Jinxed Jobs (wasRe: Teachers in the WW

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 144331


> Gerry wrote:
 
> Exceptions: Trelawny, who needed protection and teaches a subject 
that
> is a bit of a joke itself. DD would have discontinued it if she had
> not made that prophesy.

Potioncat:
I don't think DD is the best Headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. He may 
be the greatest wizard to hold the position, but he's no educator! 
His priorities have a greater scope.There's a section of subjects we 
only hear about, but never see. I would guess there's nothing 
particularly bad about how those are going. Hermione seemed to 
approve of the ones she was taking without the boys. Sprout, Flitwick 
and McGonagall all do well. Snape's ability is debatable, at least we 
seem to debate it a lot.
 
I don't think the subject of Divination is a joke to the WW, although 
JKR makes a joke of it. Or rather she makes a joke of the way 
Trelawney teaches it. Although DD was thinking of discontinuing the 
subject at Hogwarts, he's gone to great length to protect Trelawney's 
prophesy. The DoM has a huge room of recorded predictions. Whether DD 
disaproved of divination or felt it should be taught at some other 
time (ie, after Hogwarts)he hired Trelawney to protect her.

Don't ask me why he has Hagrid teaching! He was already established 
and working for DD. As for Binns... I suspect he has some important 
information that Harry could use. Someone who has so much knowledge 
of WW history may know something about important artifacts. Besides, 
I think he was alive when Tom Riddle was a student, based on the 
names he calls the current students. 


> Gerry:
> Most DADA teachers are not competent, but I assume Dumbledore's 
stock
> of good DADA teachers had to run out some time with the rate he is
> going through them since LV cursed the job. Wise people don't want
> that position.

Potioncat:
I assume, that once DD understood the DADA position was jinxed and 
once he had a feel for what the jinx would do, he began to hire a 
certain type of person. In fact, he may have hired Lockhart with the 
intent to have him exposed. I'm sure he knew Gilderoy well enough to 
know the man hadn't done all those wonderful things in his books. One 
year at Hogwarts put an end to all that obliviating.

Knowing the MoM would find some way to put a mole...erm frog... into 
Hogwarts, DD left the DADA position free. Althoguh it doesn't seem to 
have caused her any lasting damage, it had Umbridge in a place where 
DD could keep his eye on her, and she was out in a year too. 

> Gerry
> The only thing I don't understand though, why would Snape want the
> position if he knew it was cursed? Did he not believe it was? Did he
> think being a DE would protect him? 

Potioncat:
Did anyone really understand the position was jinxed? Everyone had to 
know that for decades no one lasted more than a year. What Snape knew 
and whether he wanted the DADA position are still mysteries. He 
implied to Umbridge that he had applied regularly...but it isn't 
certain if he was applying because he wanted to teach it or because 
it was part of his cover. And whichever is the correct reason, he may 
or may not have known about the jinx. It's very likely that he knew 
about the jinx, but that it was part of DD's plan to have him in 
place at this point in time...part of his Order mission, if you will 
that he took on with full understanding of the danger.

I am puzzled that LV didn't remove the jinx once his man was in 
place. Unless of course, he felt the jinx would expose Snape's 
possible disloyalty to the Dark Side.