably wouldn't be able to read this livejournal in the first place.)
Or that the students most likely to become Death Eaters were ignored by staff and close to failing academically (Crabbe and Goyle) whereas the popular Gryffindor students were allowed to run riot (the train hexings, for example.)
Umbridge physically abused students, which is something I don't and won't condone; however - she was not the first to.
I would make a parallel between Harry's detention under Umbridge to say, the ferret bouncing under Dumbledore's rule.
(And guess who's first shown to physically manhandle students, in this case, pulling them by the ear?)
Interestingly, McGonagall is first to identify Umbridge's game, perhaps because of it's parallels with Dumbledore's previous system of running Hogwarts: My Word is Law, and I'll use the rules as a weapon:
"I am well aware of our by-laws Severus, having written several of them myself."
And of the students, Hermione, the student most often compared to Minerva is equally swift to recognise Umbridge's ploy:
"Of course he's going to be chucked out and, to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?"
A final note: McGonagall, like Hermione, surrounds herself with males and shuns the company of fellow females, whereas Umbridge, the 'villain' is feminine to the point of revulsion:
She looked, Harry thought, like somebody's maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes.
Both, however, are obedient to their respective male authority figures, whom they would do anything for: Umbridge; Cornelius Fudge, in who's name she's prepared to Crucio Harry and
McGonagall; Dumbledore, who orders her not to defend him, as “Hogwarts needs you.” She relents.
Indeed, Maggie Smith spoke of her part in CoS as a basic bit part consisting of :
"What does this mean, Albus?"
Sources:
nothingbutfic
willowsevern
skelkins
Umbridge - loathed by text and audience alike.
But are they so different?
McGonagall, pre-OotP
Philosopher's Stone, page 111 -
Ah, the contrasts we can draw immediately with Chamber of Secrets, page 85:
On one side, we have the Nasty Slytherins benefitting from nepotism in order to accept a new member of the team.
On the other side, we have the truly talented orphan boy wonder, Harry.
Now, we don't know as much about Draco's appointment to the team as Harry's, although in both, the previous Seeker is never mentioned. Buh-bye!
We know for instance, that Harry is accepted onto his team without a broom.
What we don't know in the Slytherin parallel case, is whether or not Lucius decided to purchase brooms in order to 'buy' his son's way onto the team, or whether he bought them as a congratulatory present for his son's new position.
We also have to presume that the broomstick rule is not applicable after first year, otherwise we'd have a 'OMG he's the second youngest seeker in a century!111' style hullaballoo over Malfoy's appointment.
We do know, however that McGonagall is the only teacher to become involved in sports teams and the members therein.
One would think Snape, who has at least a passing knowledge of the rules in order to referee in PS; and is known to favour members of his house, would be involved in Malfoy's joining the Slytherin team.
He's mentioned, but in the context of demanding the pitch for team, not in deciding who gets to play.
This is supported by OotP, in which Angelina in her capacity as new captain, allows Ron to replace the previous Keeper.
So - students run teams with one exception.
McGonagall.
McGonagall, who undermines Madame Hooch's authority (after all, McG is the Deputy Headmistress, and Hooch is when it comes down to it, just a jock, if likely an ex-Gryffindor jock) and not only doesn't punish students seen to be breaking Hooch's rule, but actively rewards one of them.
One. Hmm.
Did she see the entire pseudo-match play out? One would think not, since Draco remained unpunished, but then she saw the catch:
"He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive," Professor McGonagall told Wood. "Didn't even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn't have done it."
And it's unlikely even Harry Potter could catch a ball thrown by no-one.
Besides, without the catch, Harry looks even less worthy of being rewarded: flying alone, fifty feet in the air on his first lesson?
Kind of looks like showing off, even with a teacher present.
Without? Tsk tsk.
So Harry gets a position on the first year team, and Draco doesn't. Boo hoo.
Maybe Draco just isn't as good a flyer. And McGonagall didn't punish him.
Certainly that incident alone is arguable at best as evidence of favouritism. But is the next?
DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.
-- Professor McGonagall
So having ones father purchase brooms is 'buying (your) way in' (as presented by the authorial avatar Hermione, interestingly a character who is often compared to McGonagall; and with no arguments against it, by the narrative itself) but having one's Head of House both elect you to the team and purchase you expensive athletic equipment is fair and square?
Would Snape, for example, doing the same thing escaped criticism unscathed?
I doubt it.
The text seems to accept this as perfectly normal coming from McGonagall:
"I shall speak to Professor Dumbledore and see if we can't bend the first-year rule. Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn't look Severus Snape in the face for weeks...."
"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. "Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"
"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them -- we'll be able to see if it's true."
"Wish McGonagall favored us, " said Harry.
McGonagall - Order of the Phoenix
"Ah. I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hour-glass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to - "
"Add some more?"
Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle; she was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.
"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forwards. "Out of St Mungo's, I see!"
"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her travelling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two - Crabbe - Goyle - "
She beckoned them forwards imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.
"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's; "take these up to my office for me."
They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.
"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall. "Well, I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"
"What?" snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. "Oh - well - I suppose…"
"So that's fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom and Miss Granger," said Professor McGanagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hour-glass as she spoke.
"Oh - and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass.
"Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr Potter, I think, Professor Snape - so there we are…"
Glad to see your life being in danger has made you aware of the important things in life!
I realise the removal of Crabbe and Goyle was a way to even the playing field for Harry (again) but I loathe the implication - that's the role of a Slytherin to a Gryffindor - they can carry their bags!
Meet the new boss - same as the old boss.
Even Snape doesn't send the Trio to do petty task for him.
Crabbe and Goyle bring me to the next part of this -
Umbridge
It fascinates me that post OotP, much of the discussion regarding Draco was 'Will he become a DeathEater?' All signs looked likely.
