[HPforGrownups] Quirrell's Tenure (WAS: Quirrell)

[Carol Bainbridge]

No: HPFGUIDX 43854


>~Phyllis wrote:
>I was always under the impression that Quirrell was only at Hogwarts
>for one year, based on the following quote from PoA:  "Harry, Ron and
>Hermione had already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers,
>both of whom had only lasted one year" (Chapter 5 - UK ed., p. 60, US
>ed., p. 75).  But it's possible that Quirrell taught a different
>subject before he took that fateful trip to Albania.

I suppose that is possibly, but it's also possible that the reference to 
each of the two teachers lasting only one year, refers to one year of 
instruction for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  It's rather ambiguous, IMO.

~Phyllis again:
>I think the
>Movie That Must Not Be Named adds to the confusion when Percy tells
>Harry that "Snape's been after Quirrell's job *for years*."

That's a comment that leads to the interpretation of the quotation above 
that Quirrell lasted only one year after the trio started at Hogwarts.  Of 
course, Percy could have meant that Snape had for years been after the job 
that Quirrell now has.  Then again, I would think that he would have said, 
"Snape's been after the DADA job for years."

I have to say that the evidence seems to point more to the idea that 
Quirrell has held this job for at least a few years and that he had been 
pretty good at it until he tried to go beyond book learning.


Carol Bainbridge
(kaityf at jorsm.com)

http://www.lcag.org