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When was Albus Dumbledore appointed as Headmaster? (this timeline is the result of discussion on the Loose Canon group and by the editors of the Harry Potter Lexicon)
'Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent.' [CoS ch. #17; p. 230]
'How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?' Professor Umbridge asked. 'Thirty-nine years this December,' said Professor McGonagall brusquely [OotP ch. #15; p. 287]
The one difference between the present-day office and this one was that it was snowing in the past; bluish flecks were drifting past the window in the dark and building up on the outside ledge. The younger Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for something, and sure enough, moments after their arrival, there was a knock on the door and he said, 'Enter.' Harry let out a hastily stifled gasp. Voldemort had entered the room. [cut] [cut] 'I heard that you had become Headmaster,' he said, [HBP ch. #20; p. 412/413]
I was then a young Transfiguration teacher, and Herbert assigned me to 'special effects', [BtB ch. #02; p. 36]
We know that Albus Dumbledore was the Transfiguration master at Hogwarts in 1943 (in Tom Riddle's fifth year), that Minerva McGonagall was Transfiguration mistress in the 1990s and that she started working at Hogwarts in December 1956 (because in September 1995 she tells Umbridge she's been there thirty-nine years come December). It is usually assumed, therefore, both that McGonagall took over the Transfiguration post from Dumbledore in 1956 and that that was the point at which he became Headmaster. This is reinforced by the fact that Minerva says she was appointed in winter, and Tom Riddle comes to see Albus soon after he became Headmaster and it is snowing.
However, we know that Remus Lupin was born in 1960, and that he was infected with lycanthropy as a small child. He speaks of Hogwarts policy regarding the admission of werewolves as if Dumbledore definitely became Headmaster after he was infected: and long enough after he was infected that his parents had had time to find out what the policy of the previous Headmaster was, and to be worrying about his future academic career. Lupin isn't the most reliable or accurate of witnesses but he has no reason to lie about this, and it's unlikely that he, an Order member, would actually not know at least roughly when Dumbledore became Head. If we take his word for it, then, that would mean that Dumbledore became Headmaster some time between about 1964 and 1971 - late enough for Remus to have been infected and for his parents to have had time to worry about his education, but before Remus was due to start at Hogwarts (in September 1971). She sent an owl to Hogwarts, asking whether she might be considered for a teaching post. The owl returned within hours, offering her a job in the Transfiguration department, under Head of Department, Albus Dumbledore. [Pottermore website] Furthermore, in 2011 new information on the Pottermore website stated that when Minerva began working at Hogwarts in 1956 Albus was Head of Transfiguration, not Headmaster, and she worked under him for an unspecified period. This shows that Remus's comments about when Albus became Headmaster are feasible. 'Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School. I know that several teachers, Professor Slughorn amongst them, suggested that he join the Ministry of Magic, offered to set up appointments, put him in touch with useful contacts. He refused all offers. The next thing the staff knew, Voldemort was working at Borgin and Burkes.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 403] [cut] 'Voldemort first approached Professor Dippet and asked whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 403] Professor Dippet told him that he was too young at eighteen, but invited him to reapply in a few years, if he still wished to teach.' [cut] 'Which job did he want, sir? What subject did he want to teach?' [cut] 'Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was being taught at the time by an old Professor by the name of Galatea Merrythought, who had been at Hogwarts for nearly fifty years.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 404/405] The house-elf returned within minutes, followed by a tall young man Harry had no difficulty whatsoever in recognising as Voldemort. [HBP ch. #20; p. 406] 'Help yourself, Tom,' said Hepzibah, 'I know how you love my cakes. Now, how are you? You look pale. They overwork you at that shop,' [cut] 'Mr Burke would like me to make an improved offer for the goblin-made armour,' said Voldemort. [HBP ch. #20; p. 407] 'Ten years separate Hokey's memory and this one, ten years during which we can only guess at what Lord Voldemort was doing ...' [cut] And Harry dived after Dumbledore through the shifting silver mass, landing in the very office he had just left. [cut] The one difference between the present-day office and this one was that it was snowing in the past; bluish flecks were drifting past the window in the dark and building up on the outside ledge. The younger Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for something, and sure enough, moments after their arrival, there was a knock on the door and he said, 'Enter.' Harry let out a hastily stifled gasp. Voldemort had entered the room. [HBP ch. #20; p. 412/413] 'I have returned,' he said, after a little while, 'later, perhaps, than Professor Dippet expected ... but I have returned, nevertheless, to request again what he once told me I was too young to have. I have come to you to ask that you permit me to return to this castle, to teach.