We are given another subtle clue by the fact that Voldemort fears death above all else.54 And ever since the first book, everyone keeps saying that “Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared.” This is said by Hermione (SS260), Bill Weasley (OP92), twice by Harry (GF679/HBP72), and it even lends itself to the title of Order of the Phoenix chapter 36. The conflation of Dumbledore with Death renders these statements doubly true: Dumbledore is the only one Voldemort ever feared because he is Death, and Voldemort’s worst fear is death.
Dumbledore was also the key orchestrator of the deaths of each of the abandoned boys. He devoted all the last years of his life to destroying Voldemort, and in the end, his plan succeeded. As we discussed in Chapter 6, Dumbledore painted a target on Snape’s back by asking Snape to kill him; Snape’s death at Voldemort’s hands can be attributed to Dumbledore. And Dumbledore’s final master plan revolved around Harry laying down his life, which Harry did because of what Dumbledore said in The Prince’s Tale.
But note the difference: where Snape and especially Voldemort greeted death unwillingly, Harry made the choice to sacrifice his life. “The youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend.” (DH409) Right before Harry is hit by the Killing Curse, he “pulled off the Invisibility Cloak.” (DH703) And then Harry greets Dumbledore as an old friend in King’s Cross.
The theory is incredibly elegant, and it fits the text very well. It’s incredibly exciting that new Potter scholarship like this is still being developed and will continue to be for many years to come. So in light of this, I thank you for reading a book all about Death. Let us go together gladly, and, equals, continue the discussion about Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
Bibliography
As I said in my introduction, this book is built upon the foundation of all the Harry Potter essays I read over the course of fifteen years of fandom. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the writers who put their cleverness into the essays at The Lexicon, The Leaky Cauldron, and mighty MuggleNet. Throughout my teenage years, I read all the essays posted on those websites voraciously—naturally, I wish I’d kept better track of the stuff I read. But these are the best pieces I could recall about Albus Dumbledore, and I highly recommend reading all of them to anyone interested in further examining this fascinating character.
Also, anyone looking for a comprehensive fictional biography of Albus Dumbledore would do well to visit his page on The Harry Potter Lexicon:. The page is useful for both fast facts and for insightful analysis (like the etymology of his name, for example).
This book was always meant to generate further conversation, and I’m thrilled to say that it already has. Lorrie Kim wrote an insightful series of chapter-by-chapter responses to this book’s first edition on her blog!
Post-Deathly Hallows Era
Josie Kearns; “Philosopher’s Stone—Dumbledore’s Perspective”
Josie Kearns is one of the foremost essayists of the post-Deathly Hallows era, and her entire website (hp-companion.com) is worth reading through for analysis of the seven books. I tend to agree with her on a lot of what Dumbledore was scheming. However, she tends to credit the characters with knowing, deducing, and orchestrating much more than I do. In her essay on Sorcerer’s Stone, she reaches the same end goal I do for Dumbledore but theorizes that Dumbledore knew Quirrell was possessed from the get-go and set traps accordingly.
Josie Kearns; “What Did Dobby Know?”
This essay does not pertain to Dumbledore per se, but it does explain what Lucius was up to during Chamber of Secrets, which helps us understand why that tripped Dumbledore up.
Josie Kearns; “Needing More Time”
Josie’s perspective on the climax of Prisoner of Azkaban is that Dumbledore pretty much knew everything going on the entire time.
Josie Kearns; “A Very Bad Year for Albus Dumbledore (and it’s all Snape’s fault)”
Probably my favorite HP essay, this lays out why Dumbledore is at a loss during Goblet of Fire. It illustrates how the breakdown in communication between Snape and Dumbledore was instrumental in allowing Crouch Jr. to get away with masquerading as Moody.
Josie Kearns; “Harry Potter, Occlumens?”
Josie lays out an intriguing theory that Dumbledore set up the Occlumency lessons to fail on purpose.
Josie Kearns; “Prophecy”
This essay discusses the Ministry’s knowledge of the prophecy, which puts their interactions with Harry and Dumbledore in a fascinating new light.
mirrormere; “The Flaw in the Plan”
This essay is very similar to what you just read in this book but uses a similar style of deep dive into the books to reach nearly the opposite conclusions I did: namely, that Dumbledore prioritized Snape in his plans as opposed to using Snape dangerously to give Harry an edge.
Eleanor Harrison-Dengate; “Dumbledore and Churchill: War Heroes of 1945”
An interesting comparison of Albus Dumbledore to a real-life historical figure who may have served as an inspiration for him: Winston Churchill. This predated the renaissance of Churchill in popular culture, and remains a very good piece of analysis
HufflepuffSam; “The Master of Death”
One of the most recent pieces of relevant Potter scholarship, this essay examines what the concept of being Master of Death means and how no one ever achieved it in the HP series. Apart from anything else, there is the wonderful observation that the first time all three Hallows are united in one place is in a chapter titled (and
