Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Silvanus Kettleburn

Silvanus Kettleburn Male Unknown Unknown Unknown Hogwarts Overview Professor Silvanus Kettleburn is the Care of Magical Creatures teacher in Harry's first and second years at Hogwarts. Role in the Books Prisoner of Azkaban At the Arrival Feast, Professor Dumbledore informs the students that Professor Kettleburn had "retired at the end of last year to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs," and that Rubeus Hagrid has been appointed Care of Magical Creatures teacher in his stead. This announcement receives mixed reviews; some, including Fred and George, are quite enthusiastic about having Hagrid as a teacher, others are not pleased. Strengths As Care of Magical Creatures teacher, we can assume that Kettleburn was knowledgeable about magical beasts and confident with handling them. We learn from The Tales of Beedle the Bard that he had one and a half limbs remaining at the end of his tenure as a staff member, indicating that despite these physical setbacks, he was still able to continue work as a teacher. Presumably he was also dedicated to his job. The Tales of Beedle the Bard also suggests that Kettleburn was inventive in his use of magic. Weaknesses Professor Kettleburn seems, from what we learn in Dumbledore's commentary in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, to have the same fondness for dangerous creatures, and perhaps the same mistaken belief in his own ability to control them, that we later see in Hagrid. Perhaps this is a requirement for the post. Because of his fondness of dangerous creatures, he lost most of his limbs and was forced to retire because of this predicament. Relationships with Other Characters We never see Kettleburn interacting with other students, as the Trio do not take his classes, and Fred and George (who would have been) never mention him. As a result, we have no idea. Analysis Most of what we learn about Professor Kettleburn comes form a book written after the final book in the series. The Tales of Beedle The Bard, supposedly written as a collaboration between Professor Dumbledore and Hermione Granger, includes a number of anecdotes about events at Hogwarts involving Professor Kettleburn. We learn there about damage to the Great Hall caused by his Engorging an Ashwinder for use as a prop in an ill-fated play, and we also learn there of the specific limbs he has lost in his career, and how he lost them. It is quite likely that Professor Kettleburn was brought in to book 3 as a single-occurrence jape, as he is never mentioned anywhere else in the main series. Why he was put in such prominence in The Tales of Beedle the Bard is uncertain, but while his contribution to the series is negligible, the humour in his appearances in this later book is quite welcome. Questions How and why did Professor Kettleburn hang on to his job when he was so dangerous? Do you think Kettleburn may have been a good teacher? Why or why not? How do you think Kettleburn may have coped with one and a half remaining limbs? Greater Picture Professor Kettleburn is an incidental character, named once and then never referenced again, if we do not count The Tales of Beedle The Bard as it was written post-series. His mention serves to advance Hagrid's storyline and give Dumbledore a humorous quip. That he is named at all, of course, serves to remind the reader that Hogwarts is a large, functioning educational establishment, and will have a full complement of teaching staff.