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 414/415] 'Oh, he definitely wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts job,' said Dumbledore. [HBP ch. #20; p. 418] If we accept Pottermore as canon and uncouple Minerva's arrival from Albus's appointment as Headmaster, what other clues do we have as to when he was appointed? We know that Tom Riddle came to see him soon after he was made Headmaster, and that this was ten years after Tom murdered Hepzibah Smith. We know that Tom joined Borgin and Burkes soon after he left school, which would have been in 1945 (we know it was 1945 because during the academic year 1992/93 we are told that the Chamber of Secrets was last opened fifty years beforehand, i.e. in academic year 1942/43, and that was Tom's fifth year). We know Tom was still working for Borgin and Burkes when he murdered Hepzibah. What we do not know is how long Tom had been working for Borgin and Burkes before he murdered Hepzibah. But we do know that when Harry, who is himself sixteen at that point, sees a Pensieved memory of Tom talking to Hepzibah he looks to Harry like a young man. So we want to make Tom as young as we can at that point. If Dumbledore was appointed in 1967, say, that would make Tom thirty in the scene with Hepzibah (Tom turned thirty-one in 1967 - but not until the very last day of the year), and ideally we would like him to be younger. The hopes that they had once had for their son seemed in ruins, and Lyall educated Remus at home, certain that he would never be able to set foot in school. Shortly before Remus’s eleventh birthday, no less a person than Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, arrived uninvited on the Lupins’ doorstep. [Pottermore website] However, an essay about Remus's backstory on Pottermore further complicates matters by stating that Dumbledore made his offer of a place for Remus at Hogwarts shortly before Remus's 11th birthday on 10th March 1971 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters), which would mean in early 1971 or very late in 1970. If we accept that Dumbledore offered Remus a place not very long after he became Head, that means he was appointed in 1970, or at a pinch 1969. That makes Tom thirty-two or thirty-three when he killed Hepzibah Smith and Harry thought of him as a "young man", so he must have been very well-preserved. It also means he worked for Borgin and Burkes for fourteen or fifteen years. So what happened about the Transfiguration post, if Minerva started working at Hogwarts in 1956 but Albus didn't become Headmaster until 1969? The fact that Tom Riddle turns up at Hogwarts soon after Albus's promotion, applying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, suggests that he knew the DADA post to be vacant - which in turn suggests that Albus had been teaching DADA before that point. The discussion group on Loose Canon came up with two alternative scenarios. Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945 [PS ch. #06; p. 77] One: The DADA post became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. In order to keep Tom from applying again Albus Dumbledore took the DADA job himself, playing on his credentials as the recent vanquisher of Grindelwald. An unnamed person took over as Transfiguration teacher and remained until 1956, when they left for reasons which are not specified, and Minerva McGonagall then took the Transfiguration post. Half a dozen boys were sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his, and all in their mid-teens. [cut] 'Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?' Riddle asked. [HBP ch. #17; p. 345/346] Two: The DADA post was supposed to became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. Either Professor Merrythought changed her[?] mind and stayed on (after all we know there were rumours of Merrythought retiring while Tom was in his mid teens, and yet she was still there when Tom finished school at eighteen), or an unknown person took over the DADA job. In 1956, either the unknown person or Professor Merrythought left. That left the DADA post vacant. Albus Dumbledore was concerned that if Tom Riddle were to apply for the DADA post now he would be given it, since he was now almost thirty, so instead he stepped in and took the DADA job himself, playing the "vanquisher of Grindelwald" card. That left the Transfiguration post vacant so Minerva McGonagall was hired. Also Three: It occurs to me that it would also have been possible for Minerva McGonagall to have been hired in 1956 as the DADA mistress with Dumbledore remaining as Transfiguration master, then when Dumbledore became Headmaster Minerva switch to teaching Transfiguration, and the DADA post was left vacant. In all cases, Albus's promotion to Headmaster in the 1960s left the DADA post vacant, and Tom then applied for it (and cursed it, when he was unsuccessful). The new information from Pottermore rules out Options One and Three, if we accept Pottermore as canon. It also puts a slightly different slant on Option Two, in that it sounds as though initially Dumbledore remained as Head of Transfiguration and Minerva - who was recently turned twenty-one in December 1956 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters) - worked under him as an assistant or trainee. But we know that she became the Transfiguration mistress at some point, and the coincidence of Tom's applying for the DADA post at the same time that Albus becomes Headmaster still suggests that at some point between 1956 and his becoming Headmaster Albus moved sideways into DADA and left Transfiguration to Minerva. 'We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.' [1981] [PS ch. #01; p. 13] 'All right -- Voldemort.' Hagrid shuddered. 'Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this -- this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too' [1991] [PS ch. #04; p. 45] [cut] 'one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard who has eluded capture for almost three decades!' [1996] [HBP ch. #01; p. 18] 'Rumours of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them.' Voldemort's expression remained impassive as he said, 'Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore.' 'You call it "greatness", what you have been doing, do you?' asked Dumbledore delicately. 'Certainly,' said Voldemort, and his eyes seemed to burn red. 'I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed --' ?' 'Of some kinds of magic,' Dumbledore corrected him quietly.