Top 5 female role models in the wizarding world

It's not unfair to say that, while the Harry Potter series is about the Boy Who Lived, the war against Voldemort couldn't have been won without the influence of women. The wizarding world was full of wonderful female characters before and after that war, though, and this Women's History Month, I'd like to pay tribute to five of the women who changed the face of magic for good.

1. Helga Hufflepuff

One of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Helga is definitely a major player in wizarding history. Series history tells us that she was Welsh and had a knack for food-related charms. We also know that she is the reason house-elves are able to work without mistreatment or cruelty in the Hogwarts kitchens

What makes me include her in this list is her utter lack of discrimination. The Sorting Hat is well aware of how particular all of the Founders were in its song during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but made sure to mention Hufflepuff as outstanding. "Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same.'" Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty and that is evident in how devoted the Founder was to equality and equity in education.

2. Minerva McGonagall

My first favorite character was Professor McGonagall, thought I didn't know it at the time. I was just aware that, while people were hugging strangers and partying in 1981, there was a cat reading a map on Privet Drive in Surrey. She not only gathered intelligence on the Dursley family, but safeguarded the street that would soon be the home of Harry Potter.

Professor McGonagall is an exceptional teacher and Head of House. Her devotion to the students manifests in how she refuses to let them get away with things. While Snape awards his house points and overlooks disciplinary opportunities, Gryffindor is in stern, but safe, hands with the woman who takes points from her own house to teach them a lesson. My personal favorite moment is when she stubbornly promises to make sure Harry learns everything he needs to become an Auror, mostly to spit in the toad-like face of Professor Umbridge.

3. Tonks (Don't call her Nymphadora)

I'm sure there are people who liked Tonks from the first moment she showed up, but it was her honest "Who do you know who's lost a buttock?" that made her an icon for me. We had a grown-up who was caught between the kids' idealism and the grown-ups' serious takes on life and she was an Auror.

I also loved how capable and intuitive she was while having a sense of humor. She didn't let being a klutz stop her and I love her persistent love of Remus Lupin. She married without fear and died protecting the world she brought Teddy into.

4. Lily Evans

You'll notice that I didn't say Lily Potter. My role model is the young girl who tried to make space for her Muggle sister in her witchy life, who trusted a neighborhood boy to be her introduction to the wizarding world, and stood up to popular Gryffindors in support of a Slytherin who drew their attention.

Lily was friends with Severus Snape as long as she could, but was also loyal to him beyond that. She made up her own mind on how to judge a person's character and reminds me of Minerva McGonagall in her being loving with boundaries.

5. Narcissa Malfoy

When I recently admired Narcissa Malfoy, I said I'd liked her since she came to Severus Snape at Spinner's End. He said he'd liked her from the start and I shrugged, saying that she didn't make an impression at the Quidditch World Cup. He then reminded me that Draco Malfoy got daily packages from home long before we were formally introduced to the matriarch of Malfoy Manor.

Narcissa is loving to her husband and son, but also fiercely protective. She takes great risks to prevent her son from suffering for her husband's choices and an even greater one when she keeps Harry's survival a secret in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Hope you've enjoyed this tour of some famous witches. If we've missed any, please celebrate knowing better by reading about them and sharing the love this Women's History Month.