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The upcoming Harry Potter video game, Hogwarts Legacy, will take place sometime in the late 1800s, so other than the ghost Professor Binns, the staff at Hogwarts will look entirely different. This may significantly change the feel of the school, as the teachers that guided Harry through his education (some more effectively than others) contribute greatly to the Hogwarts feel everyone has come to love.
While professors like McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Snape, and Dumbledore won’t yet be employed by Hogwarts school in Hogwarts Legacy, these complex characters are difficult to forget. Their unique personalities help make the Harry Potter series what it is, and the essence of these teachers can be summarized by some of their most iconic quotes.
Gilderoy Lockhart
“Can Everyone See Me? Can You All Hear Me?”
While Gilderoy Lockhart was saying this quote to the students of his class, it perfectly summarizes who he is. Lockhart wants only to be the center of attention, whether or not he deserves it. He lied and cheated to create a reputation in the wizarding world as a devilishly charming hero, but that all came falling when he took his position at Hogwarts.
The teaching job likely looked to him like an opportunity to have the eyes and ears of hundreds of children attentively on him. However, those eyes ended up seeing him for who he really was.
Minerva McGonagall
“I will Assist You To Become An Auror If It Is The Last Thing I Do! If I Have To Coach You Nightly, I Will Make Sure You Achieve The Required Results!”
Minerva McGonagall is stern but compassionate. She cares deeply for her students, and while she is unlikely to let them off the hook when they misbehave, she would do anything she could to help them succeed.
Before saying this line in the Order of the Phoenix book, McGonagall had been fighting with Professor Umbridge over Harry’s future. Umbridge had scoffed at Harry becoming an Auror, but Professor McGonagall demonstrated her determined nature by stating that she would see him succeed. This perfectly summarized who McGonagall was as both a teacher and a person.
Remus Lupin
Harry: “I’m Scared, Professor.”
Lupin: “Well, I’d Consider You A Fool If You Weren’t.”
Harry learned vital lessons from his third DADA teacher, with several of Lupin’s best quotes in Harry Potter being about fear. Harry had to learn that it was okay to be afraid, especially considering how much he had been through. What was really important was how he handled that fear.
Lupin was no stranger to the effects of cowardice. While he taught Harry not to run away from his feelings, he often struggled to follow his own advice. However, this demonstrated to Harry that even the best wizards he knew often felt afraid and unsure. In the end, Harry learned from Lupin that fear was an essential part of bravery and not something to be avoided.
Filius Flitwick
“Oh, Well Done! Everyone See Here, Miss Granger’s Done It!”
Everyone needs a genuinely kind teacher, and kindness defines Professor Filius Flitwick to a tee. As proven by this quote, he was enthusiastic about his job and was always sure to praise students for their efforts.
While Professor Flitwick was known to deal out punishments when needed, he was not overly harsh. Instead, he seemed to focus more on praise than criticism and handed out house points liberally. Even when Fred and George created a swamp in a corridor, Flitwick could only appreciate the fantastic magic that they had demonstrated.
Severus Snape
“Well, It May Have Escaped Your Notice, But Life Isn’t Fair.”
Severus Snape certainly knew that life wasn’t fair. He was born into an unhappy home and was observed to bare the telltale signs of neglect as a child. This made seeing wizards like James Potter getting everything their hearts desired difficult to swallow. The resulting bitterness often painted Snape as a villain in Harry Potter, but that wasn’t strictly true.
Snape’s problem was that he believed that the unfairness of life had escaped everyone’s notice. The idea that his life wasn’t fair while everyone else’s was perfect led him down a dark path and only resulted in further unhappiness and loss.
Horus Slughorn
“You Shouldn’t Have Favorites As A Teacher, Of Course, But She Was One Of Mine, Your Mother. Lily Evans, One Of The Brightest I Ever Taught.”
Of course, all Harry Potter fans know that Horus Slughorn had many favorite students from his years teaching at Hogwarts. Slughorn valued the intelligent and powerful, and when a student with that sort of aptitude came through his classroom, he was sure to guide them and reap the benefits.
However, Lily was an example of Slughorn’s soft side. While she was extremely clever and had endless potential, Slughorn loved her good nature. She may have never brought him glory, but she was a favorite all the same.
Rubeus Hagrid
“I Am What I Am, An’ I’m Not Ashamed. ‘Never Be Ashamed,’ My Ol’ Dad Used Ter Say, ‘There’s Some Who’ll Hold It Against You, But They’re Not Worth Botherin’ With’ An’ He Was Right.”
Rubeus Hagrid faced a lot of difficulty in his early life. His giantess mother left him shortly after he was born, and he was raised by a single father that he could pick up with one hand. In Hagrid’s second year at Hogwarts, his father died, and then only a few years later, he was expelled for a crime he did not commit.
All of these misfortunes would have been enough to make anyone resentful. However, Hagrid never lost his kind nature. Instead, he took his father’s advice and kept his head high. This allowed Hagrid to repeat this great advice to Harry, who learned to follow his professor and dear friend’s example.
Pomona Sprout
“I Feel That If A Single Pupil Wants To Come, Then The School Ought To Remain Open For That Pupil.”
Professor Pomona Sprout was the perfect embodiment of a Hufflepuff. It didn’t matter who a student was, she would care for them and teach them all she could. An example of this is Neville Longbottom, who was not a member of her house, but she still took him under her wing nonetheless.
When Dumbledore died, and the Heads of House discussed whether the school should close, Professor Sprout firmly stated that the school should only close if no students were left to teach.
Sybill Trelawney
Trelawney: “I Think I Am Right In Saying, My Dear, That You Were Born In Midwinter?”
Harry: “No, I Was Born In July.”
Professor Trelawney is a classic fortune teller full of tricks, and likely one of the worst professors at Hogwarts. She gives frequent predictions, knowing that at least some of them are bound to come true, and uses those successes to further fuel her belief that she inherited her great-great grandmother’s gift. However, even she knows she is a fraud when it comes down to it.
Ironically, Trelawney’s sloppy prediction about Harry’s time of birth had interesting significance. The only actual prediction she had made at that point, which she doesn’t remember, had been about a child (Harry) born as the seventh month dies.
Albus Dumbledore
“It Is Our Choices, Harry, That Show What We Truly Are, Far More Than Our Abilities.”
Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in the Harry Potter series. Even as a child and teenager, he was described to be extremely capable, intelligent, and talented. The world could have been his, and for a time, he wanted it with everything he had.
However, Dumbledore’s quest for power resulted in the destruction of those he loved. He quickly learned that it didn’t matter how powerful he was; his choices were what defined his worth. To make amends, Dumbledore strived to make choices that would benefit the people around him. Unfortunately, this was a lesson hard learned and one he would do his best to teach his students.
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