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Today, The Grandma has invited Claire Fontaine to share in one of her favourite pastimes: Lego. They have built four minifigures of the Hogwarts professors and have reflected on the role of teaching from the perspective of these characters, who are so magically real.
Professor Minerva McGonagall represents an educational philosophy based on discipline, fairness, responsibility and moral integrity. As a teacher of Transfiguration and Head of Gryffindor House, she combines high academic expectations with a profound sense of justice.
McGonagall understands that education is not simply about transmitting knowledge or developing intellectual abilities. It is also about helping students become responsible individuals who understand the consequences of their actions.
Her authority does not depend on fear, but on consistency, competence and respect. Although she is strict, she genuinely cares about her students and is prepared to defend them when necessary. She demonstrates that discipline and compassion are not contradictory principles, but complementary elements of effective teaching.
One of her most important qualities is her ability to lead by example. During the Battle of Hogwarts, she stands against injustice and tyranny, showing her students that courage is not merely something to be discussed in a classroom, but a value that must be practised.
From a philosophical perspective, McGonagall embodies the Aristotelian concept of virtue ethics: moral excellence is developed through habits, actions and repeated ethical choices.
Her character reminds us that the credibility of a teacher depends not only on what they teach, but also on how they behave.
A society needs educators who encourage intellectual independence, respect for others and the courage to defend what is right, even when doing so involves personal risks.
More information: Minerva McGonagall, Real Pragmatism in Magic
Severus Snape is perhaps one of the most psychologically complex characters in the Harry Potter universe. His personality raises uncomfortable but essential questions about the relationship between knowledge, authority and education.
As a Potions teacher, Snape possesses extraordinary intellectual abilities and an exceptional command of his subject. However, his teaching methods frequently rely on intimidation, humiliation and favouritism.
His character illustrates an important educational distinction: being an expert in a subject does not necessarily mean being a good teacher.
Knowledge is indispensable, but teaching also requires empathy, communication, emotional intelligence and the ability to create an environment in which students feel safe enough to make mistakes.
Snape's treatment of Neville Longbottom, for example, demonstrates how fear can undermine confidence and discourage learning. Instead of helping Neville overcome his difficulties, Snape often reinforces his insecurity.
Nevertheless, Snape cannot be reduced to a simple representation of educational failure. His personal history reveals a man shaped by suffering, resentment, loyalty, regret and moral contradictions.
His secret actions against Voldemort demonstrate that human beings cannot always be classified into fixed categories of good and evil. People are capable of courage and cruelty, sacrifice and selfishness, sometimes simultaneously.
From an educational perspective, Snape invites us to reflect on the ethical responsibilities associated with authority.
A teacher's personal suffering may explain certain behaviours, but it does not justify inflicting suffering on students.
His story therefore offers a powerful lesson: education requires more than intelligence; it demands moral responsibility in the exercise of power.
More information: Severus Snape, Mystery and Arts in Magic
Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody represents vigilance, practical knowledge and the importance of preparing students to confront a world that is not always fair or predictable.
However, there is a particularly significant irony in his educational role at Hogwarts.
The character who teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts during Harry Potter's fourth year is not the real Moody, but Barty Crouch Jr., who has assumed his identity.
This distinction makes the educational interpretation especially fascinating.
The false Moody uses practical demonstrations, exposes students to uncomfortable realities and insists on the importance of constant vigilance. His lessons are memorable because they connect theoretical knowledge with real dangers.
Nevertheless, his teaching methods also raise serious ethical questions. His demonstration of the Unforgivable Curses, particularly his treatment of Neville Longbottom, reveals how easily experiential learning can become psychologically harmful when the teacher ignores students' emotional needs.
The paradox is that an apparently effective teacher may use educational methods for manipulative purposes.
This leads to a fundamental philosophical question: Can education be considered successful when its methods are effective but its intentions are unethical?
The answer requires us to distinguish between acquiring knowledge and receiving an education.
Education must develop critical thinking, but it must also protect human dignity and encourage ethical judgement.
The real Moody's famous principle of constant vigilance can be interpreted as an invitation to remain intellectually alert, question appearances and recognise manipulation.
Yet vigilance should not become permanent suspicion, just as discipline should not become authoritarianism.
In democratic societies, education plays an essential role in helping individuals identify misinformation, challenge prejudice and resist manipulation.
The Moody paradox reminds us that students must learn not only to question the world around them, but also to question those who claim to possess authority.
More information: Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, The Most Famous Auror
Professor Sybill Trelawney, who teaches Divination at Hogwarts, represents a very different educational universe.
Unlike McGonagall's rigorous discipline or Snape's technical expertise, Trelawney's classroom is dominated by symbolism, intuition, mystery and uncertainty.
Her character initially appears almost comical. Her dramatic predictions, theatrical personality and questionable interpretations often make her an object of scepticism.
However, beneath this eccentricity lies an interesting philosophical debate about the nature of knowledge.
What do we really know? How do we distinguish evidence from belief? Can intuition contribute to understanding, and where should its limits be established?
Trelawney's lessons provide an opportunity to explore the difference between imagination and scientific reasoning.
Although she makes genuine prophecies, she is frequently unaware of their significance. This contradiction reminds us that possessing information does not necessarily mean understanding it.
Her character also raises questions about how educational institutions evaluate different forms of intelligence and expression.
Not every student learns in the same way, and creativity, sensitivity and imagination can enrich intellectual development.
Nevertheless, recognising the value of imagination does not mean accepting every claim without evidence.
A good education should encourage curiosity while teaching students to distinguish between possibilities, interpretations and demonstrable facts.
Trelawney also illustrates the vulnerability of teachers whose abilities or methods are questioned by institutional authority. Her humiliation and attempted dismissal by Dolores Umbridge reveal how education can become a battlefield between professional autonomy and political control.
Her story invites us to defend an educational environment in which intellectual diversity is respected, but where ideas can still be examined critically.
Ultimately, Trelawney reminds us that education must leave room for wonder.
Without imagination, knowledge risks becoming mechanical. Without critical thinking, imagination risks becoming superstition.
The challenge of teaching is to cultivate both.
More information: Sybill Trewlaney, Prophecies since Ancient Times
The mind is not a book,
to be opened at will and examined at leisure.
Severus Snape
