Nearly everyone who read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels or watched the films based on them grew up hoping Hagrid would arrive at their doorstep with an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most of us fans are a bit too old to be students now, but hardcore Potterheads still haven't given up on fantasizing about walking around the iconic halls and magical moving staircases of Hogwarts. Now, the new dream is to teach there alongside beloved professors like Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, and even Sybill Trelawney.
Hogwarts' professors are responsible for teaching the next generation of witches and wizards how to control and master their magical abilities. Through courses like Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, students can learn all sorts of unique skills that will prepare them for life in the magical world after graduation.
It'd definitely be a lot of fun to teach any of the exciting classes Hogwarts has to offer, but being a professor isn't quite as easy as it may seem. Professors have to abide by a significant number of rules, and some of the restrictions placed upon them are just too easy to break. Here are Hary Potter: 10 Rules Teachers Have To Follow (And 5 They Love To Break).
15 HAVE TO FOLLOW: TEACH THEIR ASSIGNED SUBJECT
The first rule that professors at Hogwarts have to follow seems incredibly obvious, but for some members of the faculty, it's rather frustrating. Everyone is expected to teach the subject assigned to them, and not delve into topics or spells that would be better suited for a different course.
Most teachers at the school are happy teaching their particular class, because they excel at the subject matter and can offer a lot of wisdom and guidance to their students. Some, however, covet the jobs of their peers. Severus Snape always wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but since Dumbledore was worried the class would bring out his colleague's worst side, he assigned him Potions, a course which Snape was still very well suited for.
14 HAVE TO FOLLOW: RESPECT ALBUS DUMBLEDORE'S HIRING DECISIONS
Albus Dumbledore was one of the wisest men of his time, but the brilliant headmaster definitely made some questionable hiring decisions over the years.
Remus Lupin, despite being a fantastic man and educator, was a werewolf who posed a serious risk to his students. Gilderoy Lockhart was an obvious fraud with no real experience in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape was a former Death Eater, as was the man who pretended to be Mad-Eye Moody for an entire year. Horace Slughorn openly picked favorites among his students, and the school's zany Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney, clearly didn't know what she was doing.
Despite all of these hiring blunders, the professors of Hogwarts are expected to just accept Dumbledore's choices without question.
13 LOVE TO BREAK: KEEP STUDENTS AWAY FROM THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
When students first gather in Hogwarts' Great Hall to be sorted into their Houses and introduced to their professors and peers, Albus Dumbledore immediately lets them know that the Forbidden Forest surrounding the castle is strictly off-limits to students.
Teachers are supposed to help the headmaster enforce this rule, to keep students from coming across the dangerous creatures which lurk throughout the Forbidden Forest. Unfortunately, several of the school's professors actually enjoy forcing delinquent students into the frightening woods. Kids punished with Detention are frequently required to enter into the Forest, and in Harry's first year at the school, he found himself alone in there with no one but his arch-rival and the groundskeeper's dog to help protect him.
12 HAVE TO FOLLOW: OBEY HOGWARTS' DRESS CODE
People who enjoy dressing down at work or wearing sweats on Casual Friday definitely shouldn't look into a career at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professors are always expected to follow the institution's strict dress code, which means a lot of robes, capes and unflattering pointy hats.
None of the teachers seem to mind this rule since that's normal attire for adult witches and wizards, but the inability to wear a T-Shirt and shorts on a sunny day is slightly unfortunate.
11 HAVE TO FOLLOW: ENFORCE THE SCHOOL'S "NO MAGIC IN THE CORRIDORS" POLICY
It's tragically difficult for teenage witches and wizards to play around with magic outside of class. The Ministry's laws forbid them from practicing spells and curses at home during vacations, and Hogwarts' rules forbid them from using magic in the school's corridors.
These limitations definitely seem unfair, but it's understandable why they exist. No one wants Seamus Finnegan to burn down his house or torch the halls of Hogwarts after yet another spell gone wrong. It's much safer for students to solely work on their spellcasting skills in the classroom under professor supervision, so teachers are expected to help enforce this rule whenever they see students playing around with their wands in the corridors.
10 LOVE TO BREAK: DON'T PICK FAVORITES
Teachers aren't supposed to make it clear which students are their favorites, but some Hogwarts professors can't stop themselves from treating certain individuals better than their classmates.
Even after Hagrid was put in charge of Care of Magical Creatures, he still showed clear favoritism towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Snape never bothered to hide his preference for his students from Slytherin House. And Horace Slughorn actually created an invite-only club which was filled with his personal favorite students.
9 HAVE TO FOLLOW: OVERSEE THE STUDENTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE HOUSES
As if molding the minds of young witches and wizards wasn't already a big enough responsibility, some professors at Hogwarts are also expected to watch over an entire House of students.
During Harry's time at the school, Professor McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor House, Professor Sprout was the Head of Hufflepuff, Professor Snape was Head of Slytherin and Professor Flitwick was Head of Ravenclaw. The Head of House has to monitor and maintain the welfare, safety, and discipline of all members of their designated House, and correspond with the parents of said students when necessary.