[cut] 'And what will become of those whom you command? What will happen to those who call themselves -- or so rumour has it -- the Death Eaters?' [shortly after Dumbledore's appointment as Head] [HBP ch. #20; p. 415/416] Having Tom Riddle work for Borgin and Burke's for fourteen years before he found the cup and locket seems a little long. On the other hand, we know that when Tom applied to Dumbledore for the DADA job he already had (according to Dumbledore) at least the beginnings of a private army and the name "Death Eaters", but he doesn't seem to have become an active menace until 1970. If Dumbledore became Head in 1956 that would mean that it took the Death Eaters fourteen years from that point to attract enough negative attention for the Ministry to recognise them as a threat and try to capture Riddle; whereas if Dumbledore became Head in 1969 or 1970 the time-line for the Death Eaters' rise seems more reasonable - as well as resolving the problem of Lupin's statement that Dumbledore became Head after he was bitten. Of the two, 1969 or very early 1970 is probably to be preferred, even though it leaves a gap of a year between Dumbledore becoming Headmaster and offering Remus a place. We know Voldemort began to become a serious problem around 1970 or '71, and Dumbledore's "for eleven years", stated in autumn 1981, is precise enough to peg it to 1970. We know Voldemort came to Dumbledore to apply for the DADA post during winter. If it was the winter of 1970/71 then either he was already a public menace or he only had a month in which to become one. Dumbledore knows Tom has been experimenting with dangerous magic and has already gathered a cult following, but he speaks of this as "rumours". It doesn't sound as though this is already common knowledge, which suggests this is winter 1969/1970, and Voldemort started to menace the wizarding world in an active, attention-getting way soon after he was turned down for the DADA post. 'Follow me,' said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. 'I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?' he continued, leering at them. 'Oh yes ... hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me ... It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out ... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed ... Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do.' [PS ch. #15; p. 181] A highly polished collection of chains and manacles hung on the wall behind Filch's desk. It was common knowledge that he was always begging Dumbledore to let him suspend students by their ankles from the ceiling. [CoS ch. #08; p. 96] 'Your father and I had been for a night-time stroll,' she said. 'He got caught by Apollyon Pringle -- he was the caretaker in those days -- your father's still got the marks.' [GoF ch. #31; p. 535] 'Yerse ... I've been telling Dumbledore for years and years he's too soft with you all,' said Filch, chuckling nastily. 'You filthy little beasts would never have dropped Stink Pellets if you'd known I had it in my power to whip you raw, would you, now? Nobody would have thought of throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridors if I could've strung you up by the ankles in my office, would they? But when Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine comes in, Potter, I'll be allowed to do them things ... and she's asked the Minister to sign an order for the expulsion of Peeves ... oh, things are going to be very different around here with her in charge ...' [OotP ch. #28; p. 554] 'Approval for Whipping ... Approval for Whipping ... I can do it at last ... they've had it coming to them for years ...' [OotP ch. #29; p. 593] There's another factor which tends to favour Dumbledore becoming Headmaster late in the 1960s rather than sooner. It is strongly implied that extreme physical punishment of students was allowed at Hogwarts at some time in the past. Filch speaks of "the old punishments" having been allowed to die out and he certainly seems to be referring to punishments allowed at Hogwarts, not just punishments allowed by wizard society in general, because he says that he "still" has the chains - that is, they're almost certainly old chains left over from the past, not ones he has brought there himself. Dumbledore however will not let him use these methods. We do not have absolute proof of when physical punishment ceased to be employed at Hogwarts, or whether it was allowed under Dippet, Dumbledore's predecessor. However, we know that Bill Weasley, the oldest known Weasley child, was born circa November 1970, and that Arthur and Molly were already dating when they were at Hogwarts. Given how fecund they are, Bill was probably born not too long after they left school, so so they were most likely at Hogwarts in the mid and late 1960s, leaving in 1969 or even 1970 (if Molly left school already pregnant). During that time, they were caught together after hours and the then caretaker, Apollyon Pringle, punished Arthur in some way which scarred him for life (although we are not told whether Pringle used hands-on means or a hex to do so). It may have been this incident with Arthur which prompted Dumbledore to ban physical punishment, or it may have already been banned shortly before he was appointed; or it may have been the case that he or his predecessor Dippet had already banned it before the incident and Pringle was breaking the rules (and perhaps was sacked and replaced by Filch as a result). But the earlier we have Albus becoming Headmaster, the more likely it becomes that Arthur was scarred on his watch, and the more time elapsed during which he either allowed extreme physical punishments, or Pringle felt justified in defying the new rules and returning to an older, more barbaric time. Either of these seem more likely after a few months than twelve years. In conclusion, therefore, the most likely and canon-compatible scenario seems to be that Minerva came to work as Dumbledore's assistant in late 1956, at which point he was still Transfiguration Master. A few years down the line the DADA master or mistress (either Galatea Merrythought or her replacement) left, Dumbledore became DADA master and McGonagall was promoted to Transfiguration mistress. Dumbledore became Headmaster around late 1969 or very early 1970, leaving the DADA post vacant, and Voldemort applied for it. It took about a year for Dumbledore to sort out the details (Whomping Willow, Shrieking Shack etc) which would enable him to offer a werewolf a place at the school. Corporal punishment at Hogwarts continued until at least the late 1960s but was banned either just before or soon after Dumbledore's appointment, possibly as a response to the scarring-for-life of Arthur Weasley.
