Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of harry Potter theory. In this video, I’m going to be discussing
those responsible for educating the youth of the wizarding world - I am of course talking
about the professors of Hogwarts. In the past I’ve made videos ranking the most powerful
slytherins, gryffindors, hufflepuffs, ravenclaws, death eaters, order of the phoenix members,
and even aurors. You guys seemed to really enjoy that type of video, so today I’m going
to be ranking the most POWERFUL professors of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Where I normally do the top 5, I felt that in this particular case the TOP 6 would be
more fitting-as many of Hogwarts professors are- in my opinion- very evenly matched. I
also want to mention that just because a professor doesn’t make this list- it doesn’t mean
that they aren’t POWERFUL- it just means that they are, in my opinion, NOT one of the
6 MOST powerful.
The professors of Hogwarts have arguably the most important role in the entire wizarding
universe- as they are chiefly responsible for educating the youth of the wizarding world.
Without them, witches and wizards would have a much harder time developing and honing their
spells and abilities. You’d be hard pressed to argue that the wizarding world doesn’t
need an educational body- and I think that things would be FAR WORSE without it. Similar
to the education system in our own world- it helps students figure out what they’re
good at, and provides them with some guidance with regards to a path that they can follow.
Additionally,I think that it’s safe to say that the professors of Hogwarts go above and
beyond in their role as teachers. Time and time again, the Hogwarts professors have been
shown to provide a level of care beyond what is traditionally expected of a teacher/student
relationship. Not only that, but the professors of Hogwarts (a lot of them anyway) are EXTREMELY
talented witches and wizards that could be doing any multitude of jobs- but instead,
they remain at Hogwarts so that they can impart some of their knowledge on to the next generation.
So who, you may ask, is the most powerful of these noble figures? Let’s dive in to
it.
6. Remus Lupin
Remus Lupin was a british half-blood wizard born in the year 1960. Like most others, he
attended Hogwarts, and it was there that he befriended the other members of the ‘Marauder’s-
James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.
Lupin had a rough start to his life, as before he had even begun attending Hogwarts, he was
attacked in his home by the notorious Werewolf Fenrir Greyback. Fenrir sought revenge on
Remus’s father, Lyall, and his best way to get back at Lyall was to attack his son.
Remus was attacked by Fenrir in the middle of the night, and though his life was spared,
being bitten meant that he was destined to be a werewolf for the rest of his life. His
friends were fortunately very understanding of his condition- but it certainly made his
life hard as there is an incredible amount of stigma towards werewolves in the wizarding
world.
After keeping a low profile for many years- Remus returns to Hogwarts as an adult in the
93-94 school year. It’s in this same year that Remus accepts a position to teach defence
against the dark arts.
Remus was a very talented wizard, and, like the other Marauders, was able to accomplish
quite a lot magically at a very young age. Among other things, Remus was a talented duellist-
having escaped the Battle of the Department of Mysteries unscathed, a charms expert- having
helped to create the marauder’s map, a practitioner of healing magic, having effectively used
the bandaging charm on Ron, a defence against the dark arts expert, having successfully
taught a class on it at Hogwarts, and even an accomplished occlumens. Not only that,
but Remus was sort of a double-threat, because IF he turned in to a werewolf- he was a FORCE
to be reckoned with. Remus was eventually killed by Antonin Dolohov- but he is arguably
one of the most powerful death eaters- so he definitely didn’t go out easy, and I
think that he’s certainly worthy of a spot on this list.
5. Filius Flitwick
Flitwick was born in the year 1958 and began attending Hogwarts in the year 1969. Flitwick
had always valued intelligence, which meant that his personality was very much in alignment
with the house that he had been assigned to. During his time at the school, Flitwick achieved
high grades in all of his O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.s - particularly in the subject of charms, something
that he was particularly talented at. Flitwick became the resident Charms master at Hogwarts,
and head of Ravenclaw house- which seems fitting given that he has been described as one of
“the best and most knowledgeable Charms masters alive in the world today”.
Despite his small stature- Flitwick is a FORCE to be reckoned with, and it has been expressed
that after graduating from Hogwarts, Flitwick went on to become a master duellist and duelling
champion. He supposedly has a ‘shelf full of trophies’ to prove it.
