Cormac McLaggen Character Bio

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Lacey jumped into the world of Harry Potter in her 20s. She quickly found herself immersed in the storyline and the emotions explored in the books and movies. A proud Gryffindor she's not afraid to share her opinion while giving you the best information on the Wizarding Worlds lore, merch, and characters!

Introduction

Cormac McLaggen is that blonde guy at any local high school with perfect hair and abs. His maturity level isn’t ready to wield properly, and too much bravado. We all had one.

I didn’t have one who ate poisonous Doxy eggs on a dare (though I’m sure he would have) but would say things like, “what if this school bus were to crash, and the side of this rock wall broke every bone in your body? Would you drag yourself to your cell phone, a few feet away?” and women swooned over him because he was “so deep and insightful.” Blech.

Cormac McLaggen was a member of Gryffindor who tried to join the Quidditch team and was brought in for one disastrous match. His family was popular with the ministry, earning him a seat in the famous Slug Club. He took it upon himself to tell everyone around him how to do their job better.

He didn’t seem to understand the idea that a female wouldn’t want to snog him at all times (hence Hermione hiding from His-Handsiness). He wasn’t pushy or aggressive in that way; to be clear, he just seemed to really love himself and felt the world of women everywhere was being blessed to be in his presence.

Cormac McLaggen Quick Facts

Full Name	Cormac McLaggen
Birth Date	Between 1978 and 1979
Birth Place	Great Britain
Nick Name	King Slug (called that by Ron)
Death Date [if applicable]
Age When Series Starts	12 or 12
Zodiac Sign	Unknown
Siblings	N/A (and too bad, or he might not have been so insufferable)
Children	N/A
Partner / Spouse	None
Most Memorable Moment	Losing a Gryffindor match in spectacular fashion because he was too busy telling everyone else what to do
Magical Heritage	Pureblood or half-blood
Hogwarts House	Gryffindor
Wand	Unknown
Patronus	Unknown
Actors Who Played	Freddie Stroma

Last Updated	May 17, 2022

Cormac McLaggen Birthplace

Cormac was born in Great Britain.

Cormac McLaggen Parents

Little is known about his parents, other than they were influential and likely wealthy. I assume they were almost as insufferable as he was. His father probably gave him one good pat on the shoulder as his way of saying congratulations for getting into Hogwarts. Still, he didn’t have any physical contact other than that.

Cormac McLaggen Physical Traits

Cormac was described as a large boy, mostly muscle, with wire hair. He was so big that he was able to block almost all three of the gold hoops without having to move. When he was angry, he went red in the face.

Cormac McLaggen Early Life

There is very little known about his early life other than the fact that he and his family went galumphing off into the woods to hunt innocent creatures alongside the likes of Rufus Scrimgeour and Bertie Higgs.

He was born into an influential and likely wealthy wizarding family, so he probably spent a lot of time with tutors, learning Latin, playing musical instruments, and reading Shakespeare aloud. I’m positive that his accent and upbringing meant it took regular women from other wizarding communities at least six months to realize he was just as silly as their exes.

Cormac McLaggen Hogwarts Years

I’ll admit, hating Cormac McLaggen for his sleaze was easier in the books; I like the actor who portrayed him in the films. To be clear, I didn’t see films 3-7 until I was an adult, so I had already seen him in other things and decided that I liked him. And I’m very stubborn so changing a predetermined feeling toward an actor or actress is a challenge.

That said, in the books, his character makes me shudder. I knew plenty of guys like him, with their somewhat deserved arrogance and their handsy nature. Still, one can’t help but think, “Ah! It’s too much, dial it back” when he opens his mouth (figuratively–in the books, that is).

Cormac McLaggen started Hogwarts in 1990, a year before Harry Potter. He was sorted into Griffin or alongside Katie Bell.

Quidditch

During his sixth year at school, he tried to prove his Gryffindor bravery by eating a pound of doxy eggs on a bet. He was so sick that he couldn’t try out for the Quidditch team.

