These 4 Characters Are the Worst Professors in Harry Potter (And Snape Isn't Even on the List)
The Harry Potter professors, for the most part, are a much-loved part of the film and book series. But not necessarily every professor in the series was great.
And while professors such as McGonagall shine through for their sass and confidence, other professors are firmly on the “worst professor “list for their poor performances and often maniacal tendencies. With this thought in mind, today, we're taking a quick look back at the worst professors in Harry Potter to help!
Who is the Worst Professor in Harry Potter?
Who is the worst professor in Harry Potter? This question comes down to many factors, but taking an overarching approach, we've done our best to whittle all of the Hogwarts professors down into a single list of the four worst. You really wouldn't want to be taught by these professors, that's for sure.
#4 Cuthbert Binns
There's nothing quite like being taught History of Magic classes by a literal ghost – but this is, unfortunately, something that the Hogwarts students are forced to sit through on a regular basis. His droning voice and seeming obsession with Goblin Rebellions caused many of his students to sleep through his class on a regular basis.
Amusingly, Binns actually died in the staff room while working at Hogwarts prior to the 20th century. However, he just got up and carried on as if nothing had happened – subjecting generation after generation to a dull recollection of magical history as a result.
#3 Alecto Carrow
Alecto Carrow was the Muggle Studies professor during the final book and final two films at Hogwarts, replacing Charity Burbage (who had been murdered during the same school year).
While we don't know all that much about Alecto, her prejudiced tendencies come through eminently in her teaching. As the Muggle Studies professor she even blatantly stated that muggles with stupid and like animals during her classes, attempting to indoctrinate young students into Voldemort's blood-purist views of the world.
Alecto was also directly involved with handling punishments and detentions for students, along with her brother Amycus Carrow (as we'll see later).
#2 Dolores Umbridge
You might be surprised to see Dolores Umbridge only getting the second spot on this list, but trust us – there's still worse to come. Nevertheless, Umbridge's sickly sweet persona isn't enough to mask her cruel and despicable personality. In fact, she's not just one of the worst professors, but one of the most hated characters in the entire series!
Of course, her true role was as the senior undersecretary to Fudge, so it's perhaps not surprising that she showed disdain for her role as a teacher. Still, her brutal punishments and incompetent teaching firmly rank her as one of the worst teachers at Hogwarts.
#1 Amycus Carrow
Amycus Carrow was the Darks Arts professor during the Golden Trio's seventh year. He revolutionized the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts, but certainly not for the better; he began teaching dark magic to children in his Dark Arts class.
As part of the “learning,” he had students practice the Cruciatus (torture) curse on detention recipients. There's a reason that the Cruciatus curse is considered one of the three unforgivable curses – and this makes him one of the worst teachers Hogwarts has ever seen.
Calling someone the “worst professor” in Harry Potter is naturally subjective, and some people may have different thoughts regarding the teaching staff at Hogwarts throughout the films. Still, if you ask us, you can't really get any worse than the despicable Amycus Carrow – made all the worse when you consider that he and Alecto rarely went anywhere without each other!