The two versions of the Prophecy

[deborahhbbrd]

No: HPFGUIDX 143188


Ceridwen, speculating with Carol on Trelawney and her talents, muses:

<I know Dumbledore didn't have much faith in the discipline, but there 
is an O.W.L. in it, so he may have had no choice but to get a teacher 
for it. I wonder sometimes if this is when they first came up with the 
idea of an O.W.L. for it, so Dumbledore absolutely needed to find a 
teacher for it, or if the O.W.L. came once he had a teacher?>

Deborah now:

It's always seemed to me that Divination would be a wonderfully useful
discipline for cross-over witches and wizards - the ones who join
Muggle society without becoming accountants. They could use their
genuine skills to make an honest living ... well, semi-honest anyway;
no worse than the usual fortune-telling fakes and frauds that infest
Muggledom and at least potentially better. And if it opened up career
opportunities, it would be worthy of its status as a school subject.
Dumbledore seems to have retained it more to make Hogwarts a safe
haven for Trelawney than for its utility value, but in his capacity as
Idealistic Icon of Honour he would have to disapprove of parasitical
careers.

However, it's always the case that the availability of teachers
guarantees the subject. If Hogwarts can't hire a Divination professor,
Hogwarts students won't learn Divination and therefore won't be able
to become Divination professors in their turn. Where I live, although
Accounting and Computer Studies are examination subjects, many schools
are unable to offer them because of a shortage of staff (who are
making their millions in the marketplace). If there were none at all,
there would be no point in setting NEWT type exams. And when Computer
Studies first became a possibility, there was pressure from society to
offer it as a school subject, so teachers were sent off for training
if they so chose, and then the syllabus was drawn up and exams set.
Ancient Greek as a school subject is probably a good Muggle example of
the opposite. When demand withered on the bough, so did supply. And
being a wizarding/witching teacher in the UK means that career
opportunities are not superabundant, unless one goes off to the
(former) colonies and teaches in New Zealand or Bangla Desh.

It's also always seemed to me that making Hogwarts the only British
wizarding school is an unnecessary complication. Make it the best, by
all means - the Eton plus Cheltenham Ladies College of them - but if
there were a few others dotted about, in Giggleswick or Clacton, then
at least the sports teams would have competition. Ah well, so much for
Eton vs Harrow on brooms; so much also for long queues of better
qualified Divination professors, eager to take over from the present
feeble incumbent and able to prove their worth by showing their
students' brilliant OWL and NEWT results.

Deborah, not expecting JKR to ever clarify this topic!