Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Professor Binns
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
| Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character | |
| Professor (Cuthbert) Binns | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Unknown |
| Eye color | Unknown |
| Related Family | Unknown |
| Loyalty | |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Professor (Cuthbert) Binns is the History of Magic professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is the only professor who is a ghost. It is believed that he sat down in front of the staff room fireplace, fell asleep, and the next day, simply got up and went to class, leaving his body behind.
[edit] Role in the Books
[edit] Philosopher's Stone
Professor Binns has no role in this book except to teach History of Magic and put the entire class to sleep.
[edit] Chamber of Secrets
Hermione manages to convince Professor Binns to tell the class the myth of the Chamber of Secrets; he is upset by this, because it is myth, rather than concrete facts. However, he does explain what the myth says, which is instrumental in the later discovery of the actual chamber.
According to Professor Binns, the four Founders of Hogwarts had a falling out after the school had been running for a while. One of the four, Salazar Slytherin, had felt that the school should only accept as students those who could prove descent from wizards. The other three Founders disagreed, so Slytherin left. As he left, though, he is supposed to have created a secret chamber, and placed within it a monster. Legend has it that the Chamber can be opened, and the monster can be controlled, only by Slytherin's true heir. Binns goes on to say that headmaster after headmaster have been through the school, and not one has found so much as a secret broom closet. Angry at the interruption of his lovely facts with this legend, Binns then refuses to speak any more of it, and the class once again subsides into boredom.
[edit] Prisoner of Azkaban
Professor Binns has no role in this book except to teach History of Magic and put the entire class to sleep.
[edit] Goblet of Fire
Professor Binns has no role in this book except to teach History of Magic and put the entire class to sleep.
[edit] Order of the Phoenix
Professor Binns has no role in this book except to teach History of Magic and put the entire class to sleep. It is in one of these classes that an injured Hedwig appears at the window; Harry brings her in, excuses himself from class saying that he needs to go to the Hospital Wing, and carries Hedwig off to the Staff Room, where he hands her over to Professor Grubbly-Plank to have her healed.
[edit] Half-Blood Prince
As neither Harry or Ron received a passing grade on his History of Magic OWL, they no longer attend History of Magic, and evidently Hermione has also chosen to drop the subject; thus, Professor Binns has no role in this book.
[edit] Strengths
He manages to put the class to sleep (particularly Harry), very effectively.
[edit] Weaknesses
He does not seem to be particularly aware of his class, or even of the outside world, and what is going on in it; it is uncertain whether he has even updated his curriculum since he passed away. It is uncertain whether this is because he is a ghost, or whether he was this way also in life. He does not seem to be a particularly effective teacher; at one point Harry thinks that the subject material, the Giant Wars, might have been a lot more exciting in the hands of a different teacher.
[edit] Relationships with Other Characters
Being a ghost, Binns seems not really interested in flesh-and-blood characters. As there are no references of him appearing in the company of the other ghosts, it seems that he has no special interest in them either. His only interests lie in teaching his classes. Although this has him interact with his students, his interest for them seems to end as soon as they leave the classroom. A clear indication of this is that he is unable to recall the names of any of his students. When Hermione Granger asks him about the Chamber of Secrets, he at first does not recall her name, then addresses her as "Miss Grant," calls Seamus Finnigan "O'Flaherty," and addresses Parvati Patil as "Miss Pennyfeather."
[edit] Analysis
[edit] Questions
- The story of Professor Binns' origin does not tally with what Nearly Headless Nick says about the origin of ghosts in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- see Ghost for details. What do you think really happened?
- Professor Binns shuffles his notes on a few occasions. Ghosts cannot interact with material objects. Does Professor Binns have ghostly notes as well? How does Professor Binns mark exam papers?
[edit] Greater Picture
At first glance there does seem to be some difference between what Nearly Headless Nick says about the creation of ghosts, and what we know of Professor Binns. However, there is more similarity than first appears. Ghosts are created when a person fears death or is not prepared for death. They choose to haunt the Earth rather than "go on". Professor Binns was probably not prepared for death. He was a long time teacher and passed away in the staff room waiting for his next class. His dedication to his vocation caused him to arise as a ghost and carry on as a teacher. Death for him would mean shirking his duties, something unthinkable.
We can also speculate about the notes he seems to be carrying. It may be possible that his notes are part of his ghostly persona. Other ghosts keep their clothing and accessories, and we hear several times that Nearly Headless Nick arranges to change the ruff that he wears, so why shouldn't Binns keep his class notes? The fact that they make noise when handled by Binns is no more strange than hearing ghosts talk and converse. The fact that his "ghost notes" can't be updated might explain why Hermione once comments that they never learn any History of Magic newer than the late 19th Century; presumably that is when Professor Binns died.
