Inconsistencies in the DADA position

[snow15145]

No: HPFGUIDX 131585



Juli: I don't understand, in what way could a jinx on
the DADA position could ensure the safety of the
students? I mean, why would the children remain safe
if they aren't taught DADA? It seems like a paradox to
me: James wanted Harry to be safe, so that's why he
wanted to teach DADA, right? then he dies, but James
put a jinx on the position so no teacher could remain
over a year, But if a good teacher (like Remus or even
Crouch!Moody) couldn't last a year, then how could the
kids learn to defend themselves? The jinx may be
useful when there are bad teachers like Quirell,
Umbridge or (I forgot his name, the CoS DADA teacher),
but hurtful in the case of a good teacher.

Snow:

If James had thought that Snape could enter that (his) position and 
would teach the children of Hogwarts Dark Arts and not the `Defense' 
of the dark arts, Snape would then be the equal to Karkaroff who was 
the headmaster of a school (Durmstrang) who held the teaching of Dark 
Arts in high regard; not the `Defense' of the Dark Arts. If James 
were this teacher he would want to protect against the teaching of 
Dark Arts. (Lockhart was the teacher in COS who remains to be a 
character in the novels however subtle (or not) his role has 
resumed.) 

Snow (me) previously:   
If Dumbledore was aware, or became aware, of what
James may have done, would he permit this jinxed
position to be appointed to Snape for Snape's own
welfare? Percy was aware that the position was jinxed,
why wouldn't Dumbledore be aware of the same?

Juli replied:
So how does exactly this Jinx work? The teacher only
remains as such for a year? He dies sometimes soon? or
becomes insane? I can't see anything in common with
all the DADA teachers except that they don't last over
a year. If this jinx is that they only last a year as
DADA teacher, then couldn't Snape take back his
Potions position afterwards?

Snow in response:

I, jmo, believe that anyone who is not James will not stand a chance 
at maintaining the role as DADA teacher until such time that 
Voldemort has been vanquished forever; no matter whom they are.  

Juli:

I think the reason why DD doesn't want Snape to teach
DADA is that his cover will be blown: He *can't* teach
DADA to the DE's kids, cause they'd know that he was
gone to the other side; he can't teach the Dark Arts
either cause DD needs them to learn DADA, so really
he's got no choice but to remain where he is, unless
he wanted to let LV know he was working with
Dumbledore, which I'm sure he doesn't.

Snow:

You do have a point about Snape's cover being blown (which I 
wholeheartedly believe in) but
Snape is teaching them something even 
more powerful than DADA. Potions are very much a part of, imo, why 
Harry is alive along with why Tom Riddle became Voldemort. If either 
of these potions were equal to the ancient magic that Voldemort said 
Lily performed, they would be greater than any DADA lesson ever 
taught. So, Snape is actually teaching in a position that is more 
powerful than the DADA position he always craved to have. 

I'm just looking at this from James' point of view if everything came 
down the way I stated in my previous post. James is faced with 
trusting not Dumbledore but who Dumbledore trusts (and its not likely 
that he gave James anymore info than he gives to Harry or anyone 
else) which happens to be Snape, his worst adversary. How much can 
you ask of the man
James is human and can put his trust in just so 
many persons
why in God's name would Dumbledore ever trust Snape? 
Yet, if James was wrong and Dumbledore and Snape were right and he 
didn't go into hiding as suggested he would be solely to blame for 
putting his wife and child in jeopardy. 
So, worse of two evils, James thought it wouldn't hurt to take the 
old man's suggestion to go into hiding even if Snape was the one who 
tipped him off, and it wouldn't hurt to take precautions about his 
position at Hogwarts knowing how much Snape adored Dark Arts but when 
it came to Sirius
it was just the horse of a different color and 
James would never, could never think the worst of Sirius. James took 
cover as suggested and took precautions against his nemesis for his 
old position at Hogwarts by jinxing the position
it isn't like it 
would hurt anyone, they just wouldn't last long enough to have an 
adverse effect if they were teaching wrongly. 

Cheers Snow 

Oops disclaimer, JMO