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inboz

McGonagall and it’s not close.


Pudgy_cactus

Dumbledore as headmaster: “And now, for this year’s House Cup champions… wait a minute… how many points does Gryffindor need? 10 points to Harry Potter for sneezing just now!” McGonagall as headmistress: “And now, for the House Cup tournament, for the first time since the founding of Hogwarts, Gryffindor has unexpectedly ended up in fifth place…”


Rhubarbalicious

"However Gryffindor also wins the quidditch house cul forever"


SanityPlanet

She routinely failed to listen to students' concerns and children were put in danger as a result. She also ordered everyone to their common rooms upon receiving a report of a troll in the dungeon, even though the Slytherin common room was located there.


Careful_Assumption16

That was Dumbledore wasn’t it?


SanityPlanet

Maybe so. It’s been a while


DisneyPandora

Filius Flitwick would have been a better Headmaster than her. He was the Greatest Teacher and Greatest duelist in the world


k_pineapple7

A champion dueler in his youth yes but that doesn't mean he's the greatest dueler in the world.


DisneyPandora

We also don’t know if Voldemort is the strongest wizard in the world, he was only said to be the strongest in Britain


AmphibianNeat8679

Getting down voted for this is crazy


WeekendThief

Yea she was already deputy


MeddlinQ

How could Snape be the better headmaster? Don't get me wrong, I understand the tragedy and complexity of the character. I know he's not black and white. But one thing's undeniable - he was bullying the students, he was prone to favoritism and he refused to teach really (compared how huge knowledge did he have). Dude shouldn't be let anywhere near education of children.


Kryds

Snape was a creep, who followed the kid of the woman he loved.


PhatOofxD

Lol what? I get the bully stuff but this is a bit insane. There were plenty of genuine reasons to keep an eye on Harry while pretending this is why


Kryds

Dude stalked Lily, and only agreed to look over Harry, because he has her eyes.


HalfbloodPrince-4518

Excuse me but stalked Lily?


AsgardianOrphan

He didn't know Harry's eyes? Like, why do you think he was visiting baby Harry? He was a death eater, and they were in hiding. He agreed to save Harry before seeing him. He agreed because Dumbledore pointed out, correctly, that if you love a person, you should want their kid to live too.


fargo_levy_

Sorry but when he meets Dumbledore and they talk about you said you'd save them, Dumbledore says something along the lines of, "the boy survives, he has her eyes do you remember the exact shape etc of Lillie's eyes" then snape says something like, don't tell anyone etc etc Edit------- Also just wanna point out the eye thing was pretty weird, like, as he's dying , getting Harry to look into his eyes one last time


AsgardianOrphan

Right, but he begs Dumbledore to save them before then and agrees to help Harry. So it has nothing to do with eyes.


fargo_levy_

Begs him to save lily, reluctantly agrees for Dumbledore to extend that protection to James and Harry, after it goes awry, agrees to help Harry after learning about eyes, im sure thats the right timeline, it's pretty black and white. If you need me to I can try find the quotes, also I'm not saying he only agreed cause of eyes, just that he did know about it ahead of that decision


AsgardianOrphan

So it seems we're pretty much in agreement. You just typed out that he did agree before knowing about the wyes. He reluctantly agrees, then learns about the eyes. I guess there's nothing else to say since you just said it there.


fargo_levy_

just so weird this whole thing... there has def been some misunderstanding.. "Right, but he begs Dumbledore to save them before then and agrees to help Harry. So it has nothing to do with eyes" - AsgardianOrphan 2024 1. Dumbledore save them and then 2. agree to help harry kill voldemort. these happen at different story points, first one is whole family is alive and he has no clue about harry, second one happens when all but harry have been killed.. and he does know about eyes (creepy), hopefully this helps. ----edit---- just to be extra clear here.. the original comment was talking about "agreed to watch over harry" which is post lily's death.. (including eye knowledge) you just came at that person incorrectly and i was trying to rectify that. i def care more than i should lol... anyhow, goodnight <3


Kryds

That comes before lily's death. So it's not relevant to Snape's motive to protect Harry afterwards.


flacaGT3

I don't think that's why he agreed. It was an appeal to his guilt on Dumbledore's part. It's emotional manipulation.