Flitwick had a high level of knowledge in defence against the dark arts, and during
the battle of hogwarts he was personally responsible for the defeat of a handful of death eaters.
Flitwick also helped in putting up the defences around Hogwarts which kept the death eaters
at bay for an extended period of time. The defences around the castle were of course
the result of Flitwick’s charm work, which was the area of magic that he was most skilled
in. Flitwick is thought to be one of the most talented charms teachers that ever taught
at Hogwarts, and had no difficulty producing even the most complex, complicated and powerful
shield charms. Flitwick could also produce a patronus-which is the mark of a powerful
wizard.
In addition to duelling and charms, Flitwick was also versed in transfiguration and conjuration,
and was able to conjure objects out of thin air. I have no doubt in my mind that Filius
Flitwick is deserving of a spot on this list.
4. Horace Slughorn
Horace Slughorn is an English pure-blood wizard born sometime between 1882 and 1913. When
he attended Hogwarts as a boy he was sorted in to Slytherin house- and because he embodied
many aspects of Slytherin house- he embraced it. When he was older, he even became head
of the house- a role given to one individual responsible for looking after and disciplining
the students of the house. Given Slytherins reputation for producing dark witches and
wizards- this role took someone with a firm hand- and though Slughorn can seem quite aloof
at times- he is incredibly sharp and even more powerful. When you think of a powerful
wizard, Slughorn doesn’t exactly come to mind- and that’s mainly because of his character.
However, beneath his more inviting surface, Slughorn is actually very determined, resourceful
and cunning- much like Salazar Slytherin himself. In addition to being head of Slytherin house,
Slughorn also worked as potion master at Hogwarts- an incredibly technical role that was also
notably held by Severus Snape. Potions require a great deal of patience and wisdom- two things
that Slughorn certainly had- but his knowledge didn’t stop in the realm of potions. Slughorns
most notorious action to date was certainly the moment that he provided a young Tom Riddle
with the integral information he needed on Horcruxes. This was a shifting point for the
wizarding world- as it allowed a dark and sinister wizard to effectively become immortal.
However, I have always found it impressive that Slughorn knew about Horcruxes to begin
with- as seemingly noone else did. Slughorn was widely considered to be talented- but
I think that he’s a bit of a ‘sleeper’ in that he is even more powerful than he lets
on. In the Battle of Hogwarts, Slughorn even engages the Dark Lord head on, with McGonagall
and Kingsley, proving himself a masterful duellist. Even the ever-arrogant Lucius Malfoy,
who would never pay anyone a compliment, told Draco that Slughorn was a good wizard:
"My father always said he was a good wizard in his day."
Slughorn’s magical arsenal is VAST- and he exhibited an extreme level of knowledge/power
in the following disciplines: Occlumency, Duelling, Potions, Non-Verbal Magic, Charms,
Defence Against the Dark Arts, Dark Arts and even..Piano playing.
3. Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall is a Scottish half-blood witch that attended Hogwarts school of witchcraft
and wizardry, and later worked there. While she attended Hogwarts she was the most talented
student of entire year, and she achieved top grades in her Newts and owls. She exhibited
extreme magical prowess from a very young age, and later became one of Hogwarts best
professors. McGonagall’s most notable skill is perhaps related to her knowledge and talent
in transfiguration. She is known for her effortless ability to transform her physical form- which
is particularly impressive given how dangerous transfiguration can be:
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts.
Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."
McGonagall was extremely proficient at transfiguration even in her school days, becoming an animagus
at a very young age after acing both her owls and newts in the subject. She later became
head of transfiguration at Hogwarts, a position that she took very seriously. McGonagall was
also highly proficient at casting a wide variety of charms- and mastered the patronus charm,
in both corporeal and incorporeal forms, when she was still very young. She was also a skilled
potion maker, able to successfully brew an animagus potion, and duellist - notably duelling
lord voldemort to a standstill alongside Slughorn and Kingsley.
