“You will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.” (CS263-264)
At first glance, Dumbledore’s promise of help to those who are loyal to him appears to be mysterious and abstract; how does one measure loyalty from afar? But there is a rational explanation, courtesy of online commenter GumWrappersAreLove1:
I think [Dumbledore] might be referring to the Deluminator. [. . .] What if when Dumbledore said “none here are loyal to me” he was implying “none who love me speak my name”?! That would mean if Dumbledore had had the Deluminator with him when he was on his way to McGonagall's office to console the Weasleys, he would have heard Harry saying his name in the Chamber of Secrets. [. . .] I think Dumbledore heard Harry's voice, knew he was alive and fighting to save Ginny in the Chamber, and might have sent Fawkes.
Later on in this book, we will discuss Dumbledore’s issues with loyalty from others, but suffice to say he prizes it highly. It is absolutely in character for him to codify that into a spell or magical artifact.
What we know of the Deluminator from Ron’s use of it in Deathly Hallows is that the wielder is able to hear when certain people speak his name. This would be a perfect way for Dumbledore to be at the ready should Harry ever need his immediate help: Dumbledore would just wait for his name to be invoked. A close read of Chamber of Secrets backs this up: Harry does not say Dumbledore’s name between his sacking and the showdown in the Chamber of Secrets.17
To clarify, we don’t know if Dumbledore was using the Deluminator for this purpose, or if it’s an independent spell that he later put on the Deluminator specifically for Ron. But we can surmise that enchanting names in this fashion is very advanced magic: the only characters we know of who do so are Dumbledore and Voldemort (with the Taboo in Deathly Hallows).
If we reread the climax of Chamber of Secrets with this in mind, a whole lot of things begin to make sense. Harry first uses Dumbledore’s name when he says to Riddle, “I bet Dumbledore saw right through you.” (CS312) This was the moment that Dumbledore was alerted to what was going on, and began paying attention to the proceedings.
We don’t know how much one can listen to once this magic is activated by the name, but in DH Ron hears Hermione talking about wands after she says his name. So one can listen to at least some conversation after the name. This may explain why Dumbledore is so seemingly omniscient in the post-battle meeting.
“What interests me most,” said Dumbledore gently, “is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania.” (CS328)
Dumbledore knows that it was Voldemort and that Ginny was enchanted because shortly after Harry first shouted about Dumbledore, Riddle explains how he manipulated Ginny. After the full and boastful confession, “Voldemort,” said Riddle softly, “is my past, present, and future.” (CS313)
Dumbledore is now paying very close attention, while Riddle speaks calmly. The second time Harry uses Dumbledore’s name, Dumbledore hears Riddle getting agitated, so he sends Fawkes as backup.
“Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days—”
The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look.
“Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!” he hissed.
“He's not as gone as you might think!” Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true.
Riddle opened his mouth, but froze.
Music was coming from somewhere. (CS314-315)
Why didn’t Dumbledore come himself? This would be around the time Dumbledore had to deal with the distraught Weasleys, so he delegated the task to Fawkes. He fervently hopes that Harry and Fawkes together will be up to the task of defeating Riddle.
In Dumbledore’s own words, Harry “acquitted [himself] beyond my wildest dreams.” (OP838) Dumbledore is reinstated and gets to stick it to Lucius Malfoy, who’s sacked from the Hogwarts Board of Governors. This moment is also the biggest success in Dumbledore’s campaign to remove Lucius from being Lord Voldemort’s Favorite Death Eater, since Voldemort’s “anger was terrible to behold” (HBP508) when he found out Lucius had gotten the diary destroyed. Dumbledore also finds out how loyal Harry is to him. This is the beginning of Dumbledore caring more for Harry than for an ordinary student, because he’s touched by Harry’s faith.
Dumbledore has a very significant conversation with Harry after the incident. He withholds a crucial piece of information about the prophecy: “You were still so young, you see, and I could not find it in myself to spoil that night of triumph. . .” (OP838) He also receives a vital piece of information, one that leads us to ask a crucial question that we will revisit throughout this book.
What Did Dumbledore Know of Horcruxes?
By the time Harry is let in on the Horcrux hunt in Half-Blood Prince (and the reader with him), Dumbledore seems to have everything together. He knows what the Horcruxes are and how many there are. He’s also collected all the necessary memories, and it’s just a matter of telling Harry about it and then destroying them. At first, we do not question this; we’re used to Dumbledore’s seeming omniscience, so why wouldn’t he have all the necessary information already? Even Lord Voldemort reinforces the idea: “You are omniscient as ever, Dumbledore.” (HBP445)
But then, someone has to ask the very pertinent
