'Cursed' Position at Hogwarts NZ?

[Nicolas King]

As the site staff consider the recently-closed professor applications I was thinking about welcoming new professors to HNZ every year and the pattern with Defence Against the Dark Arts in the novels. Which naturally leads to the question of this post:
What, if any, position is 'cursed' at Hogwarts NZ and seems to see more turn-over than average?

Are there any other roles, beyond Hogwarts professors, you guys think have had a bit of a curse on the site? Shops that change hands often? Or student appointments that always turn out badly (eg. head boys always end up murdered later on in life)?

I'd love to hear the patterns you think you see and the conspiracy theories you may foster in your hearts!

 

[Professor Killian Borisyuk]

Styx cursed DADA. New head canon.

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

Okay so I am totally crazy but I just looked at the last 2 OOC years of bi-weekly updates to see which professor positions seem to have more turnover and this appears to be Transfiguration, with DADA and History of Magic tied for second so Styx could have very well cursed both Transfig and DADA

Though keep in mind I could have accidentally counted twice as sometimes the apps are mentioned that are open, and then later the professors chosen so this could be totally inaccurate and I am just bad at counting

But hey, if it's Transfig and DADA and HOM that have more turn around that's pretty fun, maybe this means we can have students pull more pranks in the classes to bother the professors so they leave (in character of course) and make it more canon!!

 

[Aine Thompson]

Please don't give Gabrielle a nervous breakdown she's already on the verge of it and I'll have to create another professor to replace her for HoM

The school definitely has a high turnover rate, which OOC it's like, yeah RL happens and it's completely understandable. IC it's interesting though and lets the more opinionated students have a lot of thoughts (I say, pointing to Aine and Celia venting). Just for the last 6 IC years (i.e. the time I've been back - 6 IC years already wow) I'd definitely agree it's those three subjects, a lot seem to have stabilized but I'd like to believe Styx cursed DADA and Transfig. It is fated only a Styx can teach upper years of the latter, perhaps. I think in that time Aine's seen 2 lower years HoM profs (and 2 upper), 2 lower potions, 3 lower Transfig (and 3 upper) and soon to be 3 lower DADA. Also some turnover for Astronomy, but part of that was substitutes IC for a semester while the prof was on leave. I think by that metric Transfiguration seems to be the most cursed? Maybe there can be rumours that former teachers are still around in animagus form...

Unrelated but IC Aine is thoroughly convinced her vitriolic essays about Astronomy caused Professor Harrington to stop teaching lower years so if there ends up problems there she cursed it.

There's probably some curses about Quidditch, too...

 

[Nicolas King]

But hey, if it's Transfig and DADA and HOM that have more turn around that's pretty fun

The school definitely has a high turnover rate, which OOC it's like, yeah RL happens and it's completely understandable.

Agreed with you both.
OOC reasons are obvious and nobody should feel bad if they've ever been part of one of those statistics!!!
But I think the IC reasoning would be fascinating to consider, and the feeling students have with all the change through their schooling.
What conspiracy theories may exist in the student body?
What do the other faculty think when the next and soon to be former DADA prof begins?

There's probably some curses about Quidditch, too...

Yes, do tell...

 

[Miranda Dawes]

I know Gabrielle is part of the problem with HoM (though at least she's stuck around for a few years now) but IC she also just ends up shocked at the ages of profs. Like, how there's been some who are in their early 20s/recent graduates of the school, and also Styx who is like 6000 years old. I recall Ana had Celia write an opinion piece for the paper about the standards of teaching because training is kind of handwaved for the most part so it can seem like anyone can just decide to be a teacher (there's not really any canon for tertiary studies, though in canon some of the DADA picks in the novels were clearly not people who had actual teaching backgrounds, e.g. Lockhart). Maybe some professors just don't bother to get close to colleagues because they expect they won't be around too long?

IC I also had Aine be extremely disappointed that she had a Transfiguration professor she clicked with only for them to leave within a semester. I was probably thinking of the Simpsons, though not to the same extent as that episode! I kind of imagine Transfiguration being a bit analogous to maths in real life - it's probably easy to tune out and go 'I can't do it' if you aren't taught well/struggle to get it. Upheaval probably makes it even harder, so I dare say there's probably quite a few students who have had some disconnect with subjects.

