why waiting for the whole day?

[kausarqadir]

when i started reading PS/SS again yesterday, i was surprised to read that the tabby cat (Mc Gonagal) was waiting from early morning, looking for the maps and signs. (as noted by Vernon).
at night, she told DD that Hagrid told him about his coming?
why did she wait for the whole day? i.e., from morning till night.......
are wizards not able to communicate with each other if needed.
i mean we know about floo network and apparation, then why she has to wait and for what?

[Hermione]

Good point kausarqadir. Perhpas Dumbledore made arrangements to meet her there, and she wanted to be sure not to miss him.

I think there is more to it than that though. I think she may have figured out the Dursleys were his only living relatives, and waited because she knew Dumbeldore would have to act. She also may not have wanted to draw attention by comming to Dumbledore and allowing him time to work things out.

Perhaps she was guarding the Dursleys against any evil wizards.

[Tinkerbell]

Originally posted by kausarqadir: why did she wait for the whole day? i.e., from morning till night.......

I think it was more about McGonagall observing what was going on, being a bit of a look out, ensuring that Voldemort or his followers had not found out about Harry still being alive and being taken to a safe place, and were not about to launch an attack, rather than Mcgonagall just hanging round waiting to speak with Dumbledore.

[Boing]

Well, we know that Dumbledore certainly didn't tell her where he would be - he said that he should have known she would be there - not that he was expecting her to be there.

About finding out where Dumbledore was, I think that was top secret while he was doing whatever he was doing to "seal the charm" on Harry. There is an entire day missing (that's another thread: The Missing Day) where he was doing something and we don't know what. So, I think that he was unreachable except for those people he wanted to have reach him.

As for why she waited the whole day - she wanted to hear directly from Dumbledore whether or not the rumors she had heard were true about Harry and Voldemort and what happened the night before. Also, she wanted to see where Harry would be going, what would happen to him, etc. Since she didn't know when Dumbledore would show up, she simply waited for him to arrive.

[Sirius Potter Fan]

"There is an entire day missing (that's another thread: The Missing Day)"

I would love to check out that thread, how do I find it???

[Nagini]

Here is the thread called The Missing Day (http://www.maturepotter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=485) Sirius Potter Fan, its located in the same forum as this thread. :)

As for why McGonagall was waiting all day, I agree with Tink. I think she was there keeping an eye out for Voldemort or his Death Eaters. But why would they go after the Dursleys? How would they even know about the Durlseys? I also think McGonagall went without Dumbledore telling her to go which suggests she knew a fair bit about the situation, even though she didn't know that James and Lily were dead.

[yarvelling]

I think that she went on ahead, without Dumbledores' knowledge, to
a: wait for Dumblodore
b: keep a look-out, and
c: check out the Dursleys....see what kind of a family it was that Dumbledore was going to put Harry with.
She then went on to tell Dumbledore that she'd been watching them all day, and that she thught them to be totally unsuitable!

I guess she was just looking-out for Harry's well being...even she has a soft side to her nature ;)

[Hermione]

I think she was there keeping an eye out for Voldemort or his Death Eaters. But why would they go after the Dursleys? How would they even know about the Durlseys?

Maybeif they had figured out the ancient magic used to protect Harry from Voldemort, then they would have wanted to destroy the last remaining blood relative of Harry's, thus giving him no safe haven. That is the only thing I can speculate. I highly doubt this would have worked since dark wizard's distain for muggles would keep them away from them for as long as possible.

I also think McGonagall was looking out for her own sense of what was going on. She knew Lily and James and wanted to be sure their boy would go somewhere good, somewhere where he would get the love and attention he needed.

[Weasleyfanforever]

McGonagal knew that Dumbledore was going to be there, but she didn't know that he was going to be bringing Harry, so she wouldn't have been looking out for anything, because she didn't know she needed to be. Also, she wouldn't have been there checking out the Dursley's, because she didn't know that Dumbledore was leaving Harry there, she absolutely flips out and goes off about how they are the worst type of muggles when he tells her.

