In OotP, Severus tells Umbridge that he's been teaching at Hogwarts for 14 years. That comment is made early in October 1995, because it comes shortly after the meeting in the pub to form the DA, which happens on the first week-end of October. It looks as if 14 years is meant to be fairly precise, because Sybill tells Umbridge that she has been teaching 'for nearly sixteen years', and Minerva says '39 years come December'. So, Severus is likely to have started teaching either in September 1981, or right at the beginning of October 1981. That would be before the Potters went under the Fidelius.
According to Pottermore, Minerva was originally recruited as Dumbledore's assistant in teaching Transfiguration. It might have been possible therefore, for Severus to have been recruited as Potions Assistant in September 1981. That would please Tom and get Severus where Dumbledore could keep a close eye on him, while not been so demanding as to interfere with Severus' spying duties as the war escalated. Horace would have had no objections to having someone to do the grunt work for him.
In that scenario, Horace would have retired sometime after 31 October - shock at Lily's death? Shock at how many of his Slytherins were suspected Death Eaters? A tip-off from Dumbledore as to who LV really was? All of these? Severus would then have been promoted.
An appointment as Assistant probably wouldn't rate more than a line in the Prophet, if that. The shock notice of the appointment of a very young half-blood as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin wouldn't then have occurred until after the Potters were murdered and Sirius imprisoned.
Actually, I never thought about TAs because Hogwarts didn't seem to have them. But if it does, your suggestion solves a LOT of problems.
First, TA's in general solve the problem of time--Whitehound worked out a minimum amount of time required of the teacher of a core subject at Hogwarts, and it's appalling. With all core teachers teaching 12-14 classes with 7 different preps, she worked out 60+ hours a week if the teacher spent no more than 10 minutes average on grading each homework assignment. Whereas the teachers of optional classes have 5 preps and 5-10 classes, depending on how popular their subject is. (Hagrid may have had 3, if no one went on to NEWTS.) So an obvious way to even out the load is if all the core subjects also has a TA, who doesn't do any instructing but does do the majority of the day-to-day grading (probably with spot checks by the instructor) and much of the prep work.
If the TA has no classroom time, of course Harry wouldn't notice. Though Hermione might.
This accounts, for example, for how Binns can be kept as professor when he clearly can't do any grading.
It also accounts for why Harry never identified the HBP's handwriting with that of the comments scrawled on his potions essays for five years--it wasn't the same. (And there's no obvisou intrinsic reason for spell-generated writing to resemble an individual's script--in fact a generic easy-read script would be an advantage in such a spell.)
And the TA position--yes, it's a minor post. Tom would be pleased at getting Sev in at all (and was Slughorn's previous potions assistant promoted sideways to DADA like Quirrell, or was s/he persuaded to quit?). Given the longevity of wizarding careers, even if Hogwarts preferentially hired from among previous TA's, it's a short-term and/or dead end position in most cases. Only when a professor is nearing retirement age would anyone accept such a position except as a stepping stone to better things elsewhere. (And think of the shock and disappointment of Cuthbert's TA!) Much of the time, the TA's must have intended or expected to be as transient as the DADA profs became!
(Which would also make Tom, inquiring about applying for the post of DADA TEACHER, not TA, immediately upon graduating, frightfully forward. But I can live with that reading of Tom's character.... Indeed, if Galatea had been considering retiring for several years, as rumored, she might have expected her favorite Tom upon graduation to apply properly to become her TA and prove himself for a year, and then she'd retire gracefully in his favor. In which case his grabbing for the golden ring lost him the position, all aside from Albus's angling. "Doesn't know the proper way to do things, you know. Not really one of us.")
So yeah, there'd have been no gossip about Albus hiring one of Horace's half-blood proteges as Horace's assistant for a year or two. When Horace stepped down in Snape's favor, yes, that would have been the shock.
From Horace's point of view, his stepping down in late 1981 or at the end of the term (either) 1982 would make sense: his horror at how many of his Slytherins were fingered as DE's,as you say, would account for it.
And the Pureblood Supremacist faction would have been in a uniquely weak position just then to retaliate upon Albus for tweaking their noses by appointing a half-blood guttersnipe as head of their very own house.
But to account for Severus's position as of when we see him in Harry's first year, it's only necessary that Snape's been head of house long enough that it's no longer remarked upon as new. We can amuse ourselves by speculating that it was, rather, seven year's ago, to coincide with Slytherin's six-year winning streak (and concommitant unpopularity with other houses). But it might even be as little ago as two years--long enough for Gred and Forge, Ron's main informants, to bring home tales to their little brother of the Head of Slytherin who always favors his house and can turn quite nasty when Gryffs indulge in harmless litle life-threatening pranks.
