Armando Dippet

"We are honour-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts! Shame on you, Phineas!"

- Dippet's portrait scorning Phineas Nigellus Black.

Professor Armando Dippet (fl. 1942—1943) was Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the predecessor of Albus Dumbledore in the post. He was a "nearly bald and a somewhat feeble" man in his elderly years.

Dippet served as Headmaster in the 1940s at least. It was during his tenure that the Chamber of Secrets was first opened by Tom Riddle since its creation by Salazar Slytherin in around A.D. 993. Unknowingly, Dippet was indirectly responsible for the end of the attacks by telling Riddle that the school would have to be closed if said attacks continued. Dippet was also responsible for the expulsion of Rubeus Hagrid after Riddle framed him with the attacks.

His portrait hangs in the Headmaster's office, and he is featured on a Chocolate Frog Card.

Early life
Little is known about Dippet's early life. It is likely he was born in the mid to late nineteenth century, as evidenced by his advanced age by the 1940s.

It is possible that he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a Ravenclaw, and it is also probable that he had high O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. grades as he later became Headmaster of Hogwarts, most likely succeeding Newton Scamander, a famed Magizoologist, considered by many an authority in Magizoology.

Early years
Professor Dippet became Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the early twentieth century. In his position, it is likely he was responsible for the employment of Galatea Merrythought, Horace Slughorn, Albus Dumbledore, Herbert Beery and Silvanus Kettleburn as teachers at Hogwarts.

Christmas pantomime
"The night's entertainment concluded with a packed hospital wing [...]"

- Albus Dumbledore

During Dippet's tenure as Headmaster, Herbert Beery, then-Herbology master proposed an adaptation of The Fountain of Fair Fortune as a Christmas treat for both staff and students. The show, however, was a fiasco: the students playing Amata and Sir Luckless had been boyfriend and girlfriend until one hour before the show, at which point "Sir Luckless" dumped her for "Asha". During the play, the Engorged Ashwinder portraying the Worm (provided by the reckless Professor Silvanus Kettleburn) exploded in a shower of hot sparks and dust, filling the Great Hall with smoke and fragments of the scenery. While the Ashwinder's eggs set fire to the floorboards, "Amata" and "Asha" started duelling fiercely. Professor Beery was caught in the crossfire and his head assumed unusual proportions. While the staff evacuated the Great Hall the fire raging inside it threatened to engulf the place. Of course, there were several people sent to the Hospital wing and Professor Dippet had to put Professor Kettleburn in one of his sixty-two periods of probation. In response to this dramatic fiasco, Professor Dippet imposed a blanket ban on future pantomimes, a tradition is still followed by the Hogwarts' staff and students to this day.

Chamber of Secrets openings
Dippet was the Headmaster of Hogwarts when the Chamber of Secrets was opened by Tom Riddle, during the 1942-1943 school year. Very fond of Riddle, Dippet was unaware of his sinister nature.

That school year, many students were attacked by Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk. In June of the same year, a student named Myrtle was murdered in a bathroom, during one of the Chamber's openings by Riddle. After realizing that no one had seen Myrtle for a couple of hours, Professor Dippet asked fellow student Olive Hornby to go and look for Myrtle.

Myrtle's Muggle father and mother were summoned to the school by Dippet, and the Headmaster faced the possibility of closing the school. Dippet also rejected Tom's request of staying at school over the summer vacation due to the situation, but would have given him special permission if the school were much safer. Not wanting the school to close, Riddle stopped attacking students with the Chamber's Basilisk and framed Rubeus Hagrid for the attacks. Dippet promptly expelled Hagrid. Under Albus Dumbledore's request, Hagrid was trained as Gamekeeper and was allowed to remain at the school.

Riddle's job application
When Tom Riddle returned to Hogwarts after his graduation to apply for the post of Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Dippet denied him the position for being too young, but invited him to reapply in a few years, despite being advised against it by Albus Dumbledore.

Death and post-mortem
Dippet perished sometime before 1992. He is featured in one Chocolate Frog Card and at least one biography of him is known: Rita Skeeter's Armando Dippet: Master or Moron? (although it is likely this work contains some defamatory false information, given the author and the book's title). His position as headmaster of Hogwarts was succeeded by Albus Dumbledore.

A portrait of Dippet was placed in the Headmaster's office, with him dressed up in the Ravenclaw colours. In 1995, he scorned the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, who was feigning tiredness in order to avoid going to 12 Grimmauld Place like Dumbledore asked him to. He was devoted to serving whomever was Headmaster.

Physical description
Professor Dippet had brown eyes and, in his youth, a thick brown beard. By the 1940s, in his elderly years, he became frail and balding, with only a few wisps of white hair.

Personality and traits
Armando Dippet was loyal to Hogwarts and reprimanded Phineas Nigellus for attempting to defy a request from Dumbledore. Like most teachers he was manipulated by Tom Riddle and was charmed by his politeness and dedication to his magical studies.

Professor Dippet was distrusting, or at least careful with who he relayed information to, as Dumbledore noted that he was one of the few people that Dippet confided in.

Tom Riddle
"I had advised Armando against the appointment - I did not give the reasons I have given you, for Professor Dippet was very fond of Voldemort and convinced of his honesty [...]"

- Albus Dumbledore with Harry Potter.

Dippet was very fond of Tom Riddle, whom he made several "special arrangements" for. His relationship with him was strong enough to make Dumbledore decide not to tell Dippet about why he thought Riddle should not be given a job at the school.

It is unknown if Dippet died before Riddle started introducing himself as Lord Voldemort and revealing his true intentions for the wizarding world.

Hogwarts staff
Professor Dippet was, apparently, distrusting of his employees, confiding only in a few professors, which included the Transfiguration teacher Albus Dumbledore.

As headmaster, Dippet placed Silvanus Kettleburn on at least one, but presumably many more, of his sixty-two periods of probation. The one known time was after he provided an ashwinder with an Engorgement Charm on it instead of a worm for The Fountain of Fair Fortune pantomime. Dippet, after the chaos, placed a permanent ban on pantomimes from thereon.

Another of Dippet's employees was Herbert Beery, who was the one who adapted The Fountain of Fair Fortune into a play. Beery, who had been teaching Herbology, eventually left to become a professor of the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Behind the scenes

 * Alfred Burke appeared for a fleeting moment as Dippet in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in the memory scene.
 * Dippet was mentioned in every book following his appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
 * According to Albus Dumbledore, Professor Dippet had ling and strawberries planted on the mountains surrounding Hogwarts Castle when he was headmaster. This could be a lie to gain Harry Potter and Hermione Granger some more time to release Buckbeak, seeing as neither Cornelius Fudge nor Walden Macnair could see the said strawberries.
 * Armando Dippet, also has the same initials as Albus Dumbledore, (not including his middle names).

Etymology

 * Armando is from the name Armand, "of the army." Dippet is not a word in English, but dip has many meanings, including: (1) to put something into something else, often a liquid; (2) to take something out of something, as in dipping out water; (3) to lower and raise something; (4) a fool.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * The Tales of Beedle the Bard
 * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Notes and references
Armando Dippet Armando Dippet Armando Wafelaar Армандо Диппет