Dumbledore's employment policy (WAS: Characters You Hate)

[Grey Wolf <greywolf1@jazzfree.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51110

Snapesangel xxx wrote:
> 4. The things he seeems to do, or let happen that are explained simply
> in cannon, but leave me thinking "eh?!" like employing Lockhart as
> DADA teacher. I know there were n't any other applicants, but could
> n't he have done it himself or given another teachers or teachers
> extra duties. Maybe he could 've enlisted a ghost to teach the non
> practical bits...Anyway, just strat seems negligent to me.
> 
> Snapesangel xxx

That is a very bad example of a bad decision of Dumbledore. What do you 
think "no other applicant" means? If there was no one else to choose 
from, there is no one else to choose from, and that's it. You cannot 
say that Dumbledore should've put a ghost or another of the teachers or 
even himself. Dumbledore is not stupid, if there had been any other 
options he would've considered them.

There was a theory a couple of months ago going around that said that 
there is simply no applicants to the DADA position due to a conjunction 
of circunstances. One, that anyone who knew about it - including most 
teachers - were probably the first ones to be targeted by the DEs, so 
very few would've survived the war. And of course, some of the few that 
are left might not want to appear to be competent, just in case the DEs 
want to go looking for fun.

Then again, there is that rumour that the position is jinxed, and that 
might put others off. 

Or are you suggesting that, since the only person that is willing to 
teach the DADA lessons is Lockhart, Dumbledore should *force* someone 
into the position? That is what you seem to be suggesting, after all: 
to get someone who *does not* want the job and force him to teach it 
anyway.

The bottom line is that even if there is a qualified ghost out there 
that could teach the lessons, or a teacher of Hogwarts had enough time 
to teach DADA (which is false, no teacher has that much time, it's a 
full-time job that requires 42 hours/week just for lessons, which comes 
out to 8.4 hours a day), Dumbledore would never force anyone into a 
position he doesn't want, because he's a decent person and a good 
headmaster.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf