Harry Potter: 12 Most Powerful Witches Ever

Minerva McGonagall was an outstanding teacher. She was a strict disciplinarian who always kept her class under control. Throughout Harry’s time at Hogwarts, she demonstrated a number of tricky spells to her class, and she could even transform into a cat at will.

McGonagall was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and even though her abilities as a duellist weren’t shown very often, she certainly made an impact during the Battle of Hogwarts. As well as holding her own against Snape, she also duelled Voldemort in the closing stages of the conflict. She was then awarded the Order of Merlin (First Class) by the new Minister for Magic (Kingsley Shacklebolt), and was granted the honour of being featured on a Chocolate Frog Card.

Interestingly, McGonagall excelled before she even became a teacher. Once she had graduated Hogwarts as a young woman, she was given a place in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and after just two years, she was offered a prestigious promotion. But due to the anti-Muggle bias she observed in many of her colleagues, she applied for a position at Hogwarts instead.