Show notes
Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're going to be discussing a rather compelling theory pertaining to the Defence Against the Dark Arts posting at Hogwarts school. I first saw this theory on Reddit, so shout out to 'Wordhammer' on the HP subreddit for the inspiration.
Defence Against the Dark Arts is a CORE subject taught at Hogwarts that (purportedly) teaches students how to defend themselves against dark magic, creatures and curses- though I'm not sure this subject has been particularly successful in this regard.-
The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including recognizing and repelling dark creatures, identifying and countering curses, and learning protective spells.-
But for as long as Harry attended Hogwarts (and actually, for many decades prior) the subject had a particularly high turnover rate. Scratch that..a LUDICROUSLY high turnover rate. Every single year that Harry attended Hogwarts he had a completely different professor that taught the subject in an entirely different way.-
As you can imagine, this was pretty disruptive to the learning process.-
And WHO could be responsible for such a mess? Why, Lord Voldemort of course.-
This is explained to Harry by Dumbledore:
"Oh, he definitely wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job," said Dumbledore. "The aftermath of our little meeting proved that. You see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort."
And it all dates back to young Tom Riddle's graduation from Hogwarts.-
Shortly after completing his studies, Tom Riddle expressed his desire to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at his alma mater- partially driven by his love for the school, and partially by his fascination with the Dark Arts. And he didn't waste any time, quickly submitting an application to (then) headmaster Armando Dippet. After some time Dippet ended up refusing Riddle's application, citing his age, but did encourage him to re-apply in the future if he was still interested.-
More than two decades later, Riddle emerged as the enigmatic and notorious Lord Voldemort. Seeking an opportunity to return to Hogwarts, Voldemort once again pursued the coveted Defence Against the Dark Arts position. However, this time, Albus Dumbledore had assumed the role of Headmaster. Recognizing Voldemort's dark intentions, Dumbledore staunchly rejected his application. Despite Voldemort's ulterior motives of using the application as a pretext to conduct research on dark magic, recruit followers, and conceal one of his Horcruxes, he was enraged by the denial of his return to the school.-After his denial, Voldemort sought vengeance by jinxing the position, ensuring that from that point onward no one could maintain the Defence Against the Dark Arts post for more than one year.
And as far as conventional understanding of the Harry Potter story goes- everyone has always accepted this fact at face value. No one can hold the position for more than a year, and that's about all there is to it. There's no explanation for WHY 1 year or HOW 1 year is actually..Enforced. Which makes me wonder, how is it that this Jinx actually WORKS? We know the outcome but have very little information on the process.
Today I want to discuss a compelling theory which adds a layer of depth to Voldemort's nefarious Jinx- perhaps suggesting that the Jinx is far more sinister than meets the eye.
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