Hi Carol - question about your DADA curse theory

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 162206

ConstanceVigilance wrote:
<snip> 
> Part of my thesis is that that the "DADA curse" was a distraction 
> (lie!) on the part of Dumbledore specifically to cover up the 
> continued animatory status of Quirrell. The curse is fishy to me 
> because first, there is no comment about it in Book 1. One would 
> expect something like "Dumbledore has been having quite a bit of 
> trouble over the past 40 years keeping someone in this post." You 
> would think such a multi-decade pattern would be noticed, no?
> 
> Secondly, there is no notice of Quirrell being new or new to an 
> assignment in the first book. One must believe that he occupied that 
> position for at least the previous year. Quirrell can not have been 
> subject to the DADA curse, if there even was such a thing.
> 
> I've come to believe that Dumbledore, who has promised that he would
never lie, did exactly that in reference to Quirrell because Quirrell
is such an important secret to keep. Dumbledore is such an inexpert
fibber that he posted a whopper that is easily debunked. And yet, he
seems to have gotten away with it.

Carol responds:
Hi, CV. Good to have you back! My DADA theory originated as a way of
exonerating Harry from any guilt in Quirrell's death. (I do think he's
dead, but if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to congratulate you on your
brilliant anticipation of JKR's use of him in Book 7. Every character
needs a defender, right? Well, maybe not Umbridge.) I also, as always,
wanted to at least partially exonerate Snape, or at any rate to help
explain how he became involved in that accursed vow.

It seems to me that JKR has tantalized us with the DADA jinx (more
like a curse) for ages now, and HBP verified its existence. We
suspected from the moment that Snape was announced as the DADA teacher
that he wouldn't last the year, especially after all the ominous
imagery at the end of the "Spinner's End" chapter, and that was
confirmed, IMO, when Dumbledore stated that he hadn't been able to
keep a DADA teacher since Tom Riddle applied for the job and was
turned down. (We also have the wand twitch to show him casting it.) We
also have what may be the moment when the curse falls into place,
biding its time till somewhere near the end of the school year. IMO,
the first chapters of HBP take place on the same night at around the
same time. If that's the case, the moment that Slughorn accepts the
Potions position, after midnight on what's now Saturday morning, is
the moment that Snape becomes DADA teacher. Could it also be the
moment when Narcissa is inspired to make the Unbreakable Vow and Snape
trapped by fate or some flaw himself or a prior agreement with
Dumbledore to protect Draco at all costs trapped into taking it?

It seems to me that all of the DADA teachers, including one who taught
the class but wasn't hired to do the job because he was an imposter,
have fallen victim to the DADA curse, either because of some flaw in
their character or because they're concealing some secret or both.
Quirrell's secret is obvious: he's concealing Voldemort under his
turban. But how to account for his first term as DADA teacher, which
must have lasted only one year because DD says he's never been able to
keep a teacher for longer than that time. A reasonable explanation,
IMO, is that he was seized with a sudden desire to go looking for
Vampires and other Dark creatures to supplement his book knowledge
with practical experience, rather like a Muggle suddenly remembering a
previous engagement when he gets too near the TWT grounds. But the
curse, it seems to me, works in its own sinister way, and would have
led him, along with his own desire to see Dark creatures firsthand,
straight to either Nagini or whatever creature Voldemort was
possessing at the time.

I realize that my theory is imperfect (any theory is), but I don't
think it's antithetical to yours. Quirrell could still have survived
(though I don't think he did), but he certainly didn't come back to
teach DADA again. And it's hard to explain the annual vacancies for a
single position without the DADA curse ("jinx") being real.

In case you haven't already read it, here's the link to my original
post (again):

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/137961?threaded=1&l=1

(Do me a favor and substitute "instrument" for "agent," since "agent"
should refer to a human being.) You might want to follow the thread as
far as it relates to Quirrell, at least. I'm most interested in its
application to Snape and Lupin, but Quirrell with his two separate
turns in the post had to be carefully fit in.

Carol, hoping you'll reconsider the compatibility of the DADA
jinx/curse with your own theory and maybe help me to revise mine as it
regards Quirrell