Furthermore, in 2011 new information on the Pottermore website stated that when Minerva began working at Hogwarts in 1956 Albus was Head of Transfiguration, not Headmaster, and she worked under him for an unspecified period. This shows that Remus's comments about when Albus became Headmaster are feasible. 'Nearly everybody expected spectacular things from Tom Riddle, prefect, Head Boy, winner of the Special Award for Services to the School. I know that several teachers, Professor Slughorn amongst them, suggested that he join the Ministry of Magic, offered to set up appointments, put him in touch with useful contacts. He refused all offers. The next thing the staff knew, Voldemort was working at Borgin and Burkes.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 403] [cut] 'Voldemort first approached Professor Dippet and asked whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 403] Professor Dippet told him that he was too young at eighteen, but invited him to reapply in a few years, if he still wished to teach.' [cut] 'Which job did he want, sir? What subject did he want to teach?' [cut] 'Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was being taught at the time by an old Professor by the name of Galatea Merrythought, who had been at Hogwarts for nearly fifty years.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 404/405] The house-elf returned within minutes, followed by a tall young man Harry had no difficulty whatsoever in recognising as Voldemort. [HBP ch. #20; p. 406] 'Help yourself, Tom,' said Hepzibah, 'I know how you love my cakes. Now, how are you? You look pale. They overwork you at that shop,' [cut] 'Mr Burke would like me to make an improved offer for the goblin-made armour,' said Voldemort. [HBP ch. #20; p. 407] 'Ten years separate Hokey's memory and this one, ten years during which we can only guess at what Lord Voldemort was doing ...' [cut] And Harry dived after Dumbledore through the shifting silver mass, landing in the very office he had just left. [cut] The one difference between the present-day office and this one was that it was snowing in the past; bluish flecks were drifting past the window in the dark and building up on the outside ledge. The younger Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for something, and sure enough, moments after their arrival, there was a knock on the door and he said, 'Enter.' Harry let out a hastily stifled gasp. Voldemort had entered the room. [HBP ch. #20; p. 412/413] 'I have returned,' he said, after a little while, 'later, perhaps, than Professor Dippet expected ... but I have returned, nevertheless, to request again what he once told me I was too young to have. I have come to you to ask that you permit me to return to this castle, to teach.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 414/415] 'Oh, he definitely wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts job,' said Dumbledore. [HBP ch. #20; p. 418] If we accept Pottermore as canon and uncouple Minerva's arrival from Albus's appointment as Headmaster, what other clues do we have as to when he was appointed? We know that Tom Riddle came to see him soon after he was made Headmaster, and that this was ten years after Tom murdered Hepzibah Smith. We know that Tom joined Borgin and Burkes soon after he left school, which would have been in 1945 (we know it was 1945 because during the academic year 1992/93 we are told that the Chamber of Secrets was last opened fifty years beforehand, i.e. in academic year 1942/43, and that was Tom's fifth year). We know Tom was still working for Borgin and Burkes when he murdered Hepzibah. What we do not know is how long Tom had been working for Borgin and Burkes before he murdered Hepzibah. But we do know that when Harry, who is himself sixteen at that point, sees a Pensieved memory of Tom talking to Hepzibah he looks to Harry like a young man. So we want to make Tom as young as we can at that point. If Dumbledore was appointed in 1967, say, that would make Tom thirty in the scene with Hepzibah (Tom turned thirty-one in 1967 - but not until the very last day of the year), and ideally we would like him to be younger. The hopes that they had once had for their son seemed in ruins, and Lyall educated Remus at home, certain that he would never be able to set foot in school. Shortly before Remus’s eleventh birthday, no less a person than Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, arrived uninvited on the Lupins’ doorstep. [Pottermore website] However, an essay about Remus's backstory on Pottermore further complicates matters by stating that Dumbledore made his offer of a place for Remus at Hogwarts shortly before Remus's 11th birthday on 10th March 1971 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters), which would mean in early 1971 or very late in 1970. If we accept that Dumbledore offered Remus a place not very long after he became Head, that means he was appointed in 1970, or at a pinch 1969. That makes Tom thirty-two or thirty-three when he killed Hepzibah Smith and Harry thought of him as a "young man", so he must have been very well-preserved. It also means he worked for Borgin and Burkes for fourteen or fifteen years. So what happened about the Transfiguration post, if Minerva started working at Hogwarts in 1956 but Albus didn't become Headmaster until 1969? The fact that Tom Riddle turns up at Hogwarts soon after Albus's promotion, applying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, suggests that he knew the DADA post to be vacant - which in turn suggests that Albus had been teaching DADA before that point. The discussion group on Loose Canon came up with two alternative scenarios. Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945 [PS ch. #06; p. 77] One: The DADA post became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. In order to keep Tom from applying again Albus Dumbledore took the DADA job himself, playing on his credentials as the recent vanquisher of Grindelwald. An unnamed person took over as Transfiguration teacher and remained until 1956, when they left for reasons which are not specified, and Minerva McGonagall then took the Transfiguration post. Half a dozen boys were sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his, and all in their mid-teens. [cut] 'Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?' Riddle asked. [HBP ch. #17; p. 345/346] Two: The DADA post was supposed to became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. Either Professor Merrythought changed her[?] mind and stayed on (after all we know there were rumours of Merrythought retiring while Tom was in his mid teens, and yet she was still there when Tom finished school at eighteen), or an unknown person took over the DADA job. In 1956, either the unknown person or Professor Merrythought left. That left the DADA post vacant. Albus Dumbledore was concerned that if Tom Riddle were to apply for the DADA post now he would be given it, since he was now almost thirty, so instead he stepped in and took the DADA job himself, playing the "vanquisher of Grindelwald" card. That left the Transfiguration post vacant so Minerva McGonagall was hired. Also Three: It occurs to me that it would also have been possible for Minerva McGonagall to have been hired in 1956 as the DADA mistress with Dumbledore remaining as Transfiguration master, then when Dumbledore became Headmaster Minerva switch to teaching Transfiguration, and the DADA post was left vacant. In all cases, Albus's promotion to Headmaster in the 1960s left the DADA post vacant, and Tom then applied for it (and cursed it, when he was unsuccessful). The new information from Pottermore rules out Options One and Three, if we accept Pottermore as canon. It also puts a slightly different slant on Option Two, in that it sounds as though initially Dumbledore remained as Head of Transfiguration and Minerva - who was recently turned twenty-one in December 1956 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters) - worked under him as an assistant or trainee. But we know that she became the Transfiguration mistress at some point, and the coincidence of Tom's applying for the DADA post at the same time that Albus becomes Headmaster still suggests that at some point between 1956 and his becoming Headmaster Albus moved sideways into DADA and left Transfiguration to Minerva. 'We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.' [1981] [PS ch. #01; p. 13] 'All right -- Voldemort.' Hagrid shuddered. 'Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this -- this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too' [1991] [PS ch. #04; p. 45] [cut] 'one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard who has eluded capture for almost three decades!' [1996] [HBP ch. #01; p. 18] 'Rumours of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them.' Voldemort's expression remained impassive as he said, 'Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore.' 'You call it "greatness", what you have been doing, do you?' asked Dumbledore delicately. 'Certainly,' said Voldemort, and his eyes seemed to burn red. 'I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed --' ?' 'Of some kinds of magic,' Dumbledore corrected him quietly.[cut] 'And what will become of those whom you command? What will happen to those who call themselves -- or so rumour has it -- the Death Eaters?' [shortly after Dumbledore's appointment as Head] [HBP ch. #20; p. 415/416] Having Tom Riddle work for Borgin and Burke's for fourteen years before he found the cup and locket seems a little long. On the other hand, we know that when Tom applied to Dumbledore for the DADA job he already had (according to Dumbledore) at least the beginnings of a private army and the name "Death Eaters", but he doesn't seem to have become an active menace until 1970. If Dumbledore became Head in 1956 that would mean that it took the Death Eaters fourteen years from that point to attract enough negative attention for the Ministry to recognise them as a threat and try to capture Riddle; whereas if Dumbledore became Head in 1969 or 1970 the time-line for the Death Eaters' rise seems more reasonable - as well as resolving the problem of Lupin's statement that Dumbledore became Head after he was bitten. Of the two, 1969 or very early 1970 is probably to be preferred, even though it leaves a gap of a year between Dumbledore becoming Headmaster and offering Remus a place. We know Voldemort began to become a serious problem around 1970 or '71, and Dumbledore's "for eleven years", stated in autumn 1981, is precise enough to peg it to 1970. We know Voldemort came to Dumbledore to apply for the DADA post during winter. If it was the winter of 1970/71 then either he was already a public menace or he only had a month in which to become one. Dumbledore knows Tom has been experimenting with dangerous magic and has already gathered a cult following, but he speaks of this as "rumours". It doesn't sound as though this is already common knowledge, which suggests this is winter 1969/1970, and Voldemort started to menace the wizarding world in an active, attention-getting way soon after he was turned down for the DADA post.
