While the central story of Harry Potter is always front and center, the series also features several quieter, less obvious storylines. These subplots are often compelling and add significant depth to J.K. Rowling’s richly imagined world. One particularly strong storyline runs throughout all eight Harry Potter books and films, but it doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves for being both dark and skillfully written.
As the Harry Potter series continued, it became increasingly dark and intense, which mirrored the growing-up process of its original readers. The films reflected this shift with a consistently darker look and feel. While shocking events like Voldemort’s return and Sirius Black’s death grabbed headlines, a truly unsettling storyline quietly unfolded in the background.
Hogwarts’ String of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors Is Far More Evil Than It Seems
Warner Bros. Pictures
The book Harry Potter quickly establishes the idea that the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching post at Hogwarts is cursed, with each professor mysteriously failing to last more than a year. The story later reveals this isn’t just a rumor: Voldemort actually cursed the position after Albus Dumbledore rejected his application for the job. While it’s never explicitly stated, it’s likely Dumbledore knew about the curse, given his intelligence, even if he couldn’t break it.
While Voldemort’s curse often seems to target Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, it doesn’t always kill them, though some teachers have died because of it.
Despite the danger, students needed to learn about dark magic to protect themselves. Dumbledore felt he couldn’t cancel the Defense Against the Dark Arts class without failing his duty to provide a complete education. This meant, essentially, that he knowingly put a series of professors in harm’s way by assigning them the job. He didn’t warn them about the curse connected to the position – they likely wouldn’t have taken it if he had. Instead, each professor’s departure from Hogwarts was explained away by rumors, when in reality, they were all victims of the curse.
Voldemort’s Defense Against the Dark Arts Curse Reframes Snape’s Appointment to the Role
Warner Bros. Pictures
In the Harry Potter films, Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape first makes him seem like a classic villain. However, it’s eventually revealed that he’s actually one of the heroes – despite a past connection to Lord Voldemort. He’s not well-liked at Hogwarts, partly because everyone knows he really wants to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but he continues to teach Potions at the request of Dumbledore.
After Professor Umbridge leaves at the end of Harry’s fifth year, Dumbledore finally gives Severus Snape the position he’s always wanted. While Snape is thrilled, this appointment is actually a carefully planned step in Dumbledore’s larger strategy to defeat Voldemort. This leads to a series of difficult tasks for Snape, including ultimately killing Dumbledore at his request, pretending to rejoin Voldemort’s followers, and abandoning his post at Hogwarts. He tragically dies during the Battle of Hogwarts, though it’s unclear if this was part of the original plan.
Dumbledore likely considered other options besides giving Snape the position he’d always desired, but he had specific reasons for choosing this course of action. He was counting on Voldemort’s curse to create difficulties for Snape, while simultaneously advancing his own larger plan. There was also a certain fitting irony in turning the curse back on the person who originally cast it. Ultimately, while Dumbledore played a role in how Snape left his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he did so by secretly manipulating the existing dark magic, which was a bit of a sneaky tactic.
Only One Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher Managed to Avoid Voldemort’s Curse
Warner Bros. Pictures
The bad luck surrounding Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers started long before Harry arrived, and no teacher had ever lasted more than a year – not after Voldemort put a curse on the position. However, Professor Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody almost broke the pattern. When Dumbledore asked Mad-Eye to take the job, Barty Crouch Jr. kidnapped him and used Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as the professor instead.
Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Harry Potter lore
Want more layered Harry Potter analysis? Subscribe to the newsletter to unlock exclusive deep dives into hidden curses, character choices, and world-building threads, with focused coverage that digs beneath the surface of familiar scenes.
Interestingly, despite being the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Mad-Eye Moody didn’t actually teach any lessons. That’s because Barty Crouch Jr. was impersonating him the entire time and was eventually caught. While the real Moody was held captive during that school year, you could argue that this curse affected him as well. He was able to teach the following year, but chose not to, which likely saved him from whatever fate befell previous Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers.
| What Happened to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teachers in the Harry Potter Books/Movies | |||
| Harry’s School Year | Professor | Played By | Effects of the Curse |
| First | Quirinus Quirrell | Ian Hart | Death |
| Second | Gilderoy Lockhart | Kenneth Branagh | Self-inflicted amnesia |
| Third | Remus Lupin | David Thewlis | Revealed as a werewolf |
| Fourth | Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody[*] | Brendan Gleeson | Unaffected |
| Fifth | Dolores Umbridge | Imedla Staunton | Kidnapped by Centaurs |
| Sixth | Severus Snape | Alan Rickman | Forced to kill Dumbledore |
| Seventh | Amycus Carrow | Ralph Ineson | Defeated |
| Professor Moody was replaced by Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise, who was arrested at the end of the year[*] | |||
The long-standing curse was lifted when Voldemort was defeated at the Battle of Hogwarts. At that time, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Amycus Carrow (played by Ralph Ineson), was secretly teaching students dark magic. Following Voldemort’s defeat, Amycus and the other Death Eater teachers were arrested and removed from their positions. In the world of Harry Potter, Amycus Carrow was the final character affected by the curse Voldemort originally cast.
Read More
- Clash Royale Best Boss Bandit Champion decks
- Mobile Legends January 2026 Leaks: Upcoming new skins, heroes, events and more
- Vampire’s Fall 2 redeem codes and how to use them (June 2025)
- Clash Royale Furnace Evolution best decks guide
- M7 Pass Event Guide: All you need to know
- Clash of Clans January 2026: List of Weekly Events, Challenges, and Rewards
- Brawl Stars Steampunk Brawl Pass brings Steampunk Stu and Steampunk Gale skins, along with chromas
- Best Arena 9 Decks in Clast Royale
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Sora Guide: Best Build, Emblem and Gameplay Tips
- How “Hey Grok” turned X’s AI into a sexualized free-for-all
2026-01-05 18:44