Defence (Defense) Against the Dark Arts Professors - Harry Potter

Defence (Defense) Against the Dark Arts Professors - Harry Potter

"Defence Against the Dark Arts (sometimes written as DADA) is a mandatory subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in which students learn how to magically defend themselves against Dark Creatures, Dark Arts and against the other Charms.

The curriculum of the class varies greatly depending on what the professor at the time deems appropriate; due to the jinx on the teaching post that was present prior to the death of Lord Voldemort, a great many teachers have been appointed.

The class is mandatory from the first year until the fifth year, with the option of NEWT classes for those who qualify.

Due to the course being directly related to the Dark Arts itself, wizards with Dark incline who wish to teach would typically apply for this course, notably being Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape."

Professor Galatea Merrythought (1895 - 1945)

"Professor Galatea Merrythought was a witch and Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts from around 1895 to 1945, holding the position for nearly fifty years. She worked alongside Albus Dumbledore and Horace Slughorn, her former students, but eventually retired. Some considerable time after her retirement, Tom Riddle, another one of her pupils, was refused the chance to take her place, and so jinxed the post so no wizard could hold the occupation for longer than a year. Her ultimate fate remains unknown, although, if she is still alive, she would be over 130 years old." 

Professor Quirinus Quirrell (1991 - 1992)

"Professor Quirinus Quirrell was a half-blood wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Ravenclaw House. He was the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts, though he later became the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher during the 1991–1992 school year.

Before teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, Quirrell went out in search of Lord Voldemort, believing he could achieve recognition for finding him and could learn things that would ensure that no one laughed at him again. However, Voldemort, after finding out that he taught at Hogwarts, took over his body, though Quirrell put up some feeble resistance. He died when trying in vain to murder Harry Potter."

Professor Gilderoy Lockhart (1992 - 1993)

"Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, was a half-blood wizard, a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and later a famous wizarding celebrity who authored many books on dark creatures and his encounters with them. Prior to his tenure as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the 1992–1993 school year, he received many prestigious awards, such as Order of Merlin, Third Class; Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League; and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award. He invented an Occamy egg yolk shampoo, which was too dangerous and expensive for open market; it subsequently became his dream to market these products. His favourite colour is lilac.

He never actually did any of the heroic acts he claimed he had done, but instead used his considerable talent in Memory Charms to force the actual people who had done them into forgetting what they did. Ironically, Lockhart lost all his memory on 29 May, 1993 due to a backfired Memory Charm cast by Ron Weasley's damaged wand and he became a permanent resident of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Following his hospitalisation, he dictated his final book entitled Who Am I?."

Professor Remus Lupin (1993 - 1994)

"Professor Remus John Lupin, Order of Merlin, First Class, also known as Moony, was a half-blood wizard and the only son of Lyall and Hope Lupin. He was afflicted with lycanthropy during his childhood, as Fenrir Greyback's revenge against Lyall. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor house. During his school years, he was one of the Marauders; best friends with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew. Together they created the Marauder's Map. After Hogwarts, Remus and his friends joined the Order of the Phoenix and fought in the First Wizarding War. However, Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily Potter to Lord Voldemort and Remus lost all of his closest friends in various ways by the end of the First Wizarding War, though he and Sirius Black later reclaimed their friendship.

Remus taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts during the 1993–1994 school year. He was also a teacher of Harry Potter, James's son, whom he taught how to conjure a Patronus, but resigned after Severus Snape revealed to the public that Remus was a werewolf. He fought against the Death Eaters once more in the Second Wizarding War, during which he lost his friend Sirius. In 1997, Remus married fellow Order member Nymphadora Tonks and had a son, Edward Remus "Teddy" Lupin. Remus fought at the Battle of Hogwarts, during which his wife was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. Remus was also killed by the Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov, during the same battle in 1998. However, he briefly appeared again through the Resurrection Stone for Harry, along with James, Lily, and Sirius in 1998."

Professor Alastor Moody (actually Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise) (1994 - 1995)

"Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was a Scottish wizard of pure-blood descent, considered to be the most powerful Auror of all time. He was also a pivotal member of the Order of the Phoenix during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. Moody served with distinction during the first conflict, gaining a considerable reputation, as well as losing an eye, leg and part of his nose while fighting the Dark Arts. As a result, Moody became overly-cautious and paranoid about his security.

