Defence Against the Dark Arts

**Defence Against the Dark Arts** is a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is studied in the first year until at least the fifth year. Its purpose is to prepare students to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, including Dark creatures, curses, jinxes and hexes. It is an important and popular subject. It includes reading and practical work like duelling.

The post for Defence Against the Arts professor was infamously jinxed by Tom Riddle when Albus Dumbledore refused to let him teach it. For decades at the end of every school year, the professor left for various reasons until Voldemort was killed.

## About

Every student has to study the subject in the first year to the fifth year when they take their O.W.L.s. They have the option of studying it for their N.E.W.Ts if they achieve the necessary pass grade. It is a very popular subject. If they achieve a good grade, it is very appealing for employers in their future careers. To advance to N.E.W.T. level, students need at least an "Exceeds Expectations" in their O.W.Ls.
The subject is based around teaching defence against Dark forces. Specific creatures and topics have to be taught each year depending on age group but the professor could adjust it. Dolores Umbridge in particular thought there was no need to actually use wands and predominantly taught her students theory with books.

For a few decades, the subject was unable to keep a professor for longer than a year. Tom Riddle had applied for the teaching post but Albus Dumbledore didn't trust him because he knew he was deep into the Dark Arts. He refused to let Tom have the teaching post so he jinxed it with the inability to keep a professor for longer than a year. It was difficult to find anyone to take the job.

## History

In Lockhart's very first lesson, second year students had to answer 52 questions about Lockhart. The answers could be found in the books he wrote. It was not about defence or the Dark Arts. He later introduced the class to Cornish pixies. He lost control of the pixies and ran away, leaving Hermione Granger to sort it out. He then started to get students to act out scenes in his books instead of teaching, including the story of how he defeated the Wagga Wagga werewolf. In June 1993, Defence Against the Dark Arts was cancelled because Lockhart had lost his memory and Dumbledore couldn't find a new professor in time.

In June 1994, Professor Lupin staged an obstacle course for third-years. They had to get across a Grindylow habitat, cross potholes of Red Caps, ignore a Hinkypunk trying to encourage you to go the wrong way into boggy land and face a Boggart inside a trunk. Harry passed, Ron failed to ignore the Hinkypunk and Hermione failed to defeat the Boggart because she was upset at facing her worst fear, which was being told she had failed everything.

## Curriculum

### First year

* Curse of the Bogies
* The ways of treating werewolf bites

### Second year

Gilderoy Lockhart spent Harry Potter's second year teaching about the things he had purportedly done by reading his own books and having students act out scenes in his stories. Because of that, it is unknown what a proper, standard education for a second year should be like. The only creature that did get taught was the one he brought to his first lesson:

* Cornish pixies

### Third year

* Boggart - homework was to summarise a chapter about Boggarts
* Red Cap
* Kappa
* Grindylow
* Hinkypunk
* Werewolf - homework was about finding and killing werewolves
* Vampire - included homework

### Examinations

* Third year: an obstacle course including Grindylows, Red Caps, Hinkypunk and Boggart

## Books

* The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, Chapter 9
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 8
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 6
4. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 10
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 18
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 16
7. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 13
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 7
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 8
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 9
11. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 14
12. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 10
13. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 17
14. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 17
15. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 22