It’s a recurring theme in the Harry Potter series that all Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers at Hogwarts must be terrible in some way. The position is jinxed by Lord Voldemort after he fails to claim it for himself, leading to teachers being unable to fill the post for more than a year.
Most of Harry Potter’s teachers have tried to attack him, and those who haven’t didn’t get the chance because they didn’t have contact with him. Still, in terms of competency, some teachers have been better than others.
9 Dolores Umbridge Is More Hated And Unlikable Than Lord Voldemort
Easily the most hated character in Harry Potter, Dolores Umbridge is even more unlikable than Lord Voldemort. In order to silence the young boy wizard, she orders a dementor attack on Harry. When that fails, she comes to Hogwarts – not to educate but to pursue the Ministry of Magic’s agenda to control the school (and Harry in particular). She's a horrible person who tortures students with a Black Quill and almost gives Harry Veritaserum.
As the High Inquisitor of the school, she institutes draconian measures. For example, she bans all gatherings, including Quidditch games. Her highly ineffective teaching focuses on the absurd idea that students don’t need to use defensive spells – a concept that contrasts with the very nature of the topic she teaches.
8 Amycus Carrow Is A Death Eater Who Teaches The Dark Arts
After the death of Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort’s takeover of Hogwarts, the post of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher falls to Amycus Carrow. A Death Eater in the service of the Dark Lord, Amycus uses his position to instruct students in the use of the Unforgivables. He even lets them practice the Cruciatus curse on students who earn detentions.
He also encourages the practice of the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre. During his tenure, the class practically becomes "Dark Arts" and loses the notion of "Defense." In that sense, while Carrow is a powerful wizard, he doesn’t actually teach what he's supposed to be teaching.
7 Quirinus Quirrell Is Possessed By Lord Voldemort
Harry’s very first DADA teacher, Quirinus Quirrell, is originally a Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts. Following a run-in with Voldemort in the forests of Albania, he's possessed by the Dark Lord’s specter. He returns to Hogwarts, now tasked with stealing the Philosopher’s Stone.
Quirrell appears relatively skilled with magic, as evidenced by his ability to jinx Harry’s broom. He also introduces a number of spells to his class, including the Vermidillious Charm and the Wand-Lighting Charm. However, as a teacher, he stutters a lot, which makes his lessons ineffective (if not completely incomprehensible). Between that and his connection with Voldemort, his competency in the position is questionable at best.
6 Gilderoy Lockhart Is Only Competent In Using Obliviate
Harry’s teacher in his second year, Gilderoy Lockhart stands out because of his lack of competency. The required readings for the students are works of fiction written by Lockhart himself. Over the course of the year, Gilderoy proves utterly useless on more than one occasion. He even embarrasses himself when he casts the spell "Peskipiksi Pesternomi" – an incantation meant to counter pixies that doesn’t actually exist.
His fraudulent incompetence takes a dangerous turn when Gilderoy reveals how his accomplishments are all stolen from others through the liberal use of the Obliviate spell. Gilderoy attempts to use the spell on Harry and Ron, but it backfires due to Ron’s broken wand. Consequently, Gilderoy ends up with significant spell damage.
5 Patricia Rakepick Secretly Works For The Organization R
A highly skilled curse-breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Patricia Rakepick appears as a DADA teacher in the game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Her carefully balanced curriculum includes both dark creatures and spells, combining theory and practice in a way that’s very useful to students.
However, Rakepick works for the organization R, which aims to find and open the Cursed Vaults at Hogwarts. When her intentions are revealed, she ends up killing a student. It’s a shame because she's one of the most competent DADA teachers in the Harry Potter universe.
4 Mad-Eye Moody Is A Death Eater In Disguise
Alastor Moody is invited to become Harry’s teacher in his fourth year at Hogwarts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Moody turns out to be the Death Eater, Barty Crouch, Jr., who uses the Polyjuice Potion to turn into the grizzled old Auror. Barty is the one who enchants the Goblet of Fire and makes Harry a competitor in the Tri-Wizard tournament.
Ironically, despite being a follower of the Dark Lord in disguise, Barty isn’t a bad teacher. His lessons on the Unforgiveables are controversial and even traumatic for some students, but his harsh teaching style introduces skills the students benefit from.
3 Remus Lupin’s Lycanthropy Doesn’t Stop Him From Being A Good Teacher
One of James Potter’s closest friends, Remus Lupin has the misfortune of being viciously attacked by Fenrir Greyback as a child. However, even if he is a werewolf, he's a brilliant Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He defends Harry and his Friends from the dementors while on their way to Hogwarts, and he teaches Harry the Patronus Charm – a spell that later saves his life.
Kind, intelligent, and encouraging, Remus manages to stir a thirst for knowledge in his students with interesting lessons. They're taught – primarily through practice – in ways that appeal to them. However, if he has one fault, it's his failure to take his Wolfsbane potion. Although considering the jinx, it's an expected oversight. It's just a shame that after The Prisoner of Azkaban, he doesn't get the chance to shine again.
2 Severus Snape Excels At Both Potions And DADA
The head of House Slytherin, Severus Snape is familiar to everyone as the Potions teacher of Hogwarts, although his expertise in the field goes beyond simple teaching. However, despite his love for the subtle art of Potions making, he's always displayed an interest in the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher post. He finally gets his wish in Harry’s sixth year.
Highly qualified in the topic, he endeavors to make sense of the disjointed education the students have had. His lessons are mainly practical. He delves into darker fields and portrayals, which paint a brutal but genuine picture of the enemy the students have to face. Severus might not be the warmest teacher, but his unique perspective and skill set make him one of the most qualified.
1 Albus Dumbledore Occupies The Position Before The Jinx Becomes An Issue
Albus Dumbledore is best known as the eccentric but incredibly powerful headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, that didn't happen overnight. He's Minerva Mcgonagall’s mentor in Transfiguration, but the first teaching position he occupies at Hogwarts is in Defense Against the Dark Arts. In the Fantastic Beasts movies, his students confront boggarts in the same way Remus asks Harry’s third-year class to in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Consequently, Dumbledore is lauded as one of the best teachers in Hogwarts history.