Cormac McLaggen

> "*McLaggen makes Grawp look like a gentleman.*"
> ― McLaggen's bad manners[source]
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**Cormac McLaggen** was a wizard and member of the McLaggen family, a family known for being "*big in the Ministry*". He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1990 to 1997. He was Sorted into Gryffindor house and was one year above the famous Harry Potter.

McLaggen lost the opportunity to try out for his house's Quidditch team in his sixth year after he ate poisonous Doxy eggs on a bet, but became the reserve Keeper in his seventh year. During the course of his last year at Hogwarts, he also became a member of the Slug Club, escorted Hermione Granger to the club's Christmas party, and was primarily responsible for the Gryffindor Quidditch team's embarrassing loss to Hufflepuff by hitting Harry Potter (seeker at the time) over the head with a beater's bat.

Like most Gryffindor students, McLaggen participated in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War and fought alongside the defenders of Hogwarts. McLaggen survived the battle, it is currently unknown what happened to McLaggen after the war.

## Biography

### Early life

**Horace Slughorn**: "*Now, you, Cormac, I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?*"
**McLaggen**: "*Oh, yeah, that was fun, that was. We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour; this was before he became Minister, obviously —*"
— Professor Slughorn interviewing McLaggen[src]

Little is known of McLaggen's early life, though it appears that he was born into a relatively influential wizarding family, as his uncle Tiberius was an important official in the Ministry of Magic and was friendly with the head of the Auror Office and later Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. Tiberius took his nephew hunting Nogtails on at least one occasion, with Scrimgeour and Bertie Higgs in Norfolk.

### Hogwarts years (1990–1997)

#### Early years

Cormac McLaggen started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1990 and was Sorted into Gryffindor, along with Katie Bell who also was a Sorted Gryffindor that year. Cormac was a skilled flyer on a broom and Quidditch player, specifically playing the position of Keeper.

#### Sixth year

> "*I was in the hospital wing when they held the trials. Ate a pound of doxy eggs for a bet.*"
> ― McLaggen explaining his bet with swagger[source]
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In 1995–1996 school year, McLaggen's sixth year at Hogwarts, he ate a pound of poisonous Doxy eggs on a bet to prove his bravery. This foolhardy decision kept him from joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team, something he cared a great deal about. With Oliver Wood's graduation at the end of the 1993–1994 school year and the Triwizard Tournament cancelling all Quidditch matches the following year, the Gryffindor team was in need of a Keeper at the beginning of the 1995–1996 school year. Unfortunately for McLaggen, he was in the Hospital Wing being treated for doxy egg poisoning at the time of the trials, and Ron Weasley was made Keeper instead.

#### Seventh year

> "*Oh, it was quite fun, really. I mean, he drones on about famous exploits a bit, and he absolutely fawns on McLaggen because he's so well connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones.*"
> ― A typical Slug Club meeting[source]
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The following year, McLaggen's last, he met Professor Horace Slughorn on the Hogwarts Express. Because of his well-connected uncle Tiberius, McLaggen was invited to be a member of the Slug Club.

Soon after his seventh year began, McLaggen tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but he managed to make only four out of five saves. This was because Hermione Granger, who overheard McLaggen making rude remarks about Ron and Ginny Weasley, had dishonestly placed a Confundus Charm on him. McLaggen angrily asked team captain Harry Potter for another try, but Harry refused, and Ron was given the position of Keeper again, as he beat McLaggen in saves.

In December, McLaggen attended Professor Slughorn's Christmas party with Hermione, who was also a member of the Slug Club. The evening did not go well for him, however, as Hermione only asked him out to get back at Ron dating Lavender Brown to spite her. McLaggen ended up driving her crazy by talking about himself excessively, boasting about his Quidditch abilities, and being too forward romantically. She avoided him for most of the night to talk to Harry and Luna Lovegood. McLaggen asked Harry if he had seen her later just after Hermione departed the party, to which Harry denied.

When Ron was hospitalised in March, before Gryffindor's second game against Hufflepuff, Harry Potter was forced to play McLaggen as his reserve Keeper. In the week leading up to the match, Harry had his doubts about his new team-mate. Although he was skilled, McLaggen was also bossy and repeatedly tried to advise Harry on game strategy and insulted the other players' abilities. The match was a no-holds-barred disaster, as McLaggen spent much more time trying to tell the rest of the team how to play rather than watching the rings, resulting in several goals for the opponent. This culminated in him wrestling a Beater's bat away from Jimmy Peakes and attempting to show him how to hit a Bludger, only to knock Harry off his broomstick and crack his skull.

The fiasco was possibly Gryffindor's worst and most embarrassing loss ever (a final score of 320-60), and Ron told Harry in the Hospital Wing that he thought McLaggen's enraged teammates *"might've dealt with him before you get out of here..."* When Ron recovered, he resumed the Keeper position while Cormac was permanently removed from the team.

#### Repeat year

> "*My father will hear about this!*"
> ― Cormac trying to scare the Death Eaters[source]
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Cormac was forced to repeat his final year. When the Death Eaters boarded the train, he foolishly stated that his father would hear about this, but the Death Eaters completely ignored him.

Cormac joined the revived Dumbledore's Army to oppose the Death Eater teachers Alecto and Amycus Carrow. He later fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and survived the battle.

## Physical appearance

McLaggen was described as a large, wire-haired youth. His face went red whenever he became angry. At the Keeper tryouts in 1996, Harry Potter thought that McLaggen was large enough that he could block all three goal hoops without even moving.

## Etymology

The name *Cormac* is borne by a number of figures from Irish legend and history, including Cormac mac Airt, a warrior king of Ireland, and Cormac Cond Longas, an exiled prince of Ulster. The name is most commonly translated as "charioteer", but can be also translated into "raven"- a bird strongly associated with warfare in Celtic mythology. This may allude to McLaggen's aggressive personality. The name can also be translated to mean "son of defilement", from the Gaelic *corb*, "defilement", and *mac*, "son".