[cut] 'Voldemort first approached Professor Dippet and asked whether he could remain at Hogwarts as a teacher.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 403]
Professor Dippet told him that he was too young at eighteen, but invited him to reapply in a few years, if he still wished to teach.' [cut] 'Which job did he want, sir? What subject did he want to teach?' [cut] 'Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was being taught at the time by an old Professor by the name of Galatea Merrythought, who had been at Hogwarts for nearly fifty years.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 404/405]
The house-elf returned within minutes, followed by a tall young man Harry had no difficulty whatsoever in recognising as Voldemort. [HBP ch. #20; p. 406]
'Help yourself, Tom,' said Hepzibah, 'I know how you love my cakes. Now, how are you? You look pale. They overwork you at that shop,' [cut] 'Mr Burke would like me to make an improved offer for the goblin-made armour,' said Voldemort. [HBP ch. #20; p. 407]
'Ten years separate Hokey's memory and this one, ten years during which we can only guess at what Lord Voldemort was doing ...' [cut] And Harry dived after Dumbledore through the shifting silver mass, landing in the very office he had just left. [cut] The one difference between the present-day office and this one was that it was snowing in the past; bluish flecks were drifting past the window in the dark and building up on the outside ledge. The younger Dumbledore seemed to be waiting for something, and sure enough, moments after their arrival, there was a knock on the door and he said, 'Enter.' Harry let out a hastily stifled gasp. Voldemort had entered the room. [HBP ch. #20; p. 412/413]
'I have returned,' he said, after a little while, 'later, perhaps, than Professor Dippet expected ... but I have returned, nevertheless, to request again what he once told me I was too young to have. I have come to you to ask that you permit me to return to this castle, to teach.' [HBP ch. #20; p. 414/415]
'Oh, he definitely wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts job,' said Dumbledore. [HBP ch. #20; p. 418]
If we accept Pottermore as canon and uncouple Minerva's arrival from Albus's appointment as Headmaster, what other clues do we have as to when he was appointed? We know that Tom Riddle came to see him soon after he was made Headmaster, and that this was ten years after Tom murdered Hepzibah Smith. We know that Tom joined Borgin and Burkes soon after he left school, which would have been in 1945 (we know it was 1945 because during the academic year 1992/93 we are told that the Chamber of Secrets was last opened fifty years beforehand, i.e. in academic year 1942/43, and that was Tom's fifth year). We know Tom was still working for Borgin and Burkes when he murdered Hepzibah.
What we do not know is how long Tom had been working for Borgin and Burkes before he murdered Hepzibah. But we do know that when Harry, who is himself sixteen at that point, sees a Pensieved memory of Tom talking to Hepzibah he looks to Harry like a young man. So we want to make Tom as young as we can at that point. If Dumbledore was appointed in 1967, say, that would make Tom thirty in the scene with Hepzibah (Tom turned thirty-one in 1967 - but not until the very last day of the year), and ideally we would like him to be younger. The hopes that they had once had for their son seemed in ruins, and Lyall educated Remus at home, certain that he would never be able to set foot in school. Shortly before Remus’s eleventh birthday, no less a person than Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, arrived uninvited on the Lupins’ doorstep. [Pottermore website] However, an essay about Remus's backstory on Pottermore further complicates matters by stating that Dumbledore made his offer of a place for Remus at Hogwarts shortly before Remus's 11th birthday on 10th March 1971 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters), which would mean in early 1971 or very late in 1970. If we accept that Dumbledore offered Remus a place not very long after he became Head, that means he was appointed in 1970, or at a pinch 1969. That makes Tom thirty-two or thirty-three when he killed Hepzibah Smith and Harry thought of him as a "young man", so he must have been very well-preserved. It also means he worked for Borgin and Burkes for fourteen or fifteen years. So what happened about the Transfiguration post, if Minerva started working at Hogwarts in 1956 but Albus didn't become Headmaster until 1969? The fact that Tom Riddle turns up at Hogwarts soon after Albus's promotion, applying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, suggests that he knew the DADA post to be vacant - which in turn suggests that Albus had been teaching DADA before that point. The discussion group on Loose Canon came up with two alternative scenarios. Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945 [PS ch. #06; p. 77] One: The DADA post became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. In order to keep Tom from applying again Albus Dumbledore took the DADA job himself, playing on his credentials as the recent vanquisher of Grindelwald. An unnamed person took over as Transfiguration teacher and remained until 1956, when they left for reasons which are not specified, and Minerva McGonagall then took the Transfiguration post. Half a dozen boys were sitting around Slughorn, all on harder or lower seats than his, and all in their mid-teens. [cut] 'Sir, is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?' Riddle asked. [HBP ch. #17; p. 345/346] Two: The DADA post was supposed to became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. Either Professor Merrythought changed her[?] mind and stayed on (after all we know there were rumours of Merrythought retiring while Tom was in his mid teens, and yet she was still there when Tom finished school at eighteen), or an unknown person took over the DADA job. In 1956, either the unknown person or Professor Merrythought left. That left the DADA post vacant. Albus Dumbledore was concerned that if Tom Riddle were to apply for the DADA post now he would be given it, since he was now almost thirty, so instead he stepped in and took the DADA job himself, playing the "vanquisher of Grindelwald" card. That left the Transfiguration post vacant so Minerva McGonagall was hired. Also Three: It occurs to me that it would also have been possible for Minerva McGonagall to have been hired in 1956 as the DADA mistress with Dumbledore remaining as Transfiguration master, then when Dumbledore became Headmaster Minerva switch to teaching Transfiguration, and the DADA post was left vacant. In all cases, Albus's promotion to Headmaster in the 1960s left the DADA post vacant, and Tom then applied for it (and cursed it, when he was unsuccessful). The new information from Pottermore rules out Options One and Three, if we accept Pottermore as canon. It also puts a slightly different slant on Option Two, in that it sounds as though initially Dumbledore remained as Head of Transfiguration and Minerva - who was recently turned twenty-one in December 1956 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters) - worked under him as an assistant or trainee. But we know that she became the Transfiguration mistress at some point, and the coincidence of Tom's applying for the DADA post at the same time that Albus becomes Headmaster still suggests that at some point between 1956 and his becoming Headmaster Albus moved sideways into DADA and left Transfiguration to Minerva.
