Quirrell's Tenure (Again)

[gwendolyngrace]

No: HPFGUIDX 44061

Hey, all. 

Yes, it's Gwen, venturing out from extreme lurkdom....

--- Phyllis wrote:
> I just came across the following quote in Ch. 12 of 
> GoF: "They [HRH] had never yet had a Defence Against the Dark Arts 
> teacher who had lasted more than three terms" (UK ed., p. 155).  I 
> know this is contradictory to what Hagrid says in SS/PS, but it 
seems 
> as if, at least by Book 4, JKR's intention was to have Quirrell's 
> first year at Hogwarts be his last.
> 

Two quick things. First, correct me if I'm wrong, Brits, but isn't a 
"term" equivalent to a semester--or at least, to half or less than 
one full year? That is, you'd have Fall Term and Spring Term? My 
understanding of "term" is wonky, because I attended a secondary 
school that had three trimesters per year: September - December, 
January - March, and April - June. Each was roughly 12 weeks long. 
Thus, a teacher who lasted one year could be said to have also lasted 
three terms.

Secondly, I don't believe that Harry's first year was also 
Quirrell's. Percy or Hagrid (or both) make comments that lead one to 
believe he has taught DADA at least one year prior to PS/SS, because 
they have to have a baseline to judge against. My books are home, but 
the line I'm thinking of is something like, "He was all right until 
he took a year off to travel." And then we get the backstory/rumour 
about having run afoul of a vampire in the forests of Eastern Europe. 
I don't want to be too specific for fear of getting it wrong.

But in any case, it leads me to believe that Quirrell did teach prior 
to Harry's first year, and was somewhat less skittish during that 
period, because at least one character comments on the change. He 
could hardly have taken sabbatical before ever teaching, could he?

Now, the real problem is that the text certainly leads one to believe 
that the "vampire" who traumatised poor Quirrell was actually 
Voldemort, and that the change in his personality is linked to 
Voldemort's possession. But according to the book, Voldemort only 
took possession of him after he met Harry in the Leaky Cauldron (as 
our past discussions on the turban and handshake have addressed). So 
if that's true, then no one at Hogwarts would have any indication 
that Quirrell is different until *after* he starts teaching again--
after Percy or Hagrid or whomever makes his comment about Quirrell 
losing his nerve.

So it seems to me it's actually possible that Quirrell's "vampire" 
incident occurred during a previous year, while on sabbatical, and 
that the Voldemort incident occurred more recently. That, or perhaps 
Voldemort was the vampire, but it occurred at least two years 
previously, and Voldy only saw the need to possess Quirrell at the 
start of Harry's year. Still problematic, though.

Hm.

1991-1992: Quirrell's final year/RIP
August 1991: Voldemort possesses him
1990-1991: Taught after "Vampire" incident (change from baseline)
1989-1990: One-year sabbatical to travel - First encountered Voldy? - 
Source of "Vampire" incident
1988-1989: Taught prior to travelling, at least one year for baseline

OR

1991-1992: Final year/RIP
August 1991: Voldemort possession
Summer 1991: Travelled and found Voldemort
1990-1991: Returned from sabbatical, much changed. "Vampire" rumours.
1989-1990: Sabbatical, something really did change him, but not Voldy
1988-1989: Taught prior to sabbatical for baseline assessment

Either way, he must have been teaching by 1988, and I suspect earlier 
than that, in order to merit time off for field research.

Personally, I think it's unlikely that Voldemort would encounter a 
way back to England and not use it, but it's possible that he was 
able to convince Quirrell to bring him back in some other creature, 
and lived through them until he had a reason to need a human host. 
That reason of course is Harry's arrival at Hogwarts. It's also 
unlikely that, having been frightened out of his wits once, Quirrell 
would use his summer to go travelling back in the same areas that got 
him in trouble previously.

So either one of those explanations is correct, or it's a Flint. 

There's one other possibility. IF Quirrell is just returning from 
sabbatical during the summer of 1991, and IF he encountered 
Voldemort, and not a vampire, on that trip, and IF the speaker is 
Hagrid, not Percy, then Hagrid could know about the change in 
Quirrell's character because he's been at Hogwarts over the summer.  

Wait--I think that might work. He was in the Leaky Cauldron because 
he was at Hogwarts and overheard or found out about Dumbledore 
sending Hagrid to pick up Harry and the philosopher's stone and bring 
it back with him. So he sped down to London to try to beat Hagrid to 
it. That's why he was in the Leaky Cauldron, instead of at school or 
in Hogsmeade. But Hagrid already had time to observe that Quirrell 
was jumpier and more skittish than he had been, so he has the 
authority to say that it must have been something that happened while 
he was away.

Therefore, the timeline looks like this:

1991-1992: Final year/RIP
August, 1991: Voldemort takes possesssion
July 31, 1991: Trip to London to nick the stone
Early summer, 1991: Returns from sabbatical to Hogwarts, much 
changed, Voldemort in tow
1990-1991: Sabbatical during which he encounters Voldemort, brings 
him home somehow
1989-1990: Teaching year baseline

What do y'all think? There could still have been other years prior to 
Quirrell's time off, but this way, he finds Voldemort and brings him 
back and gets possessed within a few months, rather than over a year.

Gwen