Deputy Headmistress

• Type: Senior Administrative Position
• Location: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
• Owner/Residents: Albus Dumbledore (as Deputy Headmaster), Minerva McGonagall (as Deputy Headmistress), Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow (under Lord Voldemort's regime)
• Key Features: Second-in-command of Hogwarts, Authority over students and staff, Acting Head in the Headmaster's absence

The position of Deputy Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress is the second-highest administrative role at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, subordinate only to the Headmaster or Headmistress. The individual holding this title serves as the Head's chief assistant and assumes full command of the school in their absence. The appointment is made by the current Head of the school and is a position of immense trust and responsibility. Historically, the role has often been held by the Transfiguration professor. Albus Dumbledore served as Deputy Headmaster under Headmaster Armando Dippet, while also teaching Transfiguration. Following his own ascension to Headmaster, Dumbledore appointed Minerva McGonagall, his successor as Transfiguration professor, to the post of Deputy Headmistress. Minerva McGonagall held this position for the majority of the Harry Potter series, serving as Dumbledore's most trusted colleague within the school. During the 1997-1998 school year, when Hogwarts was under the control of Lord Voldemort, Headmaster Severus Snape was forced to appoint two Death Eaters, Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow, as Deputy Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, respectively. This was an unprecedented deviation from tradition, reflecting the dark nature of the regime. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall became the permanent Headmistress, and the identity of her appointed deputy is not specified in the novels.

The Deputy Headmistress, primarily embodied by Minerva McGonagall, functions as a crucial pillar of stability and authority at Hogwarts. While Albus Dumbledore often focused on the larger war against Lord Voldemort, McGonagall managed the day-to-day discipline and administration of the school, acting as the more immediate and consistent authority figure for students. The role's importance is highlighted whenever the Headmaster is absent. McGonagall takes charge as Acting Headmistress when Dumbledore is temporarily dismissed by the school governors in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She does so again following Dumbledore's death in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, overseeing the school's response to the tragedy and making arrangements for its security. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, her authority as the legitimate Deputy Headmistress allows her to rally the school's defenses and lead the resistance against Voldemort's forces during the Battle of Hogwarts, effectively ousting Severus Snape and the Carrows.

The responsibilities and duties associated with the position of Deputy Headmistress or Headmaster include:

• Acting Headship: Assuming full command of Hogwarts and all its functions when the Headmaster is absent, incapacitated, or deceased.
• Student Discipline: Handling all serious breaches of school rules. This includes assigning detentions, deducting significant numbers of House Points, and communicating with parents or guardians. McGonagall famously deducts 150 points from her own House, Gryffindor, in a single night.
• Administrative Tasks: Overseeing critical school administration, such as creating student timetables at the start of each year and being responsible for sending out Hogwarts acceptance letters to new students.
• Ceremonial Duties: Assisting the Headmaster in official school events. For example, McGonagall patrolled the grounds during the Triwizard Tournament and assisted in marshalling the champions.

• On Pottermore, J.K. Rowling revealed that Minerva McGonagall worked for two years at the Ministry of Magic after graduating from Hogwarts before returning to the school to teach Transfiguration, eventually earning the position of Deputy Headmistress under Albus Dumbledore. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is McGonagall who leads the staff and students in raising their wands to extinguish the Dark Mark over the castle, a powerful visual representation of her leadership as Acting Headmistress. (film)