Harry Potter: Every Hogwarts Professor's Age (2024)

The Harry Potter series has a significant number of characters, and some of the most important ones are the Hogwarts professors. These characters teach Harry most of what he knows about magic and become mentors, parental figures, and, eventually, allies against Lord Voldemort's dark rule. However, a lot of people might be wondering how old these characters really are since the books rarely talk about it.

People in the Wizarding World are way older than they look, since magical people live longer. Albus Dumbledore, for example, died when he was 115 years old, which was relatively young for a wizard. Nicholas Flamel and his wife lived more than 600 years thanks to the Philosopher's Stone, but regular wizards can live between 150 and 200 years. The Trolley Lady, for example, is around 190 years old. But part of the reason Hogwarts staff were so skilled was that they had decades of experience backing them up and many more ahead of them.

Updated on June 22, 2024, by Andrea Sandoval: During Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts, he had several professors, especially when it came to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Some of these professors were highly experienced, with decades of teaching under their belt. However, others were younger than people might expect. We updated this article to include more Hogwarts professors in Harry Potter and their ages.

15 Quirinus Quirrell Might Have Been One of Harry's Youngest Professors

Quirinus Quirrell was Harry's first Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. However, it turned out that behind his turban, Quirrell was hiding Lord Voldemort himself. Still, before going rogue, Quirrell also worked at Hogwarts as the Muggle Studies Professor during the '80s, before going on a sabbatical that ended with him becoming Voldemort's body.

The Harry Potter series says nothing about Quirrell's death, but it seems that he wasn't that old. Since he was already teaching Muggle Studies in 1985 (per the Hogwarts Mystery video game), he had to be born at least before 1967. Odds are Quirrell wasn't even thirty when he died trying to obtain the Philosopher's Stone.

14 Gilderoy Lockhart Had Become a True Villain Before His Thirties

In Harry's second year at Hogwarts, he got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, who happened to be a local celebrity. Handsome and charming, Lockhart had made a fortune selling his books about his dangerous adventures. However, in the end, it turns out Lockhart was nothing but a liar. Lockhart's only talent was the Memory Charm, and he used it to delete the memories of the true heroes of his stories. The night Tom Riddle took Ginny to the Chamber of Secrets, Lockhart tried to use Obliviate on Harry and Ron, but unfortunately for him, Ron's wand was broken. The spell bounced back to Lockhart, who got permanent brain damage.

What is astounding about Gildery Lockhart is his age. He was only 28 years old by the time he started teaching at Hogwarts. Given his level of success, Lockhart started deleting people's memories while still being really young. One can only wonder how many people's lives were ruined thanks to Lockhart.

13 Dolores Umbridge Was Harry's Worst Professor

Dolores Umbridge was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher assigned by the Ministry of Magic during Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts. She was a highly ambitious and ruthless witch who had risen quickly through the Ministry of Magic ranks. Hateful to her muggle mother and squib brother, she wanted to obtain magical power as soon as possible. Umbridge arrived at Hogwarts as a Professor but quickly became the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and Hogwarts Headmistress. During Voldemort's rule, she was the Head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Umbridge is arguably the most disliked Harry Potter character.

It is known that Dolores Umbridge started working at the Ministry of Magic as soon as she graduated from Hogwarts, and worked hard to rapidly secure better positions. She was the Head of the Improper Use of Magic Department before she was 30 years old. In 1995, she was already the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. Taking into account Umbridge's ability to obtain power, it's likely she wasn't that old. She was probably around 35 years old when she taught at Hogwarts, which is actually surprising. There's a big possibility that she even attended Hogwarts at the same time as the Marauders.

12 Remus Lupin Died Way Too Young

Lupin is one of the youngest professors to ever teach Harry at Hogwarts. Remus Lupin was also one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts Harry ever had during his time at the school, even while dealing with being a werewolf in secret. What's more, Lupin was also a close friend of Harry's father, and he continued appearing in the series as one of the Order of the Phoenix members. He eventually married Nymphadora Tonks and had a son, Teddy Lupin.

Unfortunately, Remus was killed by Antonin Dolohov during the Battle of Hogwarts. When he died on May 2, 1998, he was 38 years old. All the Marauders died young, which says a lot about the destructive nature of the war against Voldemort, as they all died during both Wizarding Wars. Remus appears once again in the series as a ghost, together with Sirius and Harry's parents, to give Harry strength before facing Lord Voldemort.

