Niamh Fitzgerald

Niamh Fitzgerald was a highly regarded witch who served as the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prior to her tenure as Headmistress, she was the school's Professor of Transfiguration. She is most noted for being one of the four “Keepers,” a secret group dedicated to protecting the world from the misuse of a powerful and dangerous form of magic known as Ancient Magic. She appears posthumously as a sentient Portrait in the 19th century to guide a new wielder of this magic (Hogwarts Legacy).

Niamh Fitzgerald's career at Hogwarts was distinguished, first as a respected Professor of Transfiguration and later as a kind and pragmatic Headmistress (Hogwarts Legacy). During her time at the school, she mentored a particularly gifted student named Isidora Morganach. When it was discovered that Isidora, along with Professors Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, and San Bakar, could perceive and wield Ancient Magic, Niamh joined them to form the Keepers. Their initial goal was to study this power in secret within a hidden chamber they created beneath the school, known as the Map Chamber (Hogwarts Legacy). The group's purpose shifted dramatically when Isidora Morganach began experimenting with extracting pain from others, storing the emotional energy in dangerous repositories. Niamh grew deeply concerned, viewing Isidora's actions as a perversion of magic with devastating potential. Despite her affection for her former student, Niamh and the other Keepers confronted Isidora in the village of Feldcroft. The confrontation escalated, and the Keepers were forced to use a powerful spell to contain the volatile magic Isidora had unleashed, an act which tragically killed her (Hogwarts Legacy). To ensure the secret of Ancient Magic remained safe, Niamh and the other Keepers created a series of trials for any future student who might possess the same ability. After her death, Niamh's Portrait continued her work. She devised the Second Trial, which required the student to live through her Pensieve memory of the final, fatal confrontation with Isidora, so they would understand the grave dangers of manipulating emotions with magic (Hogwarts Legacy).

As seen in her Portrait, Niamh Fitzgerald was an older witch with a kind but resolute expression, sharp eyes, and her hair tied up neatly. She wore the formal, dark robes befitting a Headmistress of Hogwarts (Hogwarts Legacy). Niamh was known for her wisdom, compassion, and pragmatism. She was a caring mentor to Isidora Morganach but was also principled and firm enough to stand against her when she believed Isidora's path was dangerous. As a Portrait, she is patient and guiding, though she carries the weight of her past actions, believing that the truth, however painful, is a necessary lesson for the protagonist to learn (Hogwarts Legacy).

• Transfiguration Mastery: As a former Professor of the subject at Hogwarts, Niamh was exceptionally skilled in Transfiguration (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Ancient Magic Wielder: Niamh was one of the few known individuals capable of seeing and wielding Ancient Magic, a rare and powerful ability (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Mastery of Enchantments: Niamh was a highly proficient enchanter. She personally created the complex magical mechanism that required a password to make the Gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's Office step aside (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Leadership: She was a capable and respected Headmistress of Hogwarts, entrusted with the well-being of its students and the integrity of the institution (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Pensieve Use: She was skilled enough with a Pensieve to store a crucial, emotionally charged memory for a future student to experience as a trial (Hogwarts Legacy).

• Portrait: Niamh's sentient Portrait hangs in the Map Chamber alongside the other Keepers. It retains her memories, personality, and wisdom, allowing her to fulfill her duty as a Keeper long after her death (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Wand: While the specifics of her wand are unknown, she would have possessed one to perform her advanced magic (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Pensieve Memory: She left a specific memory of her confrontation with Isidora Morganach inside her Pensieve as the cornerstone of the Second Trial (Hogwarts Legacy).

• The Keepers: Niamh worked closely with Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, and San Bakar. They shared the immense burden of safeguarding the secret of Ancient Magic and were united in their difficult decision to stop Isidora (Hogwarts Legacy).
• Isidora Morganach: Niamh was initially Isidora's caring mentor and professor. Their relationship became strained and ultimately tragic as Niamh could not condone Isidora's dangerous experiments with emotions, leading to their final, fatal confrontation (Hogwarts Legacy).
• The Protagonist (Hogwarts Legacy): Through her Portrait, Niamh serves as a posthumous guide and mentor to the 19th-century protagonist, testing their character and providing them with the crucial context needed to understand the true nature of Ancient Magic (Hogwarts Legacy).

• Niamh: An Irish Gaelic name (pronounced Neev) meaning “bright” or “radiant.” In Irish mythology, Niamh of the Golden Hair was a queen of the otherworldly paradise Tír na nÓg, a figure associated with magic and beauty.
• Fitzgerald: A prominent Anglo-Norman surname of Irish origin, derived from the patronymic “son of Gerald.” The name is common throughout Ireland and is associated with a historically powerful aristocratic family.

Niamh Fitzgerald is a character created exclusively for the 2023 video game Hogwarts Legacy and does not appear in the seven original Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. In the game, her role is central to the main questline involving Ancient Magic. She is voiced by actress Moira Quirk (Hogwarts Legacy).