Armando Dippet

Armando Dippet is a wizard in the Harry Potter series of novels. In the story, he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who preceded Albus Dumbledore.

First mentioned in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dippet was the Headmaster of Hogwarts during the time that Tom Marvolo Riddle, who was a student, opened the Chamber of Secrets. This caused another student, Myrtle, to die during Dippet's Headship. Dippet, unaware that Riddle was behind the attack, trusted Riddle's word that it was another student, Rubeus Hagrid, who controlled the monster. According to Riddle, Dippet forbade him from revealing the crime and covered up Myrtle's death as a "freak accident"Template:HP2.

Dippet refused to allow Tom to stay at the school during the summer holidays. This was seen by Harry Potter through a memory in Tom Riddle's diary.Template:HP2 Dippet ceased being Hogwarts Headmaster in 1956; it is unknown if he resigned or died. Dippet has a portrait in the Headmaster's office, allowing him to regularly discuss matters with other former Headmaster portraits and the current Head.Template:HP5 He was succeeded by Albus Dumbledore, the Transfiguration teacher.

In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, it is revealed that Tom Riddle requested the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher soon after graduating from Hogwarts. Armando Dippet did not give him the post, telling him that he was too young, and saying that Riddle might apply for the post again in a few years. Albus Dumbledore apparently had some level of influence on this decision, knowing that Dippet usually favoured Riddle.Template:HP6

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is noted that Rita Skeeter has written a book titled Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?Template:HP7 although based on all of Skeeter's other writings (and the fact that Dippet obviously rose to the pinnacle of wizarding academia) the title might be a bit unfair.

In the films, he was played by Alfred Burke who appearred on screen for a split second in Chamber of Secrets in the memory scene and as a portrait. He supposedly filmed another scene, in which he spoke to Riddle in a garden, that was cut out of the film and not put in the deleted scenes.

References

• Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747538492.
• Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747551006.
• Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747581088.
• Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1551929767. p 208, UK edition