JesusAndPalsX

>Snape was a creep, who followed the kid of the woman he loved. >Lol what? I get the bully stuff but this is a bit insane. Ummmmmmmmm sir I hate to break it to you but that's literally just the plot. It was the big reveal about the character. It's like....his only motive


Diligent-Stand-2485

JK actually confirmed that had Harry not been Lily's son, he wouldn't have cared about Harry at all He never cared about Harry as a person, only as an extension of Lily. It's even in the books with the wording. When Dumbledore says Harry must die and Snape is horrified he says "we did all this work to protect Lily's son" Lily's son. Not "Harry" Not an innocent boy who's the target of a sadistic mass murderer. He is just Lily's son because that's all Snape cares about.


PhatOofxD

I'm not saying he cared about Harry at all besides being an extension of Lily. But 'Creep who *followed* the kid of the women he loved' is a bit far for me imo. It's a bit of stretching reality by omitting what he was actually doing. While Snape wouldn't have cared about Harry if he wasn't Lily's son, would he still have protected someone who was known to be the one to bring Voldemort down out of revenge? Maybe.


Diligent-Stand-2485

Oh I wasn't even paying attention to that sentence yeah I concur that Tbh I don't think he would protect anyone else though. Remember, he only switched sides because Lily was targeted. If Lily wasn't targeted he would've remained a loyal death eater, killing and torturing in Voldemort's name so he wouldn't have tried protecting someone else Voldemort wanted dead. When he rushed to deliver the prophecy he knew he would be signing someone's death sentence and that clearly didn't bother him. So why would he care about someone unrelated to Lily? It's also worth noting that Dumbledore STILL had to manipulate Snape into protecting Harry


kenikigenikai

I can imagine him theoretically being a better headmaster than teacher simply because there's far less day to day interaction with the kids. The plan to have him as a headmaster in the war for damage control was solid, but even if he'd survived, once Voldemort is gone I can't imagine him willingly staying at Hogwarts for any job. Presumably he'd have left asap with the assumption that literally any of the other teachers would take over, and McGonagall is obviously the best choice for the job at that point.


antipinballmachines

And experimented on a toad which could have killed it.


GetOffMyCabbages

Poor Neville.


RaphaelSolo

I mean technically he's a better than Phineas Nigellus. Merlin's beard that man is insufferable.


chocoboporter

Gave Astoria Crickett a 4-hour detention because he believed Ferdinand Pratt's story of her planning to "drain the lake" I was in stitches


PhysicalRaspberry565

I imagine the reason why Snape became headmaster was Voldemorts trust. And from this circle he probably was the best option. But of course that's really special circumstances. Unless you argue the headmaster doesn't teach, thus he won't bully students?


aubieismyhomie

When Harry’s name came out of the Goblet McGinagall would have been like “It’s the TRI wizard tournament, Potter is underage, he’s not competing.” And Voldemort wouldn’t have come back.


ErgotthAE

But there's also the fact the goblet does a similar thing to an unbreakable vow to those in it, so I imagine McGonagall would find a workaround.


dapzar

If that thing can enforce magical contracts on people who didn't willingly sign them (Harry didn't put his own name in), they should have used it to kill Voldemort for not participating in a tournament that he's chosen for and not informed about. >!I'm joking of course. But imho that "magical contract" thing being enforced on Harry Potter doesn't make much sense and seems like a plot convenience to allow all the adults in the world to act irresponsibly and let an underage Harry participate in deadly tasks.!<


Schalezi

Yeap, there are so many plot conveniences (and plot holes) throughout the HP books that it's best to not look and just go with the flow.


igtimran

That’s a great idea, but Voldemort wasn’t a student. I think that wouldn’t have worked because that’s even more core than confounding the Goblet about Harry’s age. But if it did work? That’s brilliant. The Goblet is now one of the most powerful artifacts in existence. Summon Voldemort. Start the events. Have Snape slowly do the countdown to the start so that nobody can complain you’re rushing things. If it’s anything like the Unbreakable Vow, Voldy dies, again, and it’s back off to his spirit form or whatever. Now that said, if he does show up, we have a different problem: Myrtle will be traumatized even more when Ole’ Tom goes to the prefects’ bathroom with his egg…


Jwoods4117

I mean Crouch registered Harry to the cup as being from a fake 4th school so that he would be sure he was picked. They 100% could have done the same with Voldy, but then the plot would be rather dull. The goblets rules don’t make much sense and that’s ok.


