Questions tagged [defence-against-the-dark-arts]
For questions about Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA),a fictional magical class taught to magic users in the Harry Potter universe of J.K. Rowling.
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Did "Defense against the Dark Arts" before Barty Crouch teach any actual Defense against the Dark Arts?
Looking at what the DADA classes taught, prior to Barty Crouch Jr. taking the position in Harry's fourth year, it seems to me that the class should have been called "Defense against Dangerous ...
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What constitutes a Dark Art? What makes a potion or curse dark?
It seems like not everything that can cause harm is considered part of the Dark Arts, so what does make a spell or a potion "DARK"?
For example, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, ...
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Why didn't Hermione get an Outstanding in her Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.?
In her fifth year Hermione clearly knew the Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook, upon which the theory exam was partly based, back to front.
“What is it this time, Miss Granger?”
“I’ve already ...
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Is there a canon confirmation of why Dumbledore never gave Snape DADA teaching job?
We know from the books that Severus Snape always wanted DADA teaching position.
Is there any canon (books/interviews/pottermore) confirmation of why exactly Dumbledore didn't want that to happen in ...
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Did Voldemort lift the curse of the DADA position during the Deathly Hallows?
The curse of the DADA position in Hogwarts made it impossible for a teacher to take the position for more than one year. The curse was put in place by Voldemort as a revenge for not being allowed to ...
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Why did Snape want the Dark Arts job?
There's a lot of talk about why Snape was denied the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching job, but why did Snape want it in the first place?
He is shown to be very skilled at two branches of magic: ...
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Why didn't Ron and Harry ask Professor McGonagall for help instead of Lockhart to enter the Chamber of Secrets?
After Harry and Ron discovered Hermione's note (torn from a book) and they figured out where the Chamber might be and that Slytherin's monster is a basilisk, they went to the staffroom.
My question is ...
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What favor did Moody owe Dumbledore?
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, “Professor Moody" mentioned that he would only be teaching for a year, and only because he owed Dumbledore a favor. What was this favor and what made it so ...
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Did Voldemort actually curse the job of Defense Against Dark Arts professor after being denied the position?
So, everyone and their formidable Grandmother believes that DADA position at Hogwarts is cursed so that anyone taking it only lasts a year at most.
Some people who know more than others, might ...
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How did Tom Riddle go about cursing the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts?
How did Tom Riddle, upon being denied the position of teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts, actually go about cursing it? Did he just whip out his wand and say “Positionus Cursus”? Did he dip the ...
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Why did Snape want to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts even after knowing it was cursed?
I know of this question
Why did Snape want the Dark Arts job?
But my question is a bit different.
I want to know even when Snape knew that the dark arts job was jinxed by Voldemort himself and ...
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What did Professor Quirrell's office look like?
Starting in the second Harry Potter book, Harry becomes quite familiar with the interiors of the DADAs' offices and how the current occupant decorates it.
Do we ever have an inclination on how ...
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Was Quirrell the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher for more than one year?
It's well seen throughout the series that there is a “curse” on the DADA teacher position, that no one can hold that post for more than a year. But it seems like Quirrell has been around for longer ...
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How did the curse on the DADA job work?
The facts:
The job was cursed.
Did Voldemort actually curse the job of Defense Against Dark Arts professor after being denied the position?
Oh, he definitely wanted the Defence Against the Dark ...
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Did Barty Crouch Jr. know the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher job was cursed?
Before Barty Crouch Jr. went to Hogwarts to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he was already in communication with his master, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort knew the post was cursed and ...
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In what year did Voldemort curse the DADA job
Dumbledore tells us that DADA professor job at Hogwarts was cursed - no teacher lasted for more than a year - ever since Voldemort was denied the position.
"Oh, he definitely wanted the Defence ...
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Why didn't Dumbledore do anything to lift the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher? [duplicate]
Throughout the entire series, it was rumored that there is a jinx on the post of "Defence Against the Dark Arts" teacher, which leads to the fact that, no wizard can hold that post for more than 1 ...
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Did Dumbledore have a plan when he made Snape the DADA teacher?
As confirmed by this question, Dumbledore knew that the Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) position was cursed by Voldemort so that no professor would hold the position for more than one year. That ...
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Why didn't Dumbledore assign someone with a clue to be a DADA Professor in the first year
Based on answers to this SFF question, it seems that Quirrell was not a very good candidate for DADA professorship - a book-smart "delicate" guy.
Yes, he was - as per Hagrid - "brilliant". But if ...
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What is the most common defense in a duel in the Harry Potter books?
