Natalie Macdonald

Natalie Macdonald was a witch and a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, contemporary with Harry Potter. She was sorted into Gryffindor house in 1994. Her character is a minor background figure, mentioned only once in the primary series, but holds significant real-world meaning.

On 1 September 1994, Natalie's name was called by Professor McGonagall during the annual Sorting Ceremony in the Great Hall. After trying on the Sorting Hat, she was placed into Gryffindor house. She began her magical education during the same school year that Hogwarts hosted the revived Triwizard Tournament. Her subsequent years at Hogwarts are not documented in the novels.

Natalie's physical appearance and personality are not described in the novels.

As a student at Hogwarts, Natalie would have been taught the standard curriculum of Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and other magical disciplines. However, her specific skills, aptitudes, or level of proficiency are never mentioned.

Like all students attending Hogwarts, Natalie would have owned a wand, school robes, and required textbooks. No specific details about her personal possessions are provided in the books.

No specific relationships between Natalie and other characters are mentioned in the novels. As a Gryffindor in the year below Harry Potter, she would have shared a dormitory and classes with other students in her year group.

• The first name Natalie is derived from the Late Latin name Natalia, which means “Christmas Day” from Latin natale domini.
• The surname Macdonald is a common Scottish and Irish patronymic surname. It is an anglicised form of the Gaelic MacDhòmhnaill, meaning “son of Dòmhnall.” The personal name Dòmhnall is composed of the elements domno (“world”) and val (“rule”), meaning “world-ruler”. This suggests the character may have Scottish or Irish heritage.

The character of Natalie Macdonald was named by J.K. Rowling in tribute to Natalie McDonald, a nine-year-old girl from Toronto, Canada, who was a devoted fan of the Harry Potter series. Suffering from terminal leukaemia, Natalie wrote a letter to Rowling. A friend of the family contacted Rowling's publisher, and Rowling corresponded with Natalie, but she passed away before reading the author's final reply which detailed future plot points. In her honour, Rowling named this new first-year character after her and sorted her into Gryffindor, the house of courage and bravery (J.K. Rowling). In early drafts of the students in Harry Potter's year, a character with the same name was listed as a potential Hufflepuff (Pottermore).