The Dark Arts job, was, Dumbledore's motive

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 115890


Ten'ou wrote:
> Or - and here's one of Ten'ou's inspirations that is either genius 
> or complete insanity... The position attracts evil. Like when you 
> have a ley line that's turned dark, it attracts dark things to it... 
> (like attracting like) This even explains Lupin, who has the 
> tendency to  gnaw on people during a full moon unless he takes his 
> medicine like a  good doggie. I for one think that is just a little 
> bit evil.
>  But, as evil has to be vanquished, the DADA professor has to be 
>  offed - or in Lupin's case knows he is a danger to those around him 
>  and resigns. And that's why a DADA professor doesn't stick around  
> for more than a year. 
>  Ok, I think this theory needs a little more... time. 
> 
> Beatnik replied:
> Ooh, I really like this theory, and think it leans more toward 
> genius than insantiy (of course, that could be because i'm somewhat 
> insane myself:))  It goes along with a pet theory I've had, which 
> relates back to something that a Weasley once said (sorry, can't 
> recall which book), something to the tune of "Some people reckon 
> that the DADA position is cursed."  I think that these people might 
> reckon correctly.  Is it possible to curse a teaching post?  If so, 
> who's doing the cursing?  Snape, so that he might get the job 
> someday or working on LV's orders? Some other evil person at 
> Hogwarts, who has not revealed their evilness yet? Or, DD, for 
> various motives that are being discussed in another thread.  Anyway, 
> not much canon to support it, except the offhand Weasley comment, 
> but I think it's a possiblity.

Carol notes:
The Weasley who made the remark was Percy in SS/PS, citing a rumor
rather than a known fact. I don't know what to think of the jinx idea
except that Snape (whom we don't know to be evil and who probably
isn't given DD's trust of him) would hardly be jinxing a position he
applies for every year. (That was also a rumor until Snape confirmed
its truth to Umbridge in OoP.)

It's interesting that the position was considered jinxed even before
Quirrell died, though he seems to be coming back to it after a year's
absence doing practical research in Albania. He must have taught for
at least a year before leaving. (Constance Vigilance, if she's reading
this, will have some ideas on the subject.) If something as abstract
and insubstantial as a teaching position can be jinxed, which seems
unlikely, it would make sense that the person doing the jinxing would
be a DE, someone like, say, Lucius Malfoy, who doesn't want the
students to learn *defense* against the Dark Arts. In fact, if he
hadn't given in to Narcissa, he have sent Draco to Durmstrang to learn
the Dark Srts themselves rather than defense against them. Snape, on
the other hand, studied very hard for his DADA OWL and evidently knew
the subject in great detail even as a fifth-year. It seems most
unlikely that he would put a jinx on a subject he cares so much
about--or agree to substitute for Lupin, as he must have done every
month though we only see the one lesson, if he thought the position
was jinxed.

Carol