Theory on James and Lilly Potters occupations

[snow15145]

No: HPFGUIDX 107682

Kneasy:
Bit of an exaggeration there.
According to Ollivander Lily's wand was - "Nice wand for charm work,"
while James was "excellent for transfiguration," which in my reading
means 'best suited for' rather than exceptional.

Snow:
Busted on a technical non-canon knock out, TNCKO. I actually reached 
for the book to reference but decided to use the same wording that 
the person I was replying to had used. The main jest of what I was 
trying to point out was that even though the wand chooses the wizard 
somewhat like the sorting hat choosing the house, wouldn't 
automatically foretell what subject they may have chosen to teach. 
James didn't like the dark arts so why then would he teach it 
especially when his wand is more suited for transfiguration, if he 
were the dada teacher? My assumption on this would be; not that he 
liked it or was suited for it but defense against it. 

Kneasy:
I think that the reason DD took on Snape was for the same reason that
he took on Trelawney - part protection, partly to keep a close eye on
him. Don't forget, he'd been working for the Order for 2 years or more
by that time.

Snow Puzzled:
Who worked for the Order for two years? I am a bit confused, if you 
could elaborate on this please? As far as DD's reasoning for hiring 
anyone, like Hagrid who loves man eating creatures or Lupin that 
could possibly be a werewolf threat
 to Quirrell who ended up aiding 
and a bedding the enemy, I feel that DD is of the mind; keep your 
friends close but your enemies closer. If these people are inside the 
castle not only does DD have the portraits watchful eyes for help but 
the restrictions on the castle itself puts anyone in it at a 
disadvantage, no apparating and such. 

Kneasy:
The Potters could have been teachers at Hogwarts but I think it 
unlikely
that Harry could have been there for 5 years and have no-one mention
the fact. I can't see a reason why it should be kept a secret. 
Minerva'd
liked them as students and they'd been great favourites of Hagrid - 
and
he's never been able to keep his mouth shut.

What would be the point of keeping it from Harry?

Snow:
This is a good point especially in the know-it-all Hermione's case. 
As to why keep it a secret from Harry, all I can say to that is why 
keep the prophecy from Harry? How did that help or hurt? The kid has 
already been through more than that. In fact Harry should have 
figured out by now that Voldemort wants him dead (being as he defied 
him 4 times) and DD has allowed (in SS) for Harry to deal with him. 
So what was the prophecy but mere wording of what he should have 
already realized. Why keep the prophecy from Harry for five years is 
equivalent to why would no one have told Harry that one of his 
parents worked at Hogwarts? Neither one makes sense to me but if the 
prophecy could be kept from Harry why not the simple fact that James 
was a teacher?  A lot of people, close to Harry, knew about the 
prophecy and it was not revealed to Harry. OOP The Lost Prophecy pg. 
829 US "And then you saw Rookwood, who worked in the Department of 
Mysteries before his arrest, telling Voldemort what we had known all 
along-" The Order was well aware of the prophecy or at least the 
portion of it that Voldemort knew. DD knew that there had once been a 
leek in the Order so I would not think that he would have divulged 
the entire prophecy but there is certainty that the Order members 
were well aware of it, by the "what (we) had known all along" 
statement, and yet not even Sirius or Lupin, let alone Hagrid, told 
Harry.  

There are instances, in hindsight, where JKR has neglected to tell, 
allow Harry and/or the reader to know or ask something. All the times 
that people on this list have asked why didn't Harry ask where his 
parents got their money or why didn't he ask anything at all about 
them. Why didn't Harry ask? The simplicity of it is that it would 
enhance the story too much or give something away. 

James' occupation and Lily's "have been" purposely kept from not only 
Harry but also the reader, so no matter whether James was a teacher 
or an Auror or a lazy bum we still don't know. In the end, the "why 
didn't anyone tell Harry" is still the why? Whatever it is that James 
did, I will assume that it must be of importance to have kept it a 
secret for so long. 

Snow