In the books, since the Shield Charm is often described as a difficult charm to perform and even most of the Ministry employees cannot perform it, how do they defend themselves against jinxes or hexes ...
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Does Hogwarts follow any specific syllabus for DADA?
It seems to me like the DADA class syllabus is not set in Hogwarts. In book 2, Lockhart set all his books as the year's syllabus for the class. In book 5, Umbridge set her own syllabus - sort of pre-...
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Why did "Moody" suggest to Harry that he should consider becoming an Auror?
"Moody" (Barty Crouch Jr) suggests this to Harry after he is almost caught out of bed in the middle of the night.
"You ever thought of a career as an Auror, Potter?"
"No," said Harry, taken ...
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Why couldn't Dumbledore be the DADA teacher?
In Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore can't find a new DADA teacher, so they get Umbridge. But if he is the Headmaster, and the only one Voldemort ever feared, why couldn't he take up the teacher? He ...
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What sort of thing would first years be taught in DADA?
I am writing a Harry Potter fanfic but I can't figure out what my character should learn in her first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.
Could you help?
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Was cursing the DADA job a good idea?
I haven't read the books in a long time, but I was interested by Did Voldemort actually curse the job of Defense Against Dark Arts professor after being denied the position? and similar questions so I ...
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Why didn't Dumbledore remove Quirrell from DADA teaching when he realized something was wrong with him?
In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", from Snape's memory that Harry views, we learn that Dumbledore had misgivings about Quirrell, when he said to Snape:
Keep an eye on Quirrell, won't you?
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Did Dumbledore know what was going on in DADA during year 4?
So, did Dumbledore know what was going on in Defense Against the Dark Arts class during Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts? I have a hard time believing that Dumbledore would have allowed the ...
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Who's In Charge Of DADA 19 Years Later?
Seeing that Defense Against the Dark Arts is a crucial subject, both in Harry's life as well as a part of the school-going wizard's curriculum, it must be in the hands of a good professor.
Is it ...
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Who was the victim of the curse on the DADA position in The Goblet of Fire?
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Alastor Moody accepted a job as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Moody is no longer a DADA teacher and as we ...
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Albus Dumbledore and teachers of the Defense Against the Dark Arts
Reading the Harry Potter series, I have this feeling that Dumbledore always got the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wrong. Was this on purpose or was it his incompetence?
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Why didn't Voldemort curse the headmaster's position (if he was able to curse the DADA teacher position)? [duplicate]
If Voldemort was able to curse the DADA teaching position, why didn't he (or wasn't able to) curse the headmaster position? that could have helped him get Dumbledore out of his way for applying for ...
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Why did nobody complain about Gilderoy Lockhart's lessons?
I think we can guess that Lockhart's lessons were not the lessons EVERY student enjoyed. Having tests about his books where he asks "When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his ideal gift ...
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Why didn't Dumbledore try to convince Slughorn a year earlier?
Before Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore has trouble finding anyone for the DADA job, and so Fudge gives him Umbridge. He must've known why Fudge wanted Umbridge there, and he must've known ...
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Why was Quirrell appointed DADA Professor?
Quirrell was a nervous and "fragile" student (reference).
This seems to be someone qualified to may be study Charms, but had I been in a position of authority, he shouldn't have been allowed anywhere ...
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Why Voldemort sent some of his best men to occupy the DADA job if he had cursed it?
We all know that Voldemort had cursed the DADA job (or if he didn't do it explicitely, that he has at least the knowledge about this job beeing cursed because nobody has been able to keep this job for ...
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Why did Hogwarts hire DADA teachers?
Dumbledore knew that Voldemort had cursed the Defence Against the Dark Arts teaching position. So, hiring DADA teachers is knowingly putting their lives at risk. Did Dumbledore make a mistake by ...
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Why did Dumbledore not introduce Prof. Quirrell at the beginning of the year?
As there is a new DADA teacher every year, Dumbledore announces the new teacher every year at the beginning. Every year except the first. Did J.K. Rowling ever explain (in canon) why Dumbledore did ...
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Was Snape better at Potions or Defence Against the Dark Arts? [closed]
We know Snape has been an excellent Potions-master at Hogwarts and he has always wanted to be the DADA teacher
Given that he is also
Would he be considered better at Defence Against the Dark Arts or ...
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Did Professor Snape teach Harry's 6th year class any DADA skills that came in useful in the rest of the series?
Snape was clearly a competent DADA teacher (as opposed to some of the others before him).
Is there any example in canon (books/Pottermore/interviews, or even movies) that show unambiguously one of ...
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