11 Sybill Trelawney Was More Talented Than She Appeared To Be For Her Age

While Sybill Trelawney's divination skills were uncontrolled, she had two significant events in the Harry Potter series. She's responsible for the prophecy that tied Harry's and Lord Voldemort's destinies, as well as predicting that Peter Pettigrew would escape during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Despite this, Hermione, being the more logical student, considered her class a waste of time.

Since there are no physical descriptions of Trelawney that give away her age nor any information about the year she was born, it's hard to know exactly how old she is. However, she gives the impression of a middle-aged woman because of her history in teaching. Around 1979 or 1980, Sybill Trelawney met Albus Dumbledore for a job interview. This means Trelawney was at the very least 18 years old at that time, but it's unlikely that Dumbledore would have hired someone so young. This would mean Trelawney must have been born somewhere in the first half of the 20th century.

10 Severus Snape Sacrificed His Life for Lily Evan's Son

While Severus Snape always wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, Dumbledore thought it was much too close to Snape's secret passion for studying the dark arts rather than defending against them. Because of this, Snape spent most of his life teaching Potions while being the Head of the Slytherin House. However, in Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, Snape finally got to teach D.A.D.A. and, under Voldemort's rule, Snape also became Hogwarts' Headmaster.

Severus Snape went to Hogwarts at the same time as the Marauders; just like them, he was born in 1960, so he was relatively young in comparison to his colleagues. Snape died when he was only 38 years old, when Voldemort decided to kill him, wrongfully believing Snape to be the master of the Elder Wand.

9 Filius Flitwick Was One of the Most Likable Hogwarts Teachers

The Charms professor, Filius Flitwick, is as charming as his subject. He was a friendly professor who never left too much homework but was always willing to help. Flitwick is a half-goblin, resulting in a very short stature. When teaching, he even has to stand on a pile of books, so students can see him.

Even though it is known that Flitwick was born on October 17, the books and films don't elaborate on his exact age. The only clue Potter fans have is that Flitwick supervised one of the exams the Marauders took in their fifth year at Hogwarts, which would mean that Flitwick was already a Professor in 1975. Taking this into account, Flitwick was likely born in 1958 or before. Since he became a champion duelist after graduating from Hogwarts and wizards age so slowly, he was likely born way before 1958. Flitwick was at least 33 years old when Harry met him, but he was probably already in his 50s.

8 Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody Was One of the Best Aurors in the Harry Potter Series

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was supposed to teach at Hogwarts during Harry's fourth year. However, he was kidnapped by Barty Crouch Jr., who pretended to be the retired Auror for a year. Still, technically, Moody was the teacher, as he was the one Dumbledore hired in the first place. Fortunately, Harry had the opportunity to meet the real Moody at the Order of the Phoenix meetings.

Alastor was a well-known Auror known for incarcerating several dark wizards during the First Wizarding War, which started in 1970 and ended in 1981. As an accomplished Auror throughout this time, it's likely Moody was born sometime around the 1950s. This would make Moody around 50 years old when he was killed by Lord Voldemort in 1997.

7 Rubeus Hagrid Is Surprisingly One of the Youngest Teachers at Hogwarts

Hagrid is one of the most lovable professors in Hogwarts, even if his passion is introducing the most dangerous creatures into his class. The half-giant is one of Harry's best friends in the magical world, being the one to deliver him to the Dursleys when he was an infant. The trio not only took Hagrid's class but spent more than an afternoon in his hut drinking tea and talking about their problems.

Hagrid is much older than people would expect him to be. The affable giant was born in 1928, so when Harry met him, he was already 63 years old. By now, Hagrid would be 95 years old. Still, he isn't as old as other Hogwarts professors, since most of them were around 100 years old when Harry first arrived at Hogwarts. As a result, he may be one of the youngest to have taught at the school.

6 Rolanda Hooch Was Older Than People Imagine

Rolanda Hooch, better known as Madam Hooch, was the flying instructor at Hogwarts. She was also in charge of refereeing the Quidditch games, maintaining the equipment, and making sure that all the Houses Quidditch Teams were training safely. There is no information about Madam Hooch's birthday, but fans have speculated that she must have been born sometime around 1900.

Madam Hooch was spotted by a Muggle flying her broomstick during the Great War, which happened between 1914 and 1918. Hooch must have been at least a teenager at the time, which confirms that she was probably born around 1900. This would mean that Hooch was around 90 years old when Harry first met her and must be around 120 years old in the present.

