If Harry Potter 9 Ever Happens, It Needs To Retcon Harry's Post-Hogwarts Fate After One J.K. Rowling Choice That's Always Bothered Me -

The Harry Potter series has long been completed in both book and movie form, yet in the midst of questions about a ninth film, there is one Harry Potter book detail I would definitely want changed. In the 1990s, Harry Potter rapidly took the world by storm, raking in millions of book sales and a film franchise before the series was even completely finished. Miraculously, Harry Potter has managed to continue expanding even after Harry’s story concluded via spinoff movies, a play, and a Potter TV series. Yet, if Harry’s story were to pick back up, this point should change.

Though Harry Potter is generally beloved among fantasy fans, there are some elements of the series that readers tend to pretend don’t exist. Usually, these are details that don’t make a lot of sense, didn’t age well, or simply go against how readers see the characters. Some examples include the redemption arc of Severus Snape or Harry naming his child after a man who set him up to be killed by Voldemort (Dumbledore) and a man who bullied him for seven years (Snape.) However, there is one even smaller detail that I dislike and would like to see eradicated.

Harry Potter Becoming An Auror Was Disappointing

Harry Deserves A Break From Fighting

A small detail from Harry’s life post-Hogwarts that I always disliked was him becoming an Auror. While it makes sense that a young Harry would be interested in following in the footsteps of his mentors, like Mad-Eye Moody and Nymphadora Tonks, the job doesn’t quite suit him. The job of an Auror is sort of like being a police officer. It is a government job with rules and regulations. If the Harry Potter series teaches us anything about Harry, it is that he is a rule-breaker. He usually doesn’t do things by the books, ever.

Although Harry is smart and good at fighting, he did enough of that throughout his childhood.

More than that, Harry deserves a break from all the fighting. After Deathly Hallows, I can’t imagine Harry being super eager to return to fighting bad guys. Not only did he lose countless loved ones in the Battle of Hogwarts, but he also spent months on a harrowing mission to collect Voldemort’s Horcruxes, which nearly broke up his greatest friendships. Although Harry is smart and good at fighting, he did enough of that throughout his childhood. His adulthood, on the other hand, should have more of a focus on safety and comfort.

Harry Potter’s Perfect Career Was Teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts

Teaching Allows Harry To Stay At Hogwarts

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In reality, the ideal job for Harry is professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. With this position, Harry would be able to use his knowledge of fighting, yet remain safe from any real threats. He could use his experience of defeating Voldemort to inform his teaching, and create stronger wizards like himself. This works especially well because Harry basically already took on this job in Order of the Phoenix when he started Dumbledore’s Army. If he could do it at 15, why not for the rest of his life?

A blended image features Hogwarts staff members Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies

Each Hogwarts Professor And Which House They Belonged To

Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Hufflepuff? Where did Harry Potter’s professors spend their time while studying in the halls of Hogwarts?

Another benefit of Harry working at Hogwarts is that he would be able to stay at Hogwarts. Throughout his life, Harry never really had a real home apart from Hogwarts, and though it would be possible for him to build a new home post-graduation, it’s nice to imagine him on campus instead, enjoying the same wonders he experienced as a teen. Not to mention, the Ministry of Magic isn’t necessarily showcased as being the best place to work. Arthur Weasley works in a department where he receives constant ridicule.

Harry Potter 9 Should Make Harry A Hogwarts Professor

Harry Potter 9 Would Have A Lot Of Things To Fix

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ginny (Bonnie Wright) stand on Platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Ultimately, if a ninth Harry Potter book or movie were to happen, the best thing would be to forget Harry’s profession as an Auror, and make him a professor at Hogwarts instead. That being said, Harry Potter 9 is more than likely not going to happen, as it has been years since the series ended, and projects like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have already been added to the end of the story. Furthermore, HBO’s Harry Potter TV show will also make a new Harry Potter difficult. Honestly, though, it’s probably for the better.

It isn’t just Harry’s profession that would have to be changed in Harry Potter 9. Generally, Rowling’s Harry Potter epilogue is considered controversial because of the choices the author makes regarding Harry’s future. Many readers dislike the names of Harry’s children and the fact that the characters still seem like their younger selves, despite having grown up. If there were truly to be another Harry Potter story, it would have to make Harry better than what Rowling created.