Armando Dippet

## Affiliation

### Occupation

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (early 20th century- between 1965 & 1971)

### Loyalty

* Dippet family
* Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
* Ravenclaw

> "*We are honour-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts! Shame on you, Phineas!*"
> ― Dippet's portrait scorning Phineas Nigellus Black[source]
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**Professor Armando Dippet** (1637 – 1992) was a British wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the predecessor of Albus Dumbledore in the post.

Dippet served as Headmaster in the 1940s into the 1960s (and possibly the very early 70s). It was during his tenure that the Chamber of Secrets was first opened by Tom Riddle since its creation by Salazar Slytherin in around A.D. 993. Unknowingly, Dippet was indirectly responsible for the end of the attacks by telling Riddle that the school would have to be closed if said attacks continued. Dippet was also responsible for the expulsion of Rubeus Hagrid after Riddle framed him with the attacks.

Dippet left office between March 1965 and March 1971 and was succeeded by Albus Dumbledore. He was a "nearly bald and a somewhat feeble" man in his elderly years and died in late 1992.

## Biography

### Early life

Armando Dippet was born in October 1637, and it is likely that he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If so, he must have been Sorted into Ravenclaw.

If he went through his magical education at Hogwarts, he would have graduated at the age of eighteen in 1654. What he did after his graduation is unknown, although Armando Dippet seemed to have been held in high regard in his old age, since he was eventually chosen and offered the job of being Headmaster of Hogwarts, although it is unknown whether he ever took up a teaching post prior to this appointment.

### As Headmaster of Hogwarts

#### Early years

Professor Dippet became Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the early twentieth century, at over 200 years old. In his position, it is possible he was responsible for the employment of Horace Slughorn, Albus Dumbledore, Herbert Beery, Silvanus Kettleburn and possibly Galatea Merrythought as teachers at Hogwarts. It is also known that he was responsible for hiring Minerva McGonagall, having offered her "*a job in the Transfiguration department, under Head of Department, Albus Dumbledore*".

He may have immediately succeeded Phineas Nigellus Black as Headmaster, after his death in 1925. If so, Dippet would have sent students home early in the following year and increased the security of Hogwarts in response to the threat from Gellert Grindelwald..

#### Christmas pantomime

> "*The night's entertainment concluded with a packed hospital wing...*"
> ― Albus Dumbledore[source]
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During Dippet's tenure as Headmaster, Herbert Beery, then-Herbology master, proposed an adaptation of *The Fountain of Fair Fortune* as a Christmas treat for both staff and students. The show, however, was a fiasco: the students playing Amata and Sir Luckless had been boyfriend and girlfriend until one hour before the show, at which point "Sir Luckless" dumped her for "Asha". During the play, the Engorged Ashwinder portraying the Worm (provided by the reckless Professor Silvanus Kettleburn) exploded in a shower of hot sparks and dust, filling the Great Hall with smoke and fragments of the scenery. While the Ashwinder's eggs set fire to the floorboards, "Amata" and "Asha" started duelling fiercely. Professor Beery was caught in the crossfire and his head assumed unusual proportions. While the staff evacuated the Great Hall, the fire raging inside it threatened to engulf the place.<

Of course, there were several people sent to the Hospital Wing and Professor Dippet had to put Professor Kettleburn in one of his sixty-two periods of probation. In response to this dramatic fiasco, Professor Dippet imposed a blanket ban on future pantomimes, a tradition that is still followed by the Hogwarts' staff and students to this day.

#### Chamber of Secrets openings

> "*My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl. You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the — er — source of all this unpleasantness…*"
> ― Dippet regarding the closing Hogwarts after the Chamber of Secrets is opened[source]
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Dippet was the Headmaster of Hogwarts when the Chamber of Secrets was opened by Tom Riddle, during the 1942—1943 school year. Very fond of Riddle, Dippet was unaware of his sinister nature.

That school year, many students were attacked by Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk. On 13 June of the same year, a student named Myrtle Warren was murdered in a bathroom, during one of the Chamber's openings by Riddle. After realising that no one had seen Myrtle for a couple of hours, Professor Dippet asked fellow student Olive Hornby to go and look for Myrtle.

