Further to this post, it now occurs to me that a lot of Hogwarts’ problems ultimately stem from the fact that Dumbledore recruits teachers the way a supervillain recruits minions.
Which is, what, through personal charisma and by calling in favors?
It occurs to me that Dumbledore could have looked further afield for the DADA position. It also occurs to me that the curse could be negated by specifying that the employment contract be for one year only.
Basically, Dumbledore looks for two traits in a prospective teacher:
- Emotional vulnerabilities that make it easier for him to manipulate them; and
- Talents that make them useful as weapons against his enemies
… in exactly that order. Actually being good at teaching is a distant third.
(McGonnagall’s an interesting case, as she’s probably the only one with enough self-awareness to realise that she’s being manipulated – but then, Dumbledore knows that she knows what he’s up to, and all of their interactions basically devolve into a high-tension game of “I know that you know that I know that etc.” Which is a totally conventional way for a supervillain to relate to his second-in-command, really.)
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