However, an essay about Remus's backstory on Pottermore further complicates matters by stating that Dumbledore made his offer of a place for Remus at Hogwarts shortly before Remus's 11th birthday on 10th March 1971 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters), which would mean in early 1971 or very late in 1970. If we accept that Dumbledore offered Remus a place not very long after he became Head, that means he was appointed in 1970, or at a pinch 1969. That makes Tom thirty-two or thirty-three when he killed Hepzibah Smith and Harry thought of him as a "young man", so he must have been very well-preserved. It also means he worked for Borgin and Burkes for fourteen or fifteen years.
So what happened about the Transfiguration post, if Minerva started working at Hogwarts in 1956 but Albus didn't become Headmaster until 1969? The fact that Tom Riddle turns up at Hogwarts soon after Albus's promotion, applying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, suggests that he knew the DADA post to be vacant - which in turn suggests that Albus had been teaching DADA before that point.
The discussion group on Loose Canon came up with two alternative scenarios.
One: The DADA post became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. In order to keep Tom from applying again Albus Dumbledore took the DADA job himself, playing on his credentials as the recent vanquisher of Grindelwald. An unnamed person took over as Transfiguration teacher and remained until 1956, when they left for reasons which are not specified, and Minerva McGonagall then took the Transfiguration post.
Two: The DADA post was supposed to became vacant in 1945 when Galatea Merrythought retired. Tom Riddle applied for the job but was turned down by Headmaster Dippet because he was too young. Either Professor Merrythought changed her[?] mind and stayed on (after all we know there were rumours of Merrythought retiring while Tom was in his mid teens, and yet she was still there when Tom finished school at eighteen), or an unknown person took over the DADA job. In 1956, either the unknown person or Professor Merrythought left. That left the DADA post vacant. Albus Dumbledore was concerned that if Tom Riddle were to apply for the DADA post now he would be given it, since he was now almost thirty, so instead he stepped in and took the DADA job himself, playing the "vanquisher of Grindelwald" card. That left the Transfiguration post vacant so Minerva McGonagall was hired.
Also Three: It occurs to me that it would also have been possible for Minerva McGonagall to have been hired in 1956 as the DADA mistress with Dumbledore remaining as Transfiguration master, then when Dumbledore became Headmaster Minerva switch to teaching Transfiguration, and the DADA post was left vacant.
In all cases, Albus's promotion to Headmaster in the 1960s left the DADA post vacant, and Tom then applied for it (and cursed it, when he was unsuccessful).
The new information from Pottermore rules out Options One and Three, if we accept Pottermore as canon. It also puts a slightly different slant on Option Two, in that it sounds as though initially Dumbledore remained as Head of Transfiguration and Minerva - who was recently turned twenty-one in December 1956 (see Birthdates of the Harry Potter characters) - worked under him as an assistant or trainee. But we know that she became the Transfiguration mistress at some point, and the coincidence of Tom's applying for the DADA post at the same time that Albus becomes Headmaster still suggests that at some point between 1956 and his becoming Headmaster Albus moved sideways into DADA and left Transfiguration to Minerva.
'All right -- Voldemort.' Hagrid shuddered. 'Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this -- this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too' [1991] [PS ch. #04; p. 45]
[cut] 'one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard who has eluded capture for almost three decades!' [1996] [HBP ch. #01; p. 18]
'Rumours of your doings have reached your old school, Tom. I should be sorry to believe half of them.' Voldemort's expression remained impassive as he said, 'Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies. You must know this, Dumbledore.' 'You call it "greatness", what you have been doing, do you?' asked Dumbledore delicately. 'Certainly,' said Voldemort, and his eyes seemed to burn red. 'I have experimented; I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than they have ever been pushed --' ?' 'Of some kinds of magic,' Dumbledore corrected him quietly.[cut] 'And what will become of those whom you command? What will happen to those who call themselves -- or so rumour has it -- the Death Eaters?' [shortly after Dumbledore's appointment as Head] [HBP ch. #20; p. 415/416]
Having Tom Riddle work for Borgin and Burke's for fourteen years before he found the cup and locket seems a little long. On the other hand, we know that when Tom applied to Dumbledore for the DADA job he already had (according to Dumbledore) at least the beginnings of a private army and the name "Death Eaters", but he doesn't seem to have become an active menace until 1970. If Dumbledore became Head in 1956 that would mean that it took the Death Eaters fourteen years from that point to attract enough negative attention for the Ministry to recognise them as a threat and try to capture Riddle; whereas if Dumbledore became Head in 1969 or 1970 the time-line for the Death Eaters' rise seems more reasonable - as well as resolving the problem of Lupin's statement that Dumbledore became Head after he was bitten.