5 Horace Slughorn Taught at Hogwarts For Several Years

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Albus Dumbledore hires a new Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn. However, this wasn't Professor Slughorn's first time teaching at Hogwarts. Slughorn had previously taught several generations of wizards and witches, including Harry's mother, Lily Evans, and young Tom Riddle.

In the e-book released by J.K. Rowling in 2016, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists, it is stated that Horace Slughorn started teaching at Hogwarts in 1931, but nowhere in the Harry Potter series is Slughorn's age specified. However, because of Dumbledore's comment, it's clear that the Potion's teacher was younger than the Headmaster. Taking into account that he was teaching in 1931, Slughorn was probably born around the early 1900s, making him almost 100 years old when he started teaching Harry and his friends.

4 Pomona Sprout Retired From Teaching in 2020

Pomona Sprout was Hogwart's Herbology teacher and the Head of the Hufflepuff house. While there isn't any information about Sprout's year of birth, in the books, she's described as having gray hair, a feature that is also portrayed in the movies. What's more, by the year 2020, she retired from teaching, more likely because of old age. This would mean that when she taught Harry and his friends, she was an older woman already.

More importantly, McGonagall and Sprout have a two-year difference, and they even attended Hogwarts at the same time. This means that Pomona is roughly the same age as Minerva. Since Minerva was probably around 100 years old in 1991, Pomona was probably around the same age, which would make her around 130 years old in the present.

3 Minerva McGonagall Spent Most of Her Life Teaching

Like most Hogwarts professors, Harry Potter lore doesn't state Minerva McGonagall's birth year. However, McGonagall worked for two years in the Ministry of Magic after graduating from Hogwarts. When she was around 20, she started working in the magic school with Albus Dumbledore, who was the Head of the Transfigurations Department at the time. Minerva taught Newt Scamander, who was born in 1897 and started attending Hogwarts in 1908. McGonagall was Scamander's teacher, which would mean McGonagall was already teaching in 1910.

What's more, Dumbledore graduated from Hogwarts in 1899 and then spent a few years traveling and researching before becoming a professor. So, it's likely that McGonagall started teaching at Hogwarts between 1905 and 1910. This means that McGonagall was probably born between 1880 and 1890. Hence, McGonagall was around 100 years old when Harry first met her, and she must be around 130 in the present.

2 Albus Dumbledore Was Even Older Than People Think

Even though Albus Dumbledore was one of the most intelligent, talented, and wise wizards of his generation, he decided to dedicate his life to education instead of the pursuit of glory and fame. Dumbledore was a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for many years. He also became the Head of the Transfigurations Department and, eventually, became Hogwarts' Headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore was born on August 1881 and was killed by Severus Snape on June 30, 1997, when he was almost 116 years old, which is not that old for a wizard. If Dumbledore hadn't tried to wear Salazar Slytherin's ring, it's very possible that he would have lived around 30 years longer.

1 Cuthbert Binns Probably Lived to be Around 150 Years Old

Professor Cuthbert Binns was arguably Harry's most boring teacher at Hogwarts. Binns was a ghost with a monotone voice and long-winded explanations about magical history, making his subject one of the least liked in the school. Professor Binns died of old age after teaching for several years. However, instead of moving to the afterworld, he kept teaching his classes as if nothing had happened.

There are very few details about Binn's life, so his age isn't clear. Still, he was very old when he died, and wizards have a longer life expectancy than Muggles. In the case of Binns, he could have been as old as 150 when he died. Some fans believe he lived during the 19th century since the book he used to teach the class, A History of Magic, was written by Bathilda Bagshot, who was born in 1873. It's to be expected that a person who loves routine so much used the same book for most of his life, so he couldn't have been much older than Bathilda. There's no doubt that Binns is Hogwarts' oldest professor.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Latest Film

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Upcoming TV Shows

Harry Potter

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Maggie Smith , Alan Rickman , Helena Bonham Carter , Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon

Where to watch

HBO Max

Spin-offs (Movies)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald , Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Character(s)

Harry Potter , Voldemort

Video Game(s)

Hogwarts Legacy , LEGO Harry Potter Collection , Harry Potter: Wizards Unite , Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells , Harry Potter: Magic Awakened , Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets , Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2