Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today I’ve got a theory for you which exposes Dumbledore’s TRUE motivations for the school’s Defence Against the Dark Arts posting. Severus Snape became the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor during Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. And in theory, he was perfect for the position. He had a profound understanding of both sides of the magical spectrum, and knew more about the dark arts than most- making him the perfect candidate to teach students all about it. So..Why didn’t he assume the role SOONER? If Snape was so perfect for it- why couldn’t he just have the job? Why did he have to wait until Harry was in his sixth year? Why did we have to first go through Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin, Fake Moody and Umbridge before SNAPE got his chance? The answer may be more complicated than you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices