Mugglenet.com's Harry Potter Should Have Died - Emerson Spartz [65]
Should Harry have chosen a different profession than Auror?
Yes!
There are so many other possible careers for a wizard with Harry’s talents besides being an Auror. And think about it—in a time of peace most of his Defense Against the Dark Arts skills will go to waste anyway. Harry shouldn’t be a one-note guy, but should branch out and explore his potential.
Harry could do the logical thing and teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. It’s a job that’s made for him, and since the one-year curse on the teaching job died with Voldemort, Harry could teach for many years. That would help him stay near his children while teaching a subject he loves, and he would be the most popular teacher ever. Hogwarts is his home more than any place on earth, and he could join Neville Longbottom in the staff room for a cup of coffee every day.
Madam Trelawney has a vision once that Harry will not die early, but will “live to a ripe old age, become Minister of Magic, and have twelve children” [OotP, p. 583]. That sounds like a plan—maybe Harry should consider politics instead of being an Auror. He would be that rare politician who tells the truth and stays honest while in office. By defeating Voldemort and saving the wizarding world not once but twice, he could probably be elected Minister of Magic. He could move mountains for the Ministry and get a lot done.
Speaking of truth and honesty, Harry could mass-produce Felix Felicis and the Polyjuice Potion, (potions that are difficult and time-consuming to brew) and be a wizard entrepreneur like Fred and George. Then he could sell them to wealthy wizards and witches. Then again, ensuring a steady supply of good luck to already lucky people could only serve to increase inequality in the wizarding world. Harry hasn’t yet demonstrated any entrepreneurial tendencies, so he would probably need to consume a significant amount of the product he makes!
Or instead of spending the rest of his life chasing bad guys, Harry could become a Healer and learn to help people in a different way. After all, Harry spent more time in the hospital wing at Hogwarts than nearly any other student, so surely he would find it fascinating to learn how to put people back together again. Over and over in the books, there are situations in which Harry laments that he doesn’t know how to make potions, stop bleeding, cure Dark Curses, or keep people alive. After witnessing so much suffering, he might get a clue that dueling and broom chases aren’t the most useful ways to make a living. Harry could find a real cure for Dragon Pox or find new ways to help werewolves. The St. Mungo’s Magical Emergency Ward is still an exciting place.
No!
Becoming an Auror is the best career for Harry because his whole life has been about learning to protect himself and others, and by the end of the series he has seen more action than wizarding policemen twice his age. He can’t just settle down to a quiet life after that, and needs an outlet for his saving-people thingy. That’s basically the job description of an Auror. Harry also realizes in OotP that the wizarding government is corrupt, and that Aurors have just become henchmen for people at the Ministry of Magic, such as Fudge and Umbridge. The Auror named Dawlish isn’t so bad, but he seems to just do what he is told with no sense of right and wrong. Harry would rather be like Kingsley Shacklebolt, who risks his job to remain in the Order of the Phoenix, even participating in secret on the Potterwatch radio show in DH (code name Royal). Harry would want to change the system from the inside out, making sure that innocent people aren’t being arrested for the wrong reasons, and trying to maintain his own code of right and wrong.
Harry would never go in for politics because he couldn’t be that