[Hermione]

McGonagal knew that Dumbledore was going to be there, but she didn't know that he was going to be bringing Harry, so she wouldn't have been looking out for anything, because she didn't know she needed to be. Also, she wouldn't have been there checking out the Dursley's, because she didn't know that Dumbledore was leaving Harry there, she absolutely flips out and goes off about how they are the worst type of muggles when he tells her.

Excellent point WFF. So why was she there? Maybe she needed some time away from the magical world to reflect on what was going on...but a WHOLE day? Even therapy only lasts an hour, what was her motivation for being there?

[Padma Patil]

I think it was more about McGonagall observing what was going on, being a bit of a look out, ensuring that Voldemort or his followers had not found out about Harry still being alive and being taken to a safe place, and were not about to launch an attack, rather than Mcgonagall just hanging round waiting to speak with Dumbledore.

I like this idea. It would make sence considering what Voldemort's followers did to Alice and Frank Longbottom.

My other idea is more simple, Hagrid told McGonagal where Dumbledore would be, but not when. So she sat the whole day waiting for him. Of course, she said she was watching the Dursley house all day when Dumbledore told her about Harry staying with them. So who knows?

[Angel]

well - dumbledore says "i should have known" when he sees her - i think as she is a very realistic firm beliefs charahchter - she had to get the news from the "horses mouth" before she believes it, as the fall of dumbledore was/is a very astonishing feat...

she might of found out that harry was coming to the dursleys via looking at school records for him - because as hagrid told him - his names been on the list since before he was born - so maybe had relatives details... aka dursleys... mcgonagall guesses this is where dumbledore will take harry and therefore goes and waits for him...

hey presto - cat on a wall all day.. hehe

[kausarqadir]

yes, for that i wonder.
also, suppose she was sitting there on the wall for the whole day.......... what was she observing? how will she get to know what these people are like? she said these people are least like us. i dont know if she could get a good view from one of the windows. secondly, Vernon was not there for more than half of the day.
lastly, y rushing to Dursleys only. did she know, that they are the only relative left for HP. and that was she confirmed (when we saw that she herself didnot believe and asked dd to confirm the rumours for her) that HP is surviving and have to be taken to his relatives for that particular reason, as told by dd.
this is odd, when she herself commented that anyone in whole of the wizarding community would be very glad to take HP. then y she came to dursleys........?

[Hermione]

It would make sence considering what Voldemort's followers did to Alice and Frank Longbottom.


Yeah but that hadn't happened yet. Voldemort had only just fallen.

I think there is a peice of the puzzle we don't have yet. Why would McGonagall know to go there? Why would she need to wait all day?

JKR has some 'splaining to do. ;)

[Weasleyfanforever]

Yeah but that hadn't happened yet. Voldemort had only just fallen.

I think there is a peice of the puzzle we don't have yet. Why would McGonagall know to go there? Why would she need to wait all day?

JKR has some 'splaining to do. ;)

We know that she know where to go, because Hagrid told her, but it is suspicious that she sat there all day waiting. I personally think that whole part of the chapter is suspicious. McGonagal is already a teacher at the school, yet when Dumbledore arrives, McGonagall asks how he knew it was her:

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."
He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked.
"My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."
"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.
"All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."


So not only does she question how he knew her animagus form, which I find odd, because you would think that if she had already been working as the Transfiguration Professor for a few years, he would have known what she transformed into. Also, Dumbledore doesn't even know why she sat there all day, he questions it at the end of the passage ;)

[Boing]

From that passage, it is clear to me that he knew that she turned into a cat, but she was just surprised that he could tell it was her right away. It's not like she's transforming into a cat for him every day, so I think that's reasonable.

Also, with regard to the last part of the passage, I always thought Dumbledore was joking with her. She seems really uptight and he finds it amusing that she sat around all day waiting for him . . . he's treating her like a loved child - teasing a bit, but in good humor. In my opinion, anyway!