Harry Potter: 10 biggest mistakes made by Hogwarts teachers

In Harry Potter, nobody is perfect. Teachers, who are supposed to set a good example, also make very big mistakes.

If children and teenagers who study at Hogwarts make mistakes, they are easily forgiven. Of course, young people encourage them to do so, and they serve to grow and learn. However, we expect a little more from teachers. Adults are expected to set a good example, and since they are adults, their mistakes often have more serious consequences than those of students. Choosing what’s right, not what’s easy, is Albus Dumbledore’s advice to his team. However, some seem to have forgotten this! Teachers aren’t perfect, and here are ten great examples found in the saga Harry Potter.

Sibyl Trelawney

Divination teacher, she is convinced that her gift is very developed. And even though she has ancestry at the very famous Third Eye, Sibyl Trelawney doesn’t seem to realize that she’s been spouting nonsense all the time. She often predicts, for example, the death of the hero, Harry Potter. She greatly exaggerated her skills, perhaps because she was afraid of losing her position at Hogwarts?

Gilderoy Lockhart

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he holds the position of professor of Defense against the Dark Arts. However, Gilderoy Lockhart is totally incompetent. The protagonists discover that he lied all along. He took on the stories of people more gifted than himself, and erased their memories afterwards. Why did he become a teacher?

Horace Slughorn

Potions Master, he takes the place of Severus Snape when Harry Potter is in sixth year. Horace Slughorn is a collector of talents, and doesn’t really give a chance to those he hasn’t chosen. So he provided secret information to Voldemort, allowing him to craft Horcruxes!

Armando Dippet

Director of Hogwarts before Dumbledore, he was too easily manipulated by Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Armando Dippet even believed his favorite student when he accused Hagrid of committing murder, when Tom himself was the culprit! Well, maybe we can just consider him a victim, but with such a lack of common sense, one wonders how he became director.

Rubeus Hagrid

We don’t count anymore made mistakes by the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Unable to keep a secret, he regularly confides in the students and Harry Potter himself, divulging information they are not supposed to know! And when he teaches, he doesn’t appreciate the danger of exposing students to wild creatures. Could it be his giant genes that cause him to do this?

Dolores Umbridge

An employee of the Ministry, she is one of the most hated characters by fans. And for good reason ! Between torture, violence and manipulation, we can say that she is clearly not an example to follow. Moreover, she is not ashamed to declare herself superior, under the pretext that she would have Pure Blood. Besides, that remains to be proven… But we must not lie, must we, Harry Potter?

Minerva McGonagall

You could say that the Transfiguration teacher seems to be The example to follow. Yet she made mistakes, too. Minerva McGonagall shows she is Gryffindor when she chooses not to listen to Harry Potter’s warnings in the first installment. Later, she still doesn’t listen to him when he suspects Draco Malfoy of being responsible for the attempted murders against Albus Dumbledore.

Remus Lupine

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he occupies the cursed position of Professor of Defense against the Dark Arts. Beloved by fans and students alike, he shows wisdom and honor…most of the time. Unfortunately, when he sees the traitor Peter Pettigrew’s name displayed on the Marauders’ Map, he doesn’t report it to Dumbledore, thus dooming Sirius Black into hiding.

Severus Snape

A genius in his field, he is a Potions professor. As soon as Harry Potter arrives at Hogwarts, he takes a dislike to him, and treats him like a plague victim throughout his schooling. Indeed, Severus Snape chooses to follow his emotions rather than his reason, thinking that the young man is exactly like James Potter, his father. The professor prefers to stop at his prejudices, which does not help the hero to have self-confidence.

Albus Dumbledore

The best… and the worst, for the end! The headmaster of Hogwarts has indeed made (too) many bad decisions, and these have had serious consequences. A liar, manipulator, and arrogant, Albus Dumbledore is also known to favor Gryffindor students over others. Awarding countless points when Harry Potter and his friends broke half the rules is not a very fair decision. Above all for the other houses!