While Harry Potter continued fighting against dark magic and evildoers by becoming an Auror after the events of J.K. Rowling’s fantasy series, I always felt there was one career path he would have been far better suited to. As the world-renowned boy who lived, Harry’s life was never going to be easy, as he was notorious throughout the world of witchcraft and wizardry for being the only one to have ever survived a killing curse from the evil wizard Lord Voldemort.
As an Auror, Harry was a highly specialized law enforcer for the Ministry of Magic and protected the wizarding world from the Dark Arts. As an elite unit of highly trained specialist officers, Harry followed in the footsteps of Mad-Eye Moody to ensure that evil did not rear its ugly head once again following the Battle of Hogwarts and Voldemort’s defeat. While Harry was joined by his fellow Gryffindors, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, in an Auror career, he was the only one who stuck with it long-term and went on to become the Head of the Auror Office.
Harry Potter Should’ve Become A Hogwarts Professor
Harry’s Time Leading Dumbledore’s Army Proves This
Although Harry clearly had the skills needed to become a great Auror, and it was a career he had been considering throughout his time studying at Hogwarts, the truth was that he would have been an even better professor. Harry’s skills as a teacher were on clear display as he led Dumbledore’s Army to success and encouraged his fellow fifth years to learn how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts. With a sense of empathy and a calm, encouraging demeanor, even as a student, Harry possessed the disposition needed to be a great professor.
Despite first meeting Harry as a bright-eyed 11-year-old boy in 4 Privet Drive, the truth was that his upbringing with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon was not very homely, and he was always made to feel like a nuisance as they lavished praise on their spoiled son, Dudley. As an orphaned child who never truly had a home to call his own, Hogwarts was the first place he actually felt like he belonged and had some of his happiest memories. If Harry had ultimately become a Hogwarts professor, it would have felt like his journey had come full circle.
Hogwarts students would also be incredibly eager to learn from a living legend like Harry, a man who actually shaped the modern history of the wizarding world.
It’s even painfully obvious what subject Harry would teach, as he consistently excelled in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class and, having defeated Voldemort, had the best credentials any wizard could have asked for. Hogwarts students would also be incredibly eager to learn from a living legend like Harry, a man who actually shaped the modern history of the wizarding world. While J.K. Rowling did reveal that Harry occasionally gave lectures at Hogwarts in the post-Harry Potter years (via Today), it’s hard not to shake the feeling his calling should have been toward teaching full-time.
Aurors Wouldn’t Be As Crucial After Voldemort’s Demise
The Landscape Of The Wizarding World Changed Drastically
Following the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry quickly became an Auror and helped track down the remaining Death Eaters who still lived by the evil beliefs of Lord Voldemort. While this was a noble cause, the truth was that the landscape of the wizarding world had changed drastically after Voldemort’s demise, and there was not nearly as much Dark Arts being practiced as before. Although there needed to be some Aurors still around to maintain law and order, Harry had already accomplished his greatest victory and could have left this work to some other wizards.
The fall of Voldemort meant that the entire network of Death Eaters collapsed, and without a shared goal of reviving He Who Shall Not Be Named, the remaining evil wizards were a scattered group who would have been far easier to manage. Although Harry might have fed his need for adventure by working as an Auror, the truth was that being a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would have been a much more meaningful way of ensuring that the next generation was prepared if yet another dark movement arose out of the ashes of Voldemort’s demise.
Harry’s defeat of Voldemort also led to major reforms within the Ministry of Magic, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione all doing important work to eliminate corruption within the wizarding world. In the years following the Battle of Hogwarts, the Auror’s Office would become less essential as society moved from a wartime mentality toward a calm era of peace. With this in mind, it’s only logical that Harry’s innate empathy, understanding, and natural penchant toward education would be better utilized at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter Becoming A Hogwarts Professor Would’ve Been A More Meaningful Ending
Professor Harry Potter Feels Like A Satisfying Conclusion To His Character Arc
While the continued adventures of Harry Potter as an Auror feel like an exciting proposition for a sequel or spin-off, Harry becoming a Hogwarts professor would have been a far more meaningful ending. Hogwarts was the place that saved him when it felt like his life was nothing but doom and gloom. As a young boy who was locked away in a closet by his mean-spirited relatives, when Harry arrived at Hogwarts, he finally had an idenтιтy he could be proud of.
While Harry carried a deep hole in his soul due to the absence of his parents, it was in Hogwarts that he encountered father figures like Hagrid, Dumbledore, and Lupin, who taught him the ways of wizardry and allowed him to grow into the man who would defeat Voldemort. There’s a circular sense of beauty to the idea of Harry becoming a professor, as this would have allowed him to take on the role of mentor and be there for any other disenfranchised young witches or wizards in need of guidance and understanding.
It’s natural that Harry would pursue a career as an Auror in the initial aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, as he could use his skills to apprehend any remaining dark wizards and put an end to the legacy of Voldemort. Yet, it feels like a missed opportunity that Rowling did not set Harry on a path back to Hogwarts as a professor in her final epilogue. This feels like a natural endpoint for Harry Potter’s character arc that aligns perfectly with his innate sensibilities and natural talent, and I truly wish this were how his story came to an end.
Sources: HarryPotter.com, Today
Harry Potter
- Created by
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J.K. Rowling
- First Film
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- First TV Show
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Harry Potter
- Cast
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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen
- TV Show(s)
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Harry Potter
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