ps/ss chapter 5

[Geoff]

No: HPFGUIDX 192515

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Alcuin York <alcuinyork at ...> wrote:

Liz:
> I'm just rereading ps/ss and have a couple of thoughts about the beginning
> of chapter 5 - Diagon Alley
> 
> Hagrid commented that Quirrell was fine when he taught from books, but when
> he took a year out he came back scared of his own shadow. This implies that
> Quirrell taught DADA at some point before Harry's first year. And that
> Hagrid had socialised enough with him after he came back from Romania (I
> think it was there!) to know how different he was, and how scared he had
> become. But isn't the DADA job cursed? Nobody lasts in it longer than a
> year?

> Also, to state that Hagrid said Quirrell was scared of the students, which  
> implies he had been teaching AFTER he came back.
 
Chris:
> First possibility: Quirrell taught some other subject before his hiatus and was assigned to the DADA job when he returned (not very plausible, but I don't think it's inconsistent with the text, which I don't have in front of me right now).
> 
> Second possibility: The DADA curse was something JKR thought of after PS/SS. Wouldn't be the only thing either, as Quirrell is shown doing wandless magic, which makes nonsense of Dumbledore's death scene in HBP.

Geoff:
THere is a possibility as you suggest that Quirrell taught a different subject
before his year out, although Hagrid says that he took "took a year off ter get 
some first-hand experience.." (PS "Diagon Alley"p.55 UK edition). This does
allow for different interpretations.

I would put forward three scenarios:

(1) The above - that he taught a different subject and took up the DADA 
post on his return.

(2) Possibly I'm playing with semantics, but perhaps he left the post to travel 
and then on his return was appointed for a "second term", so to speak, which 
would not breach the idea that no DADA teacher would be in post for more 
than a year.

(3) That when he met Voldemort and he was possessed by him, Voldemort 
saw  that, in addition to being a vehicle for him to get around, he could be a 
Trojan Horse to get him into Hogwarts and being at the school in person
could remove the curse to allow Quirrell to stay there and thereby make a 
move to deal with Harry.

I'm sorry, Chris, but I don't quite see your point re wandless magic...