This was part of a series of eulogies for Dumbledore that MuggleNet hosted at The Burrow. Robbie raised the intriguing idea that Dumbledore gave Snape the D.A.D.A. position (which led to his own demise) purely to help Harry become an Auror.
Mudblood428; “Harry Says a Few Words”
In case there’s been a little too much doom and gloom about Dumbledore, this essay (also part of the series of eulogies) is a good reminder of how much we (and Harry) loved Dumbledore.
DemenTom; “The New Ship at the Heart of Harry Potter”
If you want a good laugh at how the fandom used to hero-worship Dumbledore, I think this essay is exemplary. Released in the half-year after Half-Blood Prince when we were all still processing our grief, this essay highlights everything from Dumbledore’s politeness to his trust and belief in people.
WhiteAlchemist; “Kicking at Dumbledore’s Corpse for Fun”
This piece erroneously claims that Dumbledore was lying to Harry in HBP about who knows the contents of the prophecy. But it’s notable as one of the first post-HBP pieces to seriously question Dumbledore’s honesty while the rest of the fandom mourned him.
Daniela Teo; The Two-Way Mirror #22: “Love or Hate?”
Less than a month after Half-Blood Prince came out, Daniela Teo at the Two-Way Mirror produced this fascinating take on Snape’s relationship with Dumbledore. While missing the crucial fact of Dumbledore being in on the plan, she paints a compelling portrait of a Snape driven by resentment at Dumbledore due to Dumbledore’s favoritism of Harry over Snape. It’s also a welcome contrast to the exultation of Dumbledore taking place during that era.
Pre-Half-Blood Prince Era
Sophierom; “Dumbledore’s Decisions and the Vulnerability of Authority”
Sophie wrote about the theme of hierarchical relationships versus equal ones in Order of the Phoenix. The theme is relevant to the entire series, and significant in this analysis because Dumbledore had no equals aside from Grindelwald.
Maline Fredén; The North Tower #35: “Albus Dumbledore—Clueless or Calculating”
The North Tower was one of the best regular columns on MuggleNet in its heyday, which is saying something. This essay discusses Dumbledore planning the events in Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets much as I do, but without the benefit of having read the last two books. My favorite part is Maline’s point that both Voldemort and Dumbledore have a weakness for wanting to win in a specific way.
Daniela Teo; The Two-Way Mirror #9: “Dumbledore’s Plan”
Prepare to be awed as you read this editorial. In MuggleNet’s heyday, the columnists and editorialists would regularly build upon each other’s writing, creating the kind of literary dialogue English professors can only dream of. Daniela built upon the above editorial by Maline and wrote this gem. It suggests that Dumbledore was willing to do some pretty morally questionable things in the service of his grand plan and suggests that Dumbledore actually planned Lily’s sacrifice as part of his plan.
Although the particulars are wrong, keep in mind this was written in 2004. 2004, several years before Deathly Hallows proved her to be right on the money regarding Dumbledore’s character! Aside from the very early predictions that Dumbledore would turn out to be the Big Bad of the series, this was one of the first essays to question Dumbledore’s goodness, and almost certainly the first to get it right.
MarinaRusalka; “Thoughts on Dumbledore”
This was written shortly after Order of the Phoenix, and holds up all these years later as one of the most damning indictments of Dumbledore’s character I’ve