Snape and the DADA Job

[pickle_jimmy]

No: HPFGUIDX 58511

I was just wondering if it is *fact* that Snape wants to be the DADA 
teacher, or just rumour that has become psuedo-fact...

I did a quick rummage through the books and came up with the 
following quotes (below) and none of them are first hand accounts.

"Everyone Knows" - who is this everyone?? 

Most of his angst toward the other DADA teachers can be put down to 
his mis-trust of the person *in* the job rather than his desire to 
*have* their job.

One thing I have noticed about JK is her brilliant use of 
misdirection (not suprising in a book about magic). She gives clues 
to the truth, but keeps you so pre-occupied with something else, you 
miss the clues (eg Snape/Quirrell in PS/SS)

So... is this a Snape Fact OR is this a bit of JK misdirection - make 
Snape seem the type (dark), make him hate the people in the job, even 
have him complain about how well the job is being done and how he 
would do it differently - only to find out it's divination he really 
wants :-) 

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"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he [Harry] asked 
Percy.
"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so
nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't 
want to -- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful 
lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." (SS)

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"Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense
Against Dark Arts job again!" (CoS)

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Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already had two Defense Against the Dark
Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were 
rumors that the job was jinxed. (PoA)

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts, he blurted out.
"Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took 
another gulp of potion.
"Some people reckon --" Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on,
"some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the 
Dark Arts job." (PoA)

Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table
at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the
Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Harry, who hated Snape, 
was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. It was 
beyond anger: it was loathing. Harry knew that expression only too 
well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Harry. 
(PoA)

"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against 
the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to
Hermione. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all 
because of the boggart?" (PoA)

"Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my
appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been
telling Dumbledore A year that I am not to be trusted. He has his
reasons... you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly
killed him, a trick which involved me --" (PoA)

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It was common knowledge that Snape really wanted the Dark Arts job, 
and he had now failed to get it for the fourth year running.  Snape 
had disliked all of their previous Dark Arts teachers, and shown it - 
but he seemed strangely wary of displaying overt animosity to Mad-Eye 
Moody.  Indeed, whenever Harry saw the two of them together - at 
mealtimes, or when they passed in the corridors - he had the distinct 
impression that Snape was avoiding Moody's eye, whether magical or 
normal. (GoF)

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Pickle Jimmy