Of the two, 1969 or very early 1970 is probably to be preferred, even though it leaves a gap of a year between Dumbledore becoming Headmaster and offering Remus a place. We know Voldemort began to become a serious problem around 1970 or '71, and Dumbledore's "for eleven years", stated in autumn 1981, is precise enough to peg it to 1970. We know Voldemort came to Dumbledore to apply for the DADA post during winter. If it was the winter of 1970/71 then either he was already a public menace or he only had a month in which to become one. Dumbledore knows Tom has been experimenting with dangerous magic and has already gathered a cult following, but he speaks of this as "rumours". It doesn't sound as though this is already common knowledge, which suggests this is winter 1969/1970, and Voldemort started to menace the wizarding world in an active, attention-getting way soon after he was turned down for the DADA post.
A highly polished collection of chains and manacles hung on the wall behind Filch's desk. It was common knowledge that he was always begging Dumbledore to let him suspend students by their ankles from the ceiling. [CoS ch. #08; p. 96]
'Your father and I had been for a night-time stroll,' she said. 'He got caught by Apollyon Pringle -- he was the caretaker in those days -- your father's still got the marks.' [GoF ch. #31; p. 535]
'Yerse ... I've been telling Dumbledore for years and years he's too soft with you all,' said Filch, chuckling nastily. 'You filthy little beasts would never have dropped Stink Pellets if you'd known I had it in my power to whip you raw, would you, now? Nobody would have thought of throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridors if I could've strung you up by the ankles in my office, would they? But when Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine comes in, Potter, I'll be allowed to do them things ... and she's asked the Minister to sign an order for the expulsion of Peeves ... oh, things are going to be very different around here with her in charge ...' [OotP ch. #28; p. 554]
'Approval for Whipping ... Approval for Whipping ... I can do it at last ... they've had it coming to them for years ...' [OotP ch. #29; p. 593]
There's another factor which tends to favour Dumbledore becoming Headmaster late in the 1960s rather than sooner. It is strongly implied that extreme physical punishment of students was allowed at Hogwarts at some time in the past. Filch speaks of "the old punishments" having been allowed to die out and he certainly seems to be referring to punishments allowed at Hogwarts, not just punishments allowed by wizard society in general, because he says that he "still" has the chains - that is, they're almost certainly old chains left over from the past, not ones he has brought there himself. Dumbledore however will not let him use these methods.
We do not have absolute proof of when physical punishment ceased to be employed at Hogwarts, or whether it was allowed under Dippet, Dumbledore's predecessor. However, we know that Bill Weasley, the oldest known Weasley child, was born circa November 1970, and that Arthur and Molly were already dating when they were at Hogwarts. Given how fecund they are, Bill was probably born not too long after they left school, so so they were most likely at Hogwarts in the mid and late 1960s, leaving in 1969 or even 1970 (if Molly left school already pregnant). During that time, they were caught together after hours and the then caretaker, Apollyon Pringle, punished Arthur in some way which scarred him for life (although we are not told whether Pringle used hands-on means or a hex to do so).
It may have been this incident with Arthur which prompted Dumbledore to ban physical punishment, or it may have already been banned shortly before he was appointed; or it may have been the case that he or his predecessor Dippet had already banned it before the incident and Pringle was breaking the rules (and perhaps was sacked and replaced by Filch as a result). But the earlier we have Albus becoming Headmaster, the more likely it becomes that Arthur was scarred on his watch, and the more time elapsed during which he either allowed extreme physical punishments, or Pringle felt justified in defying the new rules and returning to an older, more barbaric time. Either of these seem more likely after a few months than twelve years.
In conclusion, therefore, the most likely and canon-compatible scenario seems to be that Minerva came to work as Dumbledore's assistant in late 1956, at which point he was still Transfiguration Master. A few years down the line the DADA master or mistress (either Galatea Merrythought or her replacement) left, Dumbledore became DADA master and McGonagall was promoted to Transfiguration mistress. Dumbledore became Headmaster around late 1969 or very early 1970, leaving the DADA post vacant, and Voldemort applied for it. It took about a year for Dumbledore to sort out the details (Whomping Willow, Shrieking Shack etc) which would enable him to offer a werewolf a place at the school. Corporal punishment at Hogwarts continued until at least the late 1960s but was banned either just before or soon after Dumbledore's appointment, possibly as a response to the scarring-for-life of Arthur Weasley.