What makes McGonagall particularly powerful is her paired knowledge of the dark arts,
not only did she master charms, transfiguration, duelling and potion making, she also had a
vast knowledge of the dark arts. Though she didn’t use dark spells frequently, she could
use them when necessary, and notably used the imperius curse on Amycus Carrow. One of
McGonagall most impressive abilities- that a lot of people don’t know about, is her
ability to manipulate the elements - similar to Dumbledore. It has been expressed that,
like Dumbledore, McGonagall could manipulate fire and ice.
2. Severus Snape
Snape was born on January 9th 1960 to a muggle father (Tobias Snape) and witch mother (Eileen
Prince) and grew up on a street called ‘Spinner’s End’ in the muggle town of Cokeworth. One
thing that I want to mention right out of the gate is that Snape is one of the most
powerful wizards in the wizarding world- and what was most impressive about him is that
he wasn’t even that old when he died. Snape died at the tender age of 38, and though he
wasn’t quite at the level of Voldemort or Dumbledore, he was getting there. Throughout
the series, time and time again Snape showcases spells and abilities that are difficult to
conjure and often unique. He’s also a well-rounded wizard because he was never afraid of venturing
in to experimentation with the dark arts- he knows the good spells, and the more sinister
spells- he knows it all.
Snape is a testament to what can be achieved if you’re really dedicated to something.
As a student, Snape always had his head in the books, continually learning and progressing.
He was focused, and he didn’t let temporary satisfaction get in the way of achieving more-
learning more. Though he had a segue down a dark path, the result of bullying and the
loss of his friendship with Lily, Snape only used his hatred for the Marauders as fuel-
it gave him the drive and the motivation to be more, to do more.
During his time at Hogwarts, Snape assumed the identity ‘the half blood prince’ and
scribbled all sorts of spell creations in to his copy of advanced-potion making. Among
these spells was the powerful and vicious ‘sectumsempra’. Snape can also fly, and
is one of only two known wizards who are capable of doing this, the other being Voldemort.
Snape was the DADA Professor, Potions Professor, and even Hogwarts headmaster for a period
- and given his level of power- he was an extremely valuable asset to Hogwarts. Had
he been around for a few decades longer, I think that Snape may just have had a shot
at being the most powerful wizard ever.
1. Albus Dumbledore
Surprise surprise- Dumbledore is number 1 once again - but the truth is- he IS number
one. He’s the number one Gryffindor, the number one Order of the Phoenix member, and
now the number one Hogwarts professor- but that reputation was well-earned.
Dumbledore’s magical prowess became apparent from a very young age- and while at school,
Dumbledore’s magical abilities consistently turned heads, particularly his skills surrounding
charms and transfiguration. He also did exceptionally well on his N.E.W.T.S and Griselda Marchbanks,
a professor working for the Wizarding Examinations Authority, remarked that Albus was able to
do things with a wand that ‘she had never seen before’.
In addition to being a charms and transfiguration master, Dumbledore was also an expert practitioner
of elemental magic. Over the course of the books and films he’s really shown us what
he’s capable of, and in his duel against Voldemort in the ministry atrium, we see his
elemental expertise shine through when he creates some sort of complicated hydro-kinetic
spell. I think that his most impressive display of magic was when he produced a firestorm
to ward off the inferi. Firestorm produces a large ring of fire from the casters wand,
and from this ring the caster is able to shoot jets or balls of fire at opponents. Dumbledore
also defeated GRINDELWALD- the dark force that threatened the wizarding world before
Voldemort- and whether he had help or not- he is credited as doing it- I really don’t
think that you can question his level of power.
There truly isn’t a subject or area of magic where Dumbledore is lacking- he knows transfiguration,
conjuration, charms, potions, elemental magic, occlumency- the list goes on. The only way
that Dumbledore could have become MORE powerful is if he delved in to the dark arts, but as
McGonagall put it- Dumbledore was too ‘noble’ to do that.
And that’s it for my list of the most powerful Hogwarts professors. It’s also worth noting
that I excluded Moody as he never actually taught- he was captured and impersonated by
Barty Crouch jr before the school year even started- so he was not an actual Hogwarts
professor. If the real Moody actually taught, he may have made this list. What do you guys
think of this list? What are YOUR rankings? Let me know in the comment section below
Until next time
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live