Thanks! (Mind spins cheerily in a new direction....)
According to Pottermore, Minerva was originally recruited as Dumbledore's assistant in teaching Transfiguration. It might have been possible therefore, for Severus to have been recruited as Potions Assistant in September 1981. That would please Tom and get Severus where Dumbledore could keep a close eye on him, while not been so demanding as to interfere with Severus' spying duties as the war escalated. Horace would have had no objections to having someone to do the grunt work for him.
In that scenario, Horace would have retired sometime after 31 October - shock at Lily's death? Shock at how many of his Slytherins were suspected Death Eaters? A tip-off from Dumbledore as to who LV really was? All of these? Severus would then have been promoted.
An appointment as Assistant probably wouldn't rate more than a line in the Prophet, if that. The shock notice of the appointment of a very young half-blood as Potions Master and Head of Slytherin wouldn't then have occurred until after the Potters were murdered and Sirius imprisoned.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
First, TA's in general solve the problem of time--Whitehound worked out a minimum amount of time required of the teacher of a core subject at Hogwarts, and it's appalling. With all core teachers teaching 12-14 classes with 7 different preps, she worked out 60+ hours a week if the teacher spent no more than 10 minutes average on grading each homework assignment. Whereas the teachers of optional classes have 5 preps and 5-10 classes, depending on how popular their subject is. (Hagrid may have had 3, if no one went on to NEWTS.) So an obvious way to even out the load is if all the core subjects also has a TA, who doesn't do any instructing but does do the majority of the day-to-day grading (probably with spot checks by the instructor) and much of the prep work.
If the TA has no classroom time, of course Harry wouldn't notice. Though Hermione might.
This accounts, for example, for how Binns can be kept as professor when he clearly can't do any grading.
It also accounts for why Harry never identified the HBP's handwriting with that of the comments scrawled on his potions essays for five years--it wasn't the same. (And there's no obvisou intrinsic reason for spell-generated writing to resemble an individual's script--in fact a generic easy-read script would be an advantage in such a spell.)
And the TA position--yes, it's a minor post. Tom would be pleased at getting Sev in at all (and was Slughorn's previous potions assistant promoted sideways to DADA like Quirrell, or was s/he persuaded to quit?). Given the longevity of wizarding careers, even if Hogwarts preferentially hired from among previous TA's, it's a short-term and/or dead end position in most cases. Only when a professor is nearing retirement age would anyone accept such a position except as a stepping stone to better things elsewhere. (And think of the shock and disappointment of Cuthbert's TA!) Much of the time, the TA's must have intended or expected to be as transient as the DADA profs became!
(Which would also make Tom, inquiring about applying for the post of DADA TEACHER, not TA, immediately upon graduating, frightfully forward. But I can live with that reading of Tom's character.... Indeed, if Galatea had been considering retiring for several years, as rumored, she might have expected her favorite Tom upon graduation to apply properly to become her TA and prove himself for a year, and then she'd retire gracefully in his favor. In which case his grabbing for the golden ring lost him the position, all aside from Albus's angling. "Doesn't know the proper way to do things, you know. Not really one of us.")
So yeah, there'd have been no gossip about Albus hiring one of Horace's half-blood proteges as Horace's assistant for a year or two. When Horace stepped down in Snape's favor, yes, that would have been the shock.
From Horace's point of view, his stepping down in late 1981 or at the end of the term (either) 1982 would make sense: his horror at how many of his Slytherins were fingered as DE's,as you say, would account for it.
And the Pureblood Supremacist faction would have been in a uniquely weak position just then to retaliate upon Albus for tweaking their noses by appointing a half-blood guttersnipe as head of their very own house.
But to account for Severus's position as of when we see him in Harry's first year, it's only necessary that Snape's been head of house long enough that it's no longer remarked upon as new. We can amuse ourselves by speculating that it was, rather, seven year's ago, to coincide with Slytherin's six-year winning streak (and concommitant unpopularity with other houses). But it might even be as little ago as two years--long enough for Gred and Forge, Ron's main informants, to bring home tales to their little brother of the Head of Slytherin who always favors his house and can turn quite nasty when Gryffs indulge in harmless litle life-threatening pranks.
Thanks! (Mind spins cheerily in a new direction....)
Reply
Leave a comment