GlasgowGunner

Just confund the goblet to think Voldy was a student


PhysicalRaspberry565

Maybe using the real name. And everyone hearing it "who tf is that???" XD


Mauro697

Problem is, the signature was indeed Harry's, it wasn't forged


Odd-Plant4779

Harry never signed anything


Mauro697

I could have sworn that the piece of parchment with Harry's name on it was torn off from one of his assignments (thus his "signature") but I can't find it now


Odd-Plant4779

No it’s not in books or the movies.


IamMe90

No, that for sure never happened


SanityPlanet

It also used Harry's signature to bind him. Maybe a Tom Riddle essay is still in a filing cabinet somewhere.


ugluk-the-uruk

I wonder why Harry couldn't just like... not try during the challenges. Like the dragon would be hard to avoid but why couldn't he just like float in the water for the second challenge and stand a few feet into the maze for the third?


CrazyCanine25

He didn’t want to look like a fool and kinda liked the idea that he could potentially win the tournament. If I remember correctly, haven’t read the books in a bit.


harvard_cherry053

His confidence definitely skyrocketed after the first task but prior to that he was mortified


South_Dakota_Boy

Where does this idea come from? It’s not in the books. It’s never stated what happens to you if you don’t uphold the goblet’s contract.


ErgotthAE

While they never used the term "unbreakable vow" since it was introduced in book 6, they did say the Goblet forms a contract with the names that come out of it.


Halfdwarf

And that is just pure evil. Forcing such a contract on a child for a school tournament. What if there is a family emergency or the child is injured?


a_randomtroll

Its the wizarding world, the answer is most likely that the creators of the goblet thought "lmao deal with it bitch" That's probably also a reason the schools decided to limit it to the adults in book 4, same with how the tasks were kinda impressive but perfectly doable for a good 6th/7th year student


Pm7I3

Magic is vague as hell. He doesn't have to do anything just have him do nothing in the events.


Santims11

And still Harry was in first year when he joined the Gryffindor's quidditch team.


flacaGT3

Dumbledore didn't even know who "him" was but said let him cook.


No-Conflict-7897

he would have come back anyway, he either would have got harry another time or used another enemies blood. If she was headmaster in the poa she never would have condoned them using the timeturner to save sirius and buckbeak


thisguybuda

Dumbledore was hooking that line with Harry as bait for 15 years at that point, he’s not going to take it off the line at that point. He knew what was up


husky_midwesterner

Flitwick if not McGonagall, he had a much better rapport with the students and their respect


BGH-251F2

He was a bit of a push over, sometimes literally.


ProGuy347

McGonagall. No question about it. Like others have said, this isn't even close.


Previous_Ad_112

Well shape was genuinely abusive towards his students. So that should be a clear disqualification imo


harvard_cherry053

!redditsickle for "shape" hehe


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SSpotions

So was McGonagall


Previous_Ad_112

WRONG


Previous_Ad_112

But seriously, you really think she was ever close to what Snape did? You have examples?


Emotional-Ad167

Minerva, 100%. Snape is too young, and he has to work on his pedagogical skills.


Palamur

>and he has to work on his pedagogical skills. You expressed that in a very polite and politically correct way.


Diligent-Stand-2485

Professor McGonagall is literally a queen, she could run Hogwarts by herself


ResponsibilityOk1900

Definitely Mc Gonagall


ohheyitslaila

McGonagall or if she couldn’t for some reason, Flitwick.


unhorcruxed

Minerva for sure. And maybe , Hermione , some 50 years later.


krtsgnr_7230

CC isn't canon for me but i like the idea of Hermione being the Minister.


unhorcruxed

Oh , I cannot ever consider CC to be cannon. Hermione is a lot like Minerva but has Dumbledore’s traits. I think she’ll be great as the Headmistress!