Myrtle's Muggle father and mother were summoned to the school by Dippet, and the Headmaster faced the possibility of closing the school. Dippet also rejected Tom's request of staying at school over the summer holidays due to the situation, but would have given him special permission if the school were much safer.< Not wanting the school to close, or possibly not wanting to return to the orphanage, Riddle stopped attacking students with the Chamber's Basilisk and framed Rubeus Hagrid for the attacks, in which Dippet then promptly expelled Hagrid. Under Albus Dumbledore's request, Hagrid was trained as Gamekeeper and was allowed to remain at the school.

#### Exchange visit with Castelobruxo

During 1940s or 1950s, Hogwarts received students and Professor Benedita Dourado from Castelobruxo, the Brazilian wizarding school, during an exchange visit. When Dippet complained of Peeves, the resident poltergeist, Professor Dourado laughed heartily and offered to send him some Caipora for the Forbidden Forest "*to show you what trouble really is*". Naturally, Professor Dippet did not take her up on that offer.

#### Tom Riddle's job application

> "*Professor Dippet told him that he was too young at eighteen, but invited him to reapply in a few years, if he still wished to teach... I had advised Armando against the appointment — I did not give the reasons I have given you, for Professor Dippet was very fond of Voldemort and convinced of his honesty — but I did not want Lord Voldemort back at this school, and especially not in a position of power.*"
> ― Discussion of Riddle's application as DADA professor[source]
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When Tom Riddle returned to Hogwarts after his graduation to apply for the post of professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, after Galatea Merrythought retired, Dippet denied him the position for being too young, but invited him to reapply in a few years, despite being advised against it by Albus Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, at the time, had realised Riddle's true intentions, but did not include them as his reasons for denying him the job, as Professor Dippet was very fond of him and believed that he was completely honest.

### Death and post-mortem

> "*...Rita Skeeter, best-selling author of* Armando Dippet: Master or Moron*?*"
> ― Cover of *The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore*[source]
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Professor Dippet's term as headmaster ended between March 1965 and March 1971. His immediate successor in the post was Professor Albus Dumbledore, who had been Dippet's Head of Transfiguration.

The prominence of Dippet's tenure as Headmaster is highlighted by the fact that he even got a Chocolate Frog Card made in his effigy, due to his work as chief administrator of Hogwarts.

At some point, Rita Skeeter published her bestselling biography titled *Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?*,which, given its title and Skeeter's own brand of sensationalist writing (elsewhere described as "*one quarter truth to three quarters rubbish*"), it can be reasonably assumed that it contains false defamatory information, or otherwise facts taken out of context.

In the 1 September 1992 edition of the Evening Prophet, he was being suspected of causing an accident only a month before his Ancient age flying test on his 355th birthday. Dippet died in late 1992.

After his death, the late Headmaster was allowed to leave behind an imprint of himself in the form of a portrait mounted on the wall of the Headmaster's office along with other revered Headmasters and Headmistress. In doing this, he effectively ensured that he in some capacity could continue to posthumously serve the school by sharing his knowledge with his successors in office as a final service to his beloved school.

The portrait he left behind presents him as very dignified and solemn-looking while attired in long, majestic robes of blue and bronze. In 1995, he scorned the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, who was feigning tiredness in order to avoid going to 12 Grimmauld Place like Dumbledore asked him to. He was devoted to serving whoever was Headmaster.

## Physical description

Professor Dippet had pale skin, brown eyes and, in his youth, a thick brown beard. In his elderly years, he became frail and feeble-looking. He was balding and had only a few wisps of white hair left.

## Etymology

* "*Armando*" is the Spanish and Italian variant of the name Armand, meaning "of the army". It is likely that, given his name, Armando Dippet is at least partially of Spanish or Italian heritage.
* "*Dippet*" is not a word in English, but "dip" has many meanings, including: to put something into something else, often a liquid; to take something out of something, as in dipping out water; to lower and raise something; a fool.