In 1994, he accepted Albus Dumbledore's offer to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, but was kidnapped by Barty Crouch Jr., who disguised himself as Moody. After he was rescued, the real Moody became a member of the second Order of the Phoenix. He fought in several battles of the war, including the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996 and the Battle of the Seven Potters in 1997, where he was killed by Lord Voldemort. His magical eye was later used by Dolores Umbridge to spy on her subordinates in the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, but was later retrieved by Harry Potter during the Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic in 1997, and was given a proper burial by Harry in the forest near where the 422nd Quidditch World Cup had been held three years earlier."

Professor Dolores Umbridge (1995 - 1996)

"Madam Undersecretary Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge was a witch and Ministry of Magic bureaucrat who served as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic under Ministers Cornelius Fudge, Rufus Scrimgeour and Pius Thicknesse. By order of the Ministry, she was installed as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and then later Hogwarts High Inquisitor and Headmistress. In all three of these positions at Hogwarts she had enormous power over the students, teachers, and the curriculum, which she wielded despotically.

Her time at Hogwarts was characterised by cruelty and abusive punishments against students, and because of her interfering and condescending ways, she was generally hated by most students and teachers alike. After her suspension from these additional posts and the fall of the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge ran the Muggle-Born Registration Commission and sadistically prosecuted many innocent people. After the Second Wizarding War, she was sentenced to Azkaban for her crimes against Muggle-borns."

Professor Severus Snape (1996 - 1997)

"Professor Severus Snape was a half-blood wizard who was the son of the witch Eileen Snape (née Prince) and Muggle Tobias Snape. During his lifetime, Severus Snape was Potions master, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (which he attended as a student). He was also member of the Order of the Phoenix and played a very important role in both of the Wizarding Wars against Lord Voldemort. 

Despite Severus Snape's wizarding heritage, he was raised in the Muggle dwelling of Spinner's End, which was in close proximity to the home of the Evans family. He met Lily and Petunia Evans when he was nine, and fell deeply in love with Lily, becoming a close friend of hers. In 1971 he began his first term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he was sorted into Slytherin. This put him in the same year as his true love, Lily Evans. Severus became the immediate enemy of James Potter and Sirius Black and was a frequent victim of their bullying. Snape developed a passion for the Dark Arts at a young age, and had followed the pure-blood supremacists in Slytherin House, despite his own marred pedigree and his love for Lily, a Muggle-born. This put his friendship with Lily under great strain. After leaving school he joined the Death Eaters along with a large group of his fellow Slytherins.

Severus was made a member of the Slug Club, presumably because of his brilliance at potion-making, and Horace kept a picture of him as a student, clutching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. Despite this, Horace did not have many hopes for Severus' future, as his photograph was kept behind many others.

Shortly before Lily Evans was killed by Lord Voldemort, Snape changed sides and became a member of the Order of the Phoenix and double agent during the Second Wizarding War. With tremendous difficulty, Snape was able to prevent Lord Voldemort from learning the truth about his loyalties. Despite the opinions of most others, Albus Dumbledore trusted Snape for reasons that were kept between them both until their deaths. Upon his death, it was revealed that his deep, strong love for Lily Evans caused him to redeem himself, joining Dumbledore's cause at the prospect of her protection from Lord Voldemort.

The relationship between Dumbledore and Snape would be one of an unusually strong loyalty, so much so that Snape agreed to kill Dumbledore upon Dumbledore's own request. Before Dumbledore's death, Snape promised to protect the students of Hogwarts from the Death Eaters, who would inevitably take control pof the Ministry of Magic, as well as the school. Snape later participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, but was killed by Lord Voldemort who mistakenly believed that Snape was the master of the Elder Wand, an immensely strong and powerful wand that Voldemort deeply desired. After his death, Harry Potter ensured that Severus Snape's portrait remained at Hogwarts, honouring him as a hero, despite their significant personal differences."

Professor Amycus Carrow (in practice taught "Dark Arts," not defence) (1997 - 1998)

"Professor Amycus Carrow was a wizard, brother of Alecto Carrow and a Death Eater. Amycus fought in the First Wizarding War along with his sister. They did not search for Lord Voldemort after his first downfall but were forgiven after Voldemort's return in 1995 and joined the Death Eater ranks in the Second Wizarding War. After the fall of the Ministry of Magic in 1997, he was made Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, which for all intents and purposes simply became "Dark Arts" and, along with his sister, Deputy Headmaster. He liked to punish and torture the students who opposed them. In the evening of 1 May, 1998, shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, he was tortured by Harry Potter when he spat on Professor McGonagall's face. He was then Imperiused and tied up in Ravenclaw Tower by McGonagall herself. After the battle, he was likely sent to Azkaban along with his sister."

 Text cited from harrypotter.wikia.com