Curse of the DADA and the Felix effect

[Jen Reese]

Thinking about the Felix potion, we might use the effect of the 
Felix to study the DADA curse. The ability to make the right choice 
in each instance with Felix could be the opposite effect of the DADA 
curse. The DADA curse is insidious because it binds each teacher to 
his/her weakness to the point of personal destruction. And I don't 
think people are victims in the sense of choice being taking away, 
but a person seems to notice only the *wrong* choice to make at each 
juncture, something which they are pulled to strongly anyway because 
of a personal weakness. So we see each teacher chart his/her own 
downfall by choosing a flawed strategy initially, and then allowing 
personal weakness to complete the destruction.  The curse of the 
DADA aids their destruction by promoting the ability to make wrong 
choices & ultimately each comes face-to-face with their darkest 
moment:

1) Quirrell initial strategy: Ill-advised trip to Albania in hopes 
of learning more about defending the dark arts. Weakness: Moral 
weakness in the sense he was a 'foolish young man... full of 
ridiculous ideas about good and evil'; he held no convictions strong 
enough to willingly join or willingly resist LV's power, though. 
Consequently he is taken over by Voldemort, used and abandoned.

2)Lockhart's inital strategy: Presenting himself as a Dark Arts 
expert. Weakness: Desiring fame at all costs. Lockhart ups the ante 
with each story and each failed bit of magic he performs, to the 
point he's trapped into the COS rescue by the people who understand 
he's a fraud. He's ultimately brought down by his one real strength, 
and cursed to have the memory of his fame erased! (I love the irony 
of this one).

3)Lupin's inital stategy: Denying his past. Weakness: Wanting to fit 
in and above all, seeking Dumbledore's approval. Lupin initially 
hopes to go back to Hogwarts, meet Harry (his past), but not have 
the demons of his past interfere in any way. At each point where he 
might be straightforward and truthful with either Harry or 
Dumbledore, he chooses to remain secretive. Lupin's past slowly 
begins to infiltrate his current life, first with Harry, then the 
map, then finally his remaining old friends. His final undoing is 
the ultimate denial of his alter-ego, the werewolf.

(Moody: Gets locked in the truck for a year--he got the worst of the 
curse, no?!?)

4)Crouch!Moody's initial strategy: Unwavering belief in the Dark 
Lord's power and the power of evil in general. Weakness: Hubris. In 
his belief that Voldemort & evil will always prevail, Crouch 
unwittingly causes Voldemort's downfall in the graveyard by teaching 
Harry and those around him the skills Harry will need to escape LV. 
In the end, his hubris allows him to believe he can outwit 
Dumbledore, and he is ultimately destroyed by the very evil he 
worships.

5)Umbridge: Belief she can defeat Dumbledore and Harry single-
handedly. Weakness: Craving power and desiring approbation from 
those in power (Fudge). As with all the DADA's, we find out her goal 
only in hindsight--to bring down Dumbledore, Harry, and ultimately 
Hogwarts (or reshape it in her own image at any rate). The more she 
tries to control for this outcome, the more her choices mobilize the 
forces against her, until she is defeated by the beings she most 
detests--'half-breeds'.

6)Snape/Voldemort: (I put it this way because I think both were 
involved in this year's decision)
**Initial strategy Voldemort: Defeat Dumbledore; LV presses Snape to 
get the DADA position either covertly or overtly. DD can't deny 
Snape this post if it will further his infiltration with Voldemort.  
**Initial strategy Snape: Desire to teach the dark arts and belief 
he can defeat the DADA curse.
**Weakness Voldemort: his undoing will actually be what he sees as a 
victory: Dumbledore will be more powerful in death than he was 
alive. Don't know exactly how yet, but believe this is true <g>. 
**Weakness Snape: brushing much to close to the dark arts again, 
both in the classroom and in his affiliation with the DE's & 
Voldemort. The Unbreakable was the first of his wrong choices from 
the DADA curse (Carol's thought) and his undoing was being faced 
with the choice to use an Unforgivable and AK Dumbledore. I think he 
made the right choice, did not AK him and in doing so, broke the 
DADA curse. He did lose his greatest advocate though, and his one 
true defender, which will ulitmately lead to his end--but by which 
side?!?

Jen

(This is a slightly re-worked post to a thread on HPFGU, and my 
thoughts are a response to other people's ideas starting here: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/138059 )