SSpotions

Neither. Both were strict. What they do as professors; McGonagall she sends four first years to the forbidden forest for detention. After taking a hundred and fifty points from Gryffindor (which causes Harry to be bullied from most of the students.) Twice she doesn't believe Harry about his concerns which ends up with Harry taking matters into his own hands and he ends up in trouble. She calls Neville an embarrassment. She severely punishes Neville for something he can't control by denying him access to his own bed, she buys Harry an expensive broom, but when Ron a poor student has a broken wand she doesn't bring him one weekend to Diagon Alley to get a new wand that works, thus he can't participate in classes. Snape - Tells Hermione, "I see no difference." When she had been hit with a spell by Draco, calls Hermione a know it all. Threatens to poison Neville's toad and is Neville's boggart and bullies Harry for the sins of his father.


Skyturk92

Minerva, Horace, Sprout. In this order.


lilterwilliger

Ngl I agree wiyh this


oberg14

I’m kinda surprised nobody has said Harry. Hogwarts was literally “home” for him, it’s not just a school. He would be the most passionate about making it the best possible school


krtsgnr_7230

He didn't even complete his 7th school year...


oberg14

Yet he showed the ability to teach extremely well in the DA. Even Neville became good at defense against the dark arts after his lessons.


TheFightingDome

Kingsley or someone like Charlie Weasley


Victor_the_historian

Is this even a question?


PodAbove

Is it a requirement for a headmaster to be a former professor at the school? I know this is about Severus and Minerva but, Arthur Wesley?


gurdoman

Why hasn't nobody said Dudley yet? He would be firm but fair


EasternHistorian79

Snape. Making potions requires being meticulous, organised and with an eye for detail. And we know he is used to trying to find newer and better ways of doing things. These skills will help with the administrative side of being a Headmaster. He is a Slytherin and a double-agent, so he will probably be good at the politics side of being a Headmaster. And being the Headmaster means less interaction with the students, so win-win 😀.


tylandlannister

Probably McGonagall? BTW, I am not sure Dumbledore was a great headmaster. Sure, he was an outstanding wizard. But that does not necessarily mean he was a good school head, and I can't think of anything to make him stand out in that regard.


oberg14

The meme of “there’s no safer place than hogwarts” and Harry being on crutches full of injuries at the end of every year is hilarious and true


tylandlannister

Lol. Absolutely


abaggins

He was a master manipulator. Secrets and lies - as Aberforth says. 


tylandlannister

All fine for politicians and paramilitary group leaders. But for a headmaster?


kenikigenikai

I think he worked well as the Headmaster under the circumstances, and I'm not sure how Voldemort would have been dealt with, or how safe Hogwarts would have been against him if someone else was in charge. But I can see McGonagall running a far tighter ship. I can't imagine her hiring the likes of Lockheart as an education in spotting frauds for example.


a_randomtroll

To be honest, we are told that it was Lockhart or nothing that year Lupin most likely only came because of Sirius and Moody was still employed by the ministry in second year iirc.


Golden_Amygdala

It should have been a curve ball, Hagrid. Imagine how wild that would be dragons for all! I also would have liked to see newt come back as a guest professor for a year!


Pretty_Replacement62

Would love that! Newt I mean. Hagrid would cause a lot of dangerous situations as he cannot see the harm in some animals… it would in deed be wild


Din0zavr

"Okay everyone, hear me out, quidditch on dragons...  What? Dangerous? Noo... Vastly misunderstood creatures, vastly misunderstood" - Hagrid as headmaster probably 


a_randomtroll

It's wizards, they have quodpot that exists, dragons are almost safe in comparison


Lilcommy

Umbridge was the best headmaster that unruly school ever had. It was the only time it saw true order and discipline required of a school with a pristine reputation Hogwarts had.


