McPhail

McPhail was a male wizard and a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during Harry Potter's time. A member of Gryffindor house, he is known for being one of the candidates who tried out for the position of Keeper on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in 1996. His role in the story is minor, serving primarily to illustrate the intense competition for the Keeper position and to highlight the actions of Hermione Granger and Cormac McLaggen during the tryouts.

McPhail's background and early life are unknown. His only appearance in the series occurs during the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts at the beginning of the 1996–1997 school year, as described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. As the new Quidditch Captain, Harry Potter held open tryouts for the team. McPhail was one of several students who put their names down to become the new Gryffindor Keeper, a position recently vacated by Ron Weasley. McPhail's primary competitors for the spot were Ron Weasley himself and the overconfident seventh-year student, Cormac McLaggen. During the tryouts, Harry Potter had the Keeper candidates face five penalty shots each from the Chaser candidates. McPhail's tryout was cut short when Cormac McLaggen, who was flying nearby, was secretly hit with a Confundus Charm by Hermione Granger. Confused, McLaggen flew in the wrong direction and collided with McPhail, knocking him unconscious with a Beater's bat he had picked up. This incident effectively removed McPhail from the competition, leaving only Ron and McLaggen as the final candidates.

The novels provide no description of McPhail's physical appearance or personality. He is only mentioned by name in the context of the Quidditch tryouts.

• Quidditch Player: McPhail was skilled enough on a broomstick to be considered a serious candidate for the Gryffindor Quidditch team's Keeper position. His actual performance level is unknown, as his tryout was prematurely ended before he could complete it.

While not explicitly stated, as a Hogwarts student and Quidditch player, McPhail would have owned:

• A wand.
• A broomstick.
• Hogwarts school supplies, including textbooks and robes.

McPhail's only known interactions are with his fellow Gryffindor students during the Quidditch tryouts.

• Ron Weasley and Cormac McLaggen: They were McPhail's rivals for the position of Gryffindor Keeper. It was McLaggen who inadvertently knocked him out of the running.
• Harry Potter: As the team Captain, Harry Potter was responsible for judging McPhail's tryout.
• Hermione Granger: Although they did not interact directly, Hermione's use of the Confundus Charm on McLaggen was the direct cause of McPhail being knocked out of the tryouts.

The surname McPhail is of Scottish and Irish origin. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic MacPhàil, meaning “son of Pàl” or “son of Paul.” “Paul” itself derives from the Latin name Paulus, meaning “small” or “humble.”

McPhail is a book-only character. The Quidditch tryout scene in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is significantly shortened, and McPhail is neither seen nor mentioned.