Future Usefulness of Hogwarts Classes

[Lizzy Bennet]

Let's consider the classes we have learned about (leaving out a few of the minor ones) because the Trio has taken them in the last five books:

Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall
Potions with Professor Snape
Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid
Diviniation with Professor Trelawney
Charms with Professor Flitwick
History of Magic with (ok, forgive me, I know it's a ghost--but who?? )
Astronomy with (again, not sure who! )
Defense Against the Dark Arts with *take your pick*
Herbology with Professor Sprout

Now, what have the trio learned in these classes that they have applied in their dealings with Voldemort/the Death-Eaters? I'm sure some things will be easy to name, and others will take more thought. Once we brainstorm and list out a few of those, I thought we could next ponder how these classes may prove important to the Trio in the future. Will one or more of the Trio become animagi? Will any of them every use Polyjuice potion again? Will any of the creatures they learn about be helpful to them in the future? What are your thoughts? It'll be interesting to see what connections we can make between the classes and their practical uses in the last five books and what may be used that the Trio learns in the future. Then again, maybe past things will not be used in future books...what are your thoughts?


~ Lizzy

[Enchanter]

Proffesor Binns is the ghost

[gecko]

And astronomy is taught by Professor Sinistra. And while we're at it, Hermione also has Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Muggle studies as subjects!

Have to go school now, so I'll think about it some more, before posting all my thoughts on this..

[highsorcerer]

I picked charms. It seems to be a catch-all for everything not covered by other subjects. Charms range from bubble-head oxygen supplies to summoning, from levitation to putting legs on teacups. That makes it probably the most wide-ranging subject, and thus the most important.

[Violet]

i went for potions, not entirely sure why now, i think it was more the fact that i think that the others are fairly useless!

[Lizzy Bennet]

I haven't voted yet, as I can't decide, but I wonder if, with the prophecy, if Diviniation won't become a more important class. Probably not, with the way Trelawney teaches it , but you never know . . . Firenze's teaching of that class was certainly far more interesting!

As highsorcerer pointed out, Charms covers a variety of things, could be quite useful in the future, and would give us more information about Professor Flitwick. Interesting that Flitwick was once James Potter's DADA teacher and is now Harry's Charms teacher . . . I don't know if JKR will do anything with that, or if, possibly, now that the 'second war' is breaking out, if the Charms that Flitwick teaches his students won't have a DADA edge to them. Total speculation on my part.

Hard to pick which class will be the most important . . . it'll be interesting to read what the rest of you lot think!


~ Lizzy

[highsorcerer]

Actually, Flitwick was only proctoring the exam. I assumed he was with the MoM giving the OWL tests, not with Hogwarts at the time. Note it was not the teachers of the classes which gave the OWL tests to the students. Lucky for Harry, or he'd probably have failed both Potions and DADA with Snape and Umbridge respectively

[June]

Actually, Flitwick was only proctoring the exam. I assumed he was with the MoM giving the OWL tests, not with Hogwarts at the time. Note it was not the teachers of the classes which gave the OWL tests to the students. Lucky for Harry, or he'd probably have failed both Potions and DADA with Snape and Umbridge respectively

I'm not too sure of the education system of other countries, but just to note that this is just so reminicsent of the British system. In Singapore, where we follow the British form of education... we have the 'O' (Ordinary) levels and 'A' (Advanced) levels to test us after 4 years and 2 years respectively, and where it's a gauge of our standard to go on to higher education. During these government exams, we have invigilators from the Ministry of Education (MOE) or from other schools too, and the exams are also marked by teachers not from the schools where we came from. The exam papers are anonymous in any case and we're each given a number to identify us. It's sent to the MOE or even to Britain to be marked. All these elaborate plannings are just to avoid bias and favouritism, just like in Hogwarts. ^_~

[choki]

yup i agree with June
Hogwarts and maybe other wiarding schools have this practise on major exams like OWLs and NEWTs.

[Fafnul Black]

I picked Transfiguration, mainly because I would like to (finally) see some in the books (apart from those Animagi guys). I mean, Harry and friends did change cushions in turtles or whatever, but up to now it remained classroom magic, or am I mistaken ?

[AccioNiffler]

ooh, it was so hard to pick, but I went with charms. And like a lot of you said, it seems to cover a lot of stuff. I'm sure that more than one class will be really important though. And in transfiguration, wont they be doing more useful stuff this comming year because their NEWTs are comming up (I hope so, we never see enough of transfiguration imo). I also think that maybe History of magic may tie in somehow. JKR links the past and present together a lot, and maybe they'll learn about something from the past that will turn out useful this year?

[Sacred Guardian]

i went with charms, but it was a tough between that transfiguration and potions, all of which would be very important, but i think that charms has the most practical immediate uses

[Ju-DedoH]

i'd say all the ones said by pr mc gonnagal to become an auror really, also i don't think trelawney is as blind of the future as she seems since she did make THE prophecy and DD would'nt trust anyone to teach in hogwarts, that is why i believe that all teachers of whom we hav'nt seen the real power potentially have some, except for umbridge of course.

[Albus]

I'll choose Potions, becuase Transfigurations and Charms will be obviously important subjects, but in my opinion Harry will have to improve his studies in Potions, even owing to the fact that he knows it's important in order to become an Auror...

[Holly Golightly]

I would like to see Transfig have a much bigger part... Yes, there ahev been the animagi, but i would liek to see Harry Ron and Hermoine tranfsiguring like beetles into things they need at the time, or whatever! I think that would be very cool indeed!!!