He came back around in his seventh year to try for the position of keeper. It was during tryouts that, in the film, he is seen sizing up Hermione Granger, winking at her from the field and indicating his interest.

Unfortunately for him, Hermione broke the rules by casting a confundus charm on him at the last minute so that he would miss blocking the final goal. In doing so, Ron was made keeper.

He didn’t make a lot of friends, even though he didn’t seem to realize that. During the initial tryouts for the Quidditch team, Cormac was somewhat friendly toward Ron, telling him that there would be no hard feelings even though they were both going out for the same position.

Of course, Cormac clearly thought the position was his, and it’s easy to take the high road when you are the winner. Ron really did not like him, a fact made worse when he and Hermione Granger attended the Christmas party together.

At the end of the Quidditch tryouts, however, he demonstrated his particularly low level of sportsmanship arguing with Harry Potter than Harry had shown favoritism toward Ron when the position should have been given to Cormac.

He continued to demonstrate his tactlessness after Ron was poisoned, coming up to Harry Potter in the corridors and the common room reminding Harry that he would be available to fill the position of the keeper if Ron wasn’t ready by the next match.

Unfortunately, Ron wasn’t ready, and this man Cormac got a chance to show off to the entire school just how truly arrogant and self-righteous he was. He spent the entire match watching other people and yelling out instructions for them to perform better, all the while leaving the goals intended.

He took one of the beater’s bats from a Gryffindor beater and tried to show Jimmy Peakes the “right” way to hit a bludger and ended up hitting Harry and cracking his skull instead.

Gryffindor lost, to say the least. It was their biggest loss ever.

Slug Club

On the train to Hogwarts, McLaggen joined Professor Slughorn for his lunchtime meeting. He quickly became part of the Slug Club because of his family ties. He was very well connected and spent his holidays with the ministry of magic members, hunting in the countryside. His background indicates that wealthy and well-connected British Wizards behave in exactly the same way as British Muggles.

In the films, his participation in Slug Club dinners is truly cringe-worthy. He spends most of the evening making a figurative meal out of his desert, licking his fingers far too sensually while maintaining inappropriately intimate eye contact with Hermione Granger. It’s enough to make everyone in the room uncomfortable.

If he weren’t so arrogant, I would be upset that Hermione Granger basically used him. That year Ron started dating Lavender Brown, so to get back at him for his childish behavior about the slug club and his new girlfriend, Hermione took to the Christmas party the person she thought would annoy him the most: Cormac McLaggen.

So poor, self-righteous Cormac thought his charm had earned him her arm once and for all. He spent the entire evening talking about himself and his quidditch abilities and was a little too forward.

Hermione ditched him at the party, hiding from him and talking to Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood. Sure, he is a little much, but Hermione had absolutely no interest in him other than his ability to annoy the person she was trying to spite. I must say, I don’t miss being young and stupid.

Death Eaters

In the film, Death Eaters board the train, and Cormac stands up to them with foolhardy bravery and remarks that his father will hear about their behavior, as though the threats would carry any weight. He joined the opposition against Death Eaters at Hogwarts that year and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Cormac McLaggen After Hogwarts Years

He presumably survives the final battle, having returned to fight alongside Dumbledore’s Army. What he did after isn’t specified, but I assume he goes on to bore women everywhere with tales of his dueling capabilities and how he stood up to Death Eaters.

If he treated Hermione to 100 great saves made by Cormac McLaggen, I’m sure he is sitting somewhere in a fancy wizarding restaurant or leaning against the bar treating adult women to 100 great dueling moves by Cormac McLaggen years after graduating. He will probably never understand why women get up and walk away. Of course, he wouldn’t since he doesn’t ask them anything about themselves.

Cormac McLaggen Magical Abilities and Special Skills

He’s a very accomplished flyer, and he’s actually quite good at Quidditch. Hermione interfered so that Ron could make the team, but had she not interfered, he would have very likely been made the keeper for the team.