But it appears people are overlooking two excellent candidates right in front of them - Crabbe and Goyle.
Like Draco, their fathers are DeathEaters. Unlike Draco, who seems frightened of blood, Crabbe and Goyle are clearly capable of defending themselves.
(As I argued previously, their violent reputation seems unjustified bearing in mind we've seen them use their fists only in self-defense, but there's no question that these two are unafraid of physical confrontations. They may not be magically talented - especially after a year without DADA lessons - but they managed to put Neville in the hospital wing between them.)
Now if I can work out that these two don't have the happiest of futures lying ahead of them, so can anyone.
Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Umbridge.
We've seen Dumbledore's frankly negligent attitude to Slytherins over the years (Severus Snape and Tom Riddle being two excellent examples) and indeed to this particular generation: the house cup in PS, seemingly designed as a giant 'FUCK YOU' to one quarter of the school.
However, presumably he was the one responsible for nominating Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson as Prefects, so let's leave him...for now.
Snape seems more preoccupied with twenty year old schoolboy grudges than with any of his students. In fact, despite having experienced the prejudices of the school's system first hand, and it's favouring of athletic popular types such as James, and now Harry; he has canonically never awarded a single point to Slytherin, and focuses his extra time on guess who?
Now here's an interesting question: McGonagall versus Umbridge. Are they really so different?
Certainly McGonagall wouldn't dream of using Umbridge's more questionable methods.
She supports Dumbledore, presumably, in his appointment of incompetent teachers such as Hagrid and Trelawney, and opposes their dismissal.
She vowes to help at least one student attain their chosen career.
Can you possible guess who?
I'll give you a clue - someone who has the Order of the Phoenix, Albus Dumbledore (one of the most powerful Wizards alive), with half the DADA professors introduced working in Hogwarts specifically because of his presence. (Interestingly both Moody and Lupin were shown to teach one other student: Boy Who Could Have Been Neville Longbottom. If you're not in a prophecy, you don't get an education?)
Someone who has his entire House willing to fall in line behind him, as well as the DA who have proven themselves willing to 'defend' him to the point of rendering his enemies unable to move and physically unrecognizable.
Harry doesn't need McGonagall as his private tutor, smoothing his way into Aurorhood.
To be frank, he's guaranteed based on his scar. Even Fudge, who's criticised by Dumbledore for being unwilling to follow Dumbledore's commands, is willing to 'bend the rules':
"Ah, well, Snape... Harry Potter, you know... we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."
and the next Minister is unlikely to be any different (it's going to be a 'baddie' now, isn't it? ;)
Now, Umbridge, interestingly, we see seeking out genuinely minor characters.
McGonagall admits in PoA that she often was 'sharp' to Peter Pettigrew, who wasn't as talented magically or athleticly as his 'extremely bright' if bullying friends James Potter and Sirius Black.
Sound familiar? Indeed, the hapless Neville is not one of Minerva's favourite students, especially after his dangerous mistake in PoA:
Neville was in total disgrace. Professor McGonagall was so furious with him she had banned him from all future Hogsmeade visits, given him a detention, and forbidden anyone to give him the password into the tower. Poor Neville was forced to wait outside the common room every night for somebody to let him in, while the security trolls leered unpleasantly at him.
Umbridge doesn't suffer this particular flaw. Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Draco Malfoy.
None wildly gifted, that we've seen.
Not only does she focus her attentions of pupils besides the famous one, she appears to know their first names, indicating a closeness with them that McGonagall, who relies on surnames, lacks.
Of course, the reactionary moral majority squealed at the Slytherin's 'evil' at associating themselves with bureaucracy but failed to see that Umbridge's 'playing it by the book' was merely taking advantage of the flaws already inherent in the system.
It wasn't, for example, Umbridge's fault that the teaching standards at Hogwarts were mixed, at best, with students being injured under Hagrid's care, for example.
It wasn't Umbridge's fault that Harry and George failed to control their tempers post Quidditch, or that under the previous Head, a detention would have sufficed (this being McGonagall's prescribed punishment, not Dumbledore's. However, anyone who genuinely thinks Dumbledore would have pushed for a harder punishment? Probably wouldn't be able to read this livejournal in the first place.)
Or that the students most likely to become Death Eaters were ignored by staff and close to failing academically (Crabbe and Goyle) whereas the popular Gryffindor students were allowed to run riot (the train hexings, for example.)
Umbridge physically abused students, which is something I don't and won't condone; however - she was not the first to.
I would make a parallel between Harry's detention under Umbridge to say, the ferret bouncing under Dumbledore's rule.
(And guess who's first shown to physically manhandle students, in this case, pulling them by the ear?)
Interestingly, McGonagall is first to identify Umbridge's game, perhaps because of it's parallels with Dumbledore's previous system of running Hogwarts: My Word is Law, and I'll use the rules as a weapon:
"I am well aware of our by-laws Severus, having written several of them myself."
And of the students, Hermione, the student most often compared to Minerva is equally swift to recognise Umbridge's ploy:
"Of course he's going to be chucked out and, to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?"
A final note: McGonagall, like Hermione, surrounds herself with males and shuns the company of fellow females, whereas Umbridge, the 'villain' is feminine to the point of revulsion:
She looked, Harry thought, like somebody's maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes.
Both, however, are obedient to their respective male authority figures, whom they would do anything for: Umbridge; Cornelius Fudge, in who's name she's prepared to Crucio Harry and
McGonagall; Dumbledore, who orders her not to defend him, as “Hogwarts needs you.” She relents.
Indeed, Maggie Smith spoke of her part in CoS as a basic bit part consisting of :
"What does this mean, Albus?"
Sources:
nothingbutfic
willowsevern
skelkins