ResponsibilityOk1900

Filch, is that you :)


ResponsibilityOk1900

Jk, it’s an opinion and I respect that :)


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JaguarSweaty1414

What the actual fuck , is this supposed to be any kind of joke lol


Canavansbackyard

Agreed. She was a welcome corrective to Dumbledore’s egregious favoritism towards Gryffindor. Plus she liked cats. Always a sign of a kind heart.


krtsgnr_7230

>favoritism towards Gryffindor And nothing about Snape's favoritism towards Slytherin. Good...


Canavansbackyard

It’s really too bad Snape’s tenure as headmaster was tragically cut short. He was great during his all too brief stint and doubtless would have gone on to become one of the best in Hogwarts history. I like his safety-first approach. No students died during Snape’s tenure, unlike that Dumbledore guy. Dumbledore allowed academic standards to slip badly. He canceled exams! That’s simply shocking. Snape never allowed that to happen. Finally, Snape brought back to Hogwarts much-needed discipline. He was tough, but fair!


Diligent-Stand-2485

She tortured children And as for order and discipline Well, no. No order or discipline. The students were actively fighting against her, coming up with creative ways to still read The Quibbler despite it being banned, literally making a secret organization right under her nose.


Lilcommy

A small group of unruly delinquents breaking rules and causing disruptions to the order of things does not mean the full school was that way. Hundreds of students saw and followed the improvements she put in place.


Diligent-Stand-2485

It wasn't just a small group. And lots of people - including teachers - found other ways to fight against her. She ruled on fear and threats of harm. That's not order or discipline.


HedwigMalfoy

If not McGonagall, perhaps Lupin if the people could get past his furry little problem.


Swordbender

Lupin isn’t even in the top 20 best candidates for the job. Most of the order and all the living teachers at Hogwarts (sans Trelawney) would be better.


Longjumping-Hat-7037

He couldn't even stand up to Sirius and James?


HedwigMalfoy

Adults occasionally evolve from who they were as teenagers.


Longjumping-Hat-7037

Yes and I could be wrong about him, but he also hide the fact that he knew how Sirius came in and out the castle. Didn't tell Dumbledore or anyone that Sirius was an animagus. And that's when he truly believed Sirius to be a spy only because he was afraid to tell Dumbledore he has abused his trust. That makes be believe he didn't really change that much.


Zealousideal_Mail12

McGonagall. Snape shouldn’t be allowed to interact with other living beings 💀


Sea_Puddle

Uncle Vernon


Pretty_Replacement62

What about Molly? She would reign over the school with love and discipline…


in_the_pink_opaque

That’s a very interesting thought and I think I agree 🤔


Emotional-Ad167

Molly isn't a teacher though.


Pretty_Replacement62

But is that the requirement? Dumbledore himself didn’t teach as a headmaster. That has me thinking, it would be interesting if he would teach as headmaster. He would be more reproachable for the students.


SSpotions

This is the only correct answer. She would have had the correct balance.


sapble

nope


Palamur

At least as long as no one says anything bad about her daughter or her favourite son Harry.


NiteshMaurya963

McGonagall


CoreyTheKing

Voldemort


necromancyforfun

Madame Pomfrey. She is I the only one who knows how to deal with the students.


NoeyCannoli

Fleur


xraig88

Yeah Snape, who notorious hated all Gryffyndor’s or maybe just children in general, held a lifelong grudge against a child for his fathers actions and likes to make fun of ugly people, poor people and shy people. Snape all the way.


Pm7I3

I think a smarter than average sheep or animated corpse would be better than snape


Not_Mr_Rogers

Hermione


Important_Ostrich_60

Argus Filch!


DeltaFlyer6095

Mr Weasley! He would have been great for muggle relations.


DamnBigg7713

McGonagall. She doesn't bully students for pleasure.


Distinct_Job183

McGonagall. The reason Snape became Headmaster was one because Dumbledore made him take on the role in order to defeat Voldermort and two because Voldermort placed him there as Headmaster. In any other circumstances, McGonagall would have become Headmistress. Plus, in regards to character, Snape, no matter how tragic his life was, is still a horrible human being. McGonagall is the right level of strict. Moreover, she is fair and cares for the students.