8 HAVE TO FOLLOW: PUNISH STUDENTS FOR BEING LATE TO CLASS
Thousands of Harry Potter fans dream about walking through Hogwarts, but navigating the enchanted castle is actually rather difficult. The stairways constantly move, making it difficult for students to figure out how best to get from one class to the next.
That should be a valid excuse for tardiness, but teachers are expected to strictly enforce the start times of their classes and punish students who arrive late. So students who have to travel from the dungeons of Potions class to the top of the Astronomy Tower in a matter of minutes definitely have to jog if they want to avoid a detention in the Forbidden Forest.
7 LOVE TO BREAK: DON'T LET PERSONAL GRUDGES AFFECT HOUSE POINTS
To inspire healthy competition between students and promote good behavior, Hogwarts uses a House points system. Triumphs throughout the year earn students points for their respective House, while rule-breaking loses them points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points wins the House Cup and bragging rights.
Students are taught to take this incredibly seriously, but some professors seem to abuse the point system to simply reward their favorite students and hurt those that they dislike. Snape frequently searched for excuses to deduct points from Gryffindor simply because he loathed Harry Potter and his friends. He once actually took points from the House just because Hermione was "an insufferable know-it-all."
6 HAVE TO FOLLOW: OBEY THE MINISTRY'S LAWS AND DECISIONS
Albus Dumbledore rules over the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, but even the beloved headmaster has to obey a higher power at his school. Dumbledore and all of the teachers at Hogwarts have to follow the Ministry of Magic's laws and guidelines, and when the Ministry deems it necessary to step in and make drastic changes at the school, the professors are expected to just sit back and let those changes happen.
In Harry's fifth year, Dumbledore was forced to hire Ministry employee Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Nearly all of the other teachers at the school detested Umbridge and disagreed with the rules she imposed upon the school, but they were helpless to act or speak against her.
5 HAVE TO FOLLOW: ENFORCE THE SCHOOL'S CURFEW
In the Muggle world, teachers are welcome to go home an hour or two after the final bell rings so they can relax and spend a few blissful hours each night away from their students. That's not quite the case at Hogwarts. Professors have to stay up long after their final class, to help Filch enforce the school's curfew.
Each professor walks up and down the halls of Hogwarts for several hours each evening to make sure no one is out of their dormitories when they don't have permission to be.
4 LOVE TO BREAK: KEEP STUDENTS SAFE
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a reputation for being one of the safest places in the entire wizarding world, but Harry Potter fans were definitely taught to question that big claim. While Voldemort's fear of Albus Dumbledore did make him hesitate to enter the school's grounds at times, it didn't actually help make Hogwarts safe.
The Dark Lord spent a year in the school on the back of a professor's head. A basilisk turned several students to stone. Death Eaters broke into the school. Twisted, unqualified professors taught there. And the Second Wizarding War was fought there. Professors are supposed to keep students safe, but they didn't do the best job at that. In fact, they actually encouraged students to fight alongside them in that war against Voldemort and his army.
3 HAVE TO FOLLOW: ATTEND SCHOOL FUNCTIONS
While Hogwarts professors are occasionally given permission to venture into Hogsmeade alone to just relax and spend some time away from their students, their positions are mostly full-time from the start of Fall to the end of Spring. Even on days when they're not teaching, they have to attend school functions.
Whether they want to or not, the school's staff has to show up at Quidditch matches, chaperone the Yule Ball, and attend the tasks of the Triwizard Tournament.
2 HAVE TO FOLLOW: MAKE SURE STUDENTS AREN'T CHEATING WITH MAGIC
Hermione was able to use magic to land Ron a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team by messing up Cormac McLaggen's try-out, and no one was the wiser. It's incredibly easy to get away with cheating when you've got magic at your disposal, and young witches and wizards have access to a variety of spells, enchantments, potions and magical devices which allow them to advance in nearly every aspect of life.
That's why it's so important for Hogwarts professors to pay very close attention to their students. They have to ensure that students aren't using magic to pass their classes, and are expected to punish anyone who they catch cheating.
1 LOVE TO BREAK: ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO RESPECT AUTHORITY
Just as Hogwarts professors are supposed to hide their true feelings towards their students, they're also expected to hide their emotions towards their fellow teachers. Some members of Dumbledore's faculty struggle following that rule.
Snape made his disdain for Professor Lupin clear from the start, and didn't stop Slytherin students from echoing his feelings. Professor McGonagall actually rewarded Harry Potter with a biscuit for clashing with Dolores Umbridge, because she loathed the Ministry-appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. When Snape took over Hogwarts upon Dumbledore's passing, Minerva openly criticized and attacked him in front of the students.
There's definitely plenty of drama behind the scenes when it comes to Hogwarts' staff, and some teachers don't do the best job encouraging students to respect the authority of professors they don't like.