Ron was able to block almost as many, but he did it in a pathetic manner, just barely scraping by, exactly what fans have grown to expect from Ron. Cormac did it in a stunning, easy way as though he weren’t even really trying.

He was also quite accomplished at dueling in the films, fighting bravely in the Battle of Hogwarts.

I would argue that being so full of himself is also a special ability, particularly in high school, socially speaking, one of the most challenging age groups.

Cormac McLaggen Wand

We don’t know anything about his wand, but readers do know that the wand chooses the wizard. So I would argue that whatever one he was given at Ollivander’s was somehow just as arrogant as he was. We don’t know enough about wand lore to disprove my theory, so there is no point in arguing.

Cormac McLaggen Trivial and Fun Facts

Cormac is part of Dumbledore’s Army in the film adaptations and appears for the final battle. However, this was not specified in the books. Because he was incorporated into the final two films, it’s a little challenging to figure out his age. He wasn’t Harry Potter’s age because he wasn’t there for the initial Sorting Hat ceremony.

That means he was older than Harry Potter and already in attendance at Hogwarts. He was supposed to be one year older than Harry Potter, but that would have meant that he graduated.

At the Slughorn Christmas party, Cormac earns detention after vomiting on Snape’s shoes, a scene that does not happen in the books. When Harry stated they were dragon testicles, Cormac quickly vomited. This film scene also includes Hermione eating Dragon tartare in order to ward off Cormac; it apparently gives very bad breath.

In the books, Cormac is famous for ruining a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, during which time he knocks Harry out. This match is omitted from the films, so the true weight of Cormac’s intolerable behavior is not felt. In fact, he is generally much less obnoxious and handsy in the films, so most viewers don’t quite understand why Hermione (and book fans) can’t stand him.

Cormac McLaggen Appearances in Books

Cormac McLaggen appeared in the following books:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Cormac McLaggen Appearances in Films

Cormac McLaggen appeared in the following films:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Cormac McLaggen Quotes

Cormac explaining why he didn’t try out for Quidditch the year prior:

“I was in the hospital wing when they held the trials. Ate a pound of doxy eggs for a bet.”

Cormac being rude during Quidditch:

“You should have heard the way he was talking about Ron and Ginny! He’s got a nasty temper. You wouldn’t want someone like that on the team.”

Cormac discussing his well-to-do family with Professor Slughorn:

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 —”

Hermione describing his behavior:

“I’ve just escaped — I mean, I’ve just left Cormac. Under the mistletoe… Cormac hasn’t asked me one single question about myself, no, I’ve just been treated to ‘A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen’ non-stop ever since. Oh no, here he comes!”

And

“McLaggen makes Grawp look like a gentleman.”

FAQs

Question: What did Cormac McLaggen do to Hermione?

Answer: He didn’t actually do anything to her other than escorting her to the Christmas party. She said that he only talked about himself and clearly tried to use the mistletoe as an excuse to make.

Question: Did Cormac McLaggen Like Hermione?

Answer: At that age it’s really hard to tell who actually likes to but it’s very likely that he was romantically interested in her because he tried to find her throughout the Christmas party whenever she ditched him. If he didn’t care about her, much the same as she didn’t care about him, he wouldn’t have cared that she had left and might very well have used the opportunity to pick up on another date.

Question: Why did Hermione use the Confundus Charm on Cormac McLaggen?

Answer: She did it to help Ron win the role of keeper. She did it because she liked Ron and wanted him on the team, knowing how much that meant to him. Later she justified her behavior after witnessing Cormac throw a temper tantrum on the field, indicating that his attitude wouldn’t have been a good fit for the team.

Question: Was Cormac McLaggen a Prefect?

Answer: The only two people we know who were Gryffindor students from that year were Katie Bell and Cormac McLaggen. However, we don’t know if they were made prefects.