Harry and DADA & the "curse" on the position

[darqali]

No: HPFGUIDX 140456

A minor comment on a point I have thought for some time:

Some, such as Luna, thought it sad that the DA didn't meet again the 
year after Umbridge had gone; she said she missed the DA meetings, 
"it was like having friends"; later, only she and Neville turned up 
to help at the fight against the Death Eaters at the climax if HBP, 
for it seemed only those two checked their coins regularly in hope of 
a summons from the D.A.   .....

Some readers have commented they wished Harry had gone on teaching 
the DA too ....

But if you believe in the "curse" on the Defense Against the Dark 
Arts position, then Harry *couldn't* have taught the  DA group for a 
second year ....

Think about it.

Umbridge is hired as the DADA teacher, but *she doesn't actually 
teach it*!  Instead, she only has students read to themselves from an 
essentially useless text while seated in her room.  No teaching.  No 
real learning of the subject.

*Because* Umbridge  doesn't actually teach the subject, Hermione 
suggests the students take matters into their own hands, because 
they're going to *need* DADA skills in thier lives; she knows LV's 
back and though things may *seem* O.K., it is the calm before the 
storm and it is but a matter of time before the WW is again at open 
war with the Dark Forces of LV.

And so at her suggestion, Harry becomes the *real* DADA teacher at 
Hogwarts for that year {Umbridge having taken the *official* 
position, and then failing to actually do the job}.  Harry may be an 
*unofficial* teacher; and *unpaid* tacher; but he is the real, if 
*defacto* DADA teacher for that year at Hogwarts; for that year, 
Harry is the only one at Hogwarts *actually teaching* Defense Against 
the Dark Arts.

Which means the D.A. won't meet again the following year; since no 
DADA teacher lasts more than one year.

What about the *following* year [subject of Book 7]?

Well, we all know Harry says he isn't going back to Hogwarts; but of 
course, we don't know if that is going to be true, or not, until the 
book is released.

But we can look at Quirrel as an example.  When Quirrel is introduced 
to Harry he is the DADA teacher for Harry's first year; but clearly, 
not a *new* teacher at Hogwarts, for Hagrid says he "took a year off" 
to gain some practical experience ....  while this remains murky, it 
seems Quirrel  *may* have taught DADA for one year, then took a year 
off {and met LV in his travels ....} ....

Of course, Quirrel may have taught a *different subject* at Hogwarts  
for any length of time; then taken a year off, and returned to take 
up a new post as DADA teacher, never having taught that *subject* 
before, but a simpler reading is, he taught DADA one year, took a 
year off, and returned in Harry's first year ...

So no teacher would have held the post for more than one 
*consecutive* year ...

If that is correct re Quirrel's DADA teaching career, it means if 
Harry returns to Hogwarts for his 7 th year, he could resume D.A. 
meetings to arm his fellow students against LV .... so that he would 
be a "second year" DADA teacher but not for the second *consecutive* 
year.

*****

Happy endings:

I am all for a Happy Ending, where Harry and his closest friends 
survive and LV is vanquished {though of course, only after long 
struggle and at a high cost ...}

I look at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, though ...

Some thought the story "ended" when the ring was destroyed.  And of 
course, since Frodo and his three closest companions survived and 
returned to The Shire, it seemed all should settle down and live 
happily until the end of their days. [Sam thought the story should 
end that way.] Yet the end was not so simple.  Destroying the Ring 
came at the a high cost, for some wounds would never heal.  Frodo 
finally left for the Undying Lands, becuse The Shire held no peace 
for him, damaged as he was in the war with Sauron.

Sad.  Bittersweet.  Like the entire history of the elves.  All their 
lives they "fought the long defeat".

So JKR [who *says* she has never read Tolkien's trilogy and *doesn't 
like* that kind of story] may not have a "happy ever after" ending in 
mind at all [parallels to Tolkiens' trilogy and her own work being 
inescapable no matter what she says].

I for one think this *children's series* should have a happy outcome, 
however.  Especially since *teaching* about life and its moral 
*choices* is what JKR seems to be doing.  Hard choices may come at a 
price, but the reason to make them is the ultimate outcome, which 
should be essentially *good*.  Enough good people have died in the 
cause against LV to make the point that good people do not always 
survive.  If they *never* do, making the hard choice to do what is 
right rather than what is easy seems rather pointless.


Darqali.