I am tempted to start rumours after professors leave though, maybe DADA profs didn't get appropriate permissions for the Unforgivable Curses and they're all in Azkaban.

Quidditch conspiracies: the nurses put a curse on the snitch to be caught quickly to avoid too much injury from bludgers only now it's worn off (see: Slytherin v Beauxbatons). The ghost of Nicolas King, meanwhile, messed with the bludgers in the last Quidditch Cup game because he didn't like Celia's attitude.

Edit: sorry for textwalling so much lol

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

the nurses put a curse on the snitch to be caught quickly to avoid too much injury from bludgers only now it's worn off (see: Slytherin v Beauxbatons).

I like this theory!

 

[Nicolas King]

Okay so I am totally crazy but I just looked at the last 2 OOC years

I forgot to agree that this was crazy.
What does evidence have to do with the conspiracy theories I'm looking for?

Edit: sorry for textwalling so much lol

Noooo, textwalling is good.

The ghost of Nicolas King, meanwhile, messed with the bludgers in the last Quidditch Cup game because he didn't like Celia's attitude.

I don't know how Kingy would feel about Celia, just how I feel about Celia.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

the nurses put a curse on the snitch to be caught quickly to avoid too much injury from bludgers only now it's worn off (see: Slytherin v Beauxbatons).

I choose to believe this is Connor & Tilly's fault

 

[Miro Morales-Albertson]

I forgot to agree that this was crazy.
What does evidence have to do with the conspiracy theories I'm looking for?

The 'cursed' DADA subject at Hogwarts Scotland is based on the evidence of professors always changing isn't it? Even if it isn't necessarily a real curse or doesn't have more to it than professors just changing more often than other subjects, I wouldn't be surprised if because of the HNZ reality that Transfig seems to have the highest turnover rate, students have created a conspiracy theory it is cursed or maybe the older students tell the firsties just to scare them when they go to transfig lessons

 

[Miranda Dawes]

I feel like now Styx is teaching upper years Transfiguration the scares spread themselves. Though I am definitely all for older students making up blatant lies/spreading rumours to freak out younger students. Audrey was definitely going to. "The old teachers crossed Professor Styx so he turned them into furniture. You could be writing your exam on Professor Brigham and you wouldn't even know it!" Hopefully, nobody would believe that. But gullibility can be fun!

And yeah I think the curse in the books was more Dumbledore is bad at hiring appropriate teachers. Though I'm sure the general rumour and student expectation probably contributed - and admittedly some weren't on him (Umbridge specifically). And, you know, how wild things were in the time the books took place.

 

[Tempest Vero]

students have created a conspiracy theory it is cursed or maybe the older students tell the firsties just to scare them when they go to transfig lessons

who's doing the first year tour this year because that seems like the perfect opportunity

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Styx who is like 6000 years old

First of all, rude. And pretty sure Styx would never turn people into furniture to make people wonder if they are practicing their transfiguration on people/former professors. Absolutely never. Although he had to get back into the school somehow.

who's doing the first year tour this year because that seems like the perfect opportunity

My second year Hufflepuff would fall for the rumors honestly. Marcel and Jean would join this, and either believe/make things worse.

 

[Miranda Dawes]

who's doing the first year tour this year because that seems like the perfect opportunity

Very tempted to with Aine now... (she'd be the type to make completely deadpan jokes that would inadvertently get taken seriously, after all...)

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Was just thinking abt the curse of high prof turnover & considering the opposite - school staff who are cursed to stay forever? I know Kingsley, Stefan, Misha, Kahurangi, and Landon have been around the longest.... did Kingsley ever even leave after graduating??

 

[Archie Renner]

Maybe this could start rumors of immortality and a secret alchemy group like a secret society among the professors

Maybe this is why Styx returned?? he needed more elixir of life??

 

[Miranda Dawes]

Kingsley has a sign up in her office that says 'Don't Forget, You're Here Forever'