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. At some point prior to his magical education, he purchased or inherited his wand.

It is possible that he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 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 Horace Slughorn, Albus Dumbledore, Herbert Beery, Silvanus Kettleburn and possibly Galatea Merrythought 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. On 13 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, after Galatea Merrythought retired, 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.

Dumbledore realised Riddle's true intentions, but did not include them as his reasons for denying him the job, as Professor Dippet was very fond of him and believed that he was completely honest.

Death and post-mortem
"The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore – by Rita Skeeter, bestselling author of Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?."

- Cover of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.

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 hung at the Headmaster's office, depicting him dressed in blue and bronze robes. 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 pale skin, brown eyes and, in his youth, a thick brown beard.

By the 1940s, in his elderly years, he became frail and feeble-looking. He was balding and had only a few wisps of white hair left.

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.

Possessions

 * Wand: Professor Dippet's wand was of unknown manufacturer, length, core and wood. Presumably purchased at the age of eleven prior to his magical education, he was in possession of it during the 1940s. He left it on his desk during his meeting with Tom Riddle in 1943 concerning the summer holidays and the Chamber of Secrets openings.
 * Headmaster's office: When Professor Dippet lived in the office in the Headmaster's Tower, there was a single bookcase, a desk, and several paintings there, including the portraits of his predecessors. His passwords are unknown, though it can be presumed that he told one of them to Tom Riddle in 1943.
 * Strawberry and ling plantations: According to Albus Dumbledore, Professor Dippet planted some strawberries and ling in the castle grounds while he was Headmaster. However, it is likely that he was simply distracting Cornelius Fudge and Walden Macnair.

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 began 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 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.

Horace Slughorn also worked under Headmaster Dippet. One evening, during one of his Slug Club's supper parties, Slughorn joked that if the student group would be found up and about after hours, Professor Dippet would put them all in detention, including himself.

Behind the scenes

 * Alfred Burke appeared as Dippet in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in the memory scene. His face can be glimpsed only for a fleeting moment, before he turns around and convenes with other several other wizards.
 * 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.
 * Coincidentally or not, Armando Dippet shares his initials with Albus Dumbledore (not including the latter's 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: to put something into something else, often a liquid; to take something out of something, as in dipping out water; to lower and raise something; 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