SSpotions

McGonagall was just as horrible as Snape. If not worst. She denied Neville access to his own bed as punishment for something he couldn't control instead of helping him. For a kid like Neville he needed a safe place to go to after a tough day at school and she denied him that access. She's on par with the Dursleys. She also calls Neville an embarrassment in the middle of class. She takes 150 points from Gryffindor causing Harry to be bullied. She sends four first years to the forbidden forest for detention. Harry suffers from nightmares after this and can't concentrate in classes. She doesn't take Harry's concerns seriously which ends up causing Harry to take matters into his own hands and both times he ends up in trouble. She also was perfectly fine with buying Harry an expensive broomstick, but when Ron a poor student had a broken wand and couldn't participate in classes or learn new spells with his broken wand, she didn't do anything like bring him to Diagon Alley one weekend to buy him a new wand. And she allows an abusive professor (Mad Eye Moody) to take Draco an injured student she had just caught Mad Eye abusing to Snape for more punishment instead of taking Draco herself to the hospital wing for.


GetOffMyCabbages

McGonagall. no argument.


mathfreak17

Honestly Pomela Sprout (if that was her name). Kind, sweet, and understands students. The headmaster has basically no work (no teaching no nothing. In the entire series we just see dumbledore worrying over voldemort and sucking lemon tarts and in the headcanon hes worrying about grindelwald). Having a biased teacher (both snape and dumbledore) will not work. Sprout is nice, kind, sweet and understanding. McGonagall is a nice woman( surely my second choice) but she is not approachable (would look quite intimidating to lil kids). Her plus point is that she takes bs from no one. Flitwick is a talented guy, but I feel like he would overlook a lot of things his students do if they are brilliant enough. Definitely not Slughorn. And no other order member (no experience in teaching. Remus just taught 1 year in his entire life).


Entire_Organization7

Fitwick isn’t looking over anyone.


oopsy-daisy6837

Not sure how either Sprout or Flitwick would handle discipline.


mathfreak17

Dumbledore and later snape too didnt handle any discipline. The house heads do that. And as it is kids fear McGonagall enough to stay in their lane.


oopsy-daisy6837

McGonagall. Snape turned Hogwarts into a Dungeon, and based on how he treated Harry and his friends, he would have done it without Voldemort's orders too.


natedawg247

Snake was a teacher for years and proved to fucking suck at it and be a complete asshole to students for zero reason


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CrescentNyx-2007

Did what? Hired Voldemort and made a bunch of 11-year-olds take care of the situation? Homeboy did a whole lot of nothing. All his appearances were basically speaking a whole lot of bullshit that’s supposed to sound smart, endanger his students and them expect kids to handle it for him and give Gryffindor 5000 points because Harry was wearing a nice pair of shoes.


a_randomtroll

...you know, that argument would be far more compelling if we didnt have things that told us that if Harry had not gone down the trapdoor things wouldnt have gone bad at all. Would also work better if Dumbledore hadnt been headmaster for dozens of years and the only years where shit became dangerous were when Harry was there. It's all well and good to ignore the worldbuilding but only to a point


Supreme_Monarch_07

it is a joke brotha don't take it seriously


krtsgnr_7230

>give Gryffindor 5000 points Compensating the ones Snape had taken from him 🤡


IBrk4Chipmunks

Dumbledore was a terrible headmaster what are you talking about


Supreme_Monarch_07

it was supposed to be a joke if you are offended i will remove it :)


Human-Magic-Marker

Filch. Let them bring back the old ways…


BillyCostiganJr

Anyone you want it to be


Wise-Tip7203

Bellatrix


nine16s

I mean Snape kinda proves to everyone he isn't a great headmaster in Book 7.


SSpotions

You mean the same Snape that sent Neville, Luna and Ginny to Hagrid for detention so they weren't abused by the Carrows? Deathly Hallows Snape was playing the role of a loyal Death Eater and was secretly working to bring down Voldemort from the inside, who was currently in charge of the wizarding world and the Order had fallen at this point. He couldn't exactly stop what was happening other wise Voldemort would have killed him and Bellatrix or the Carrows would have been headteacher and Voldemort would have won the war.


Diligent-Stand-2485

He was an abusive teacher who found amusement in bullying children. Not only is he a shit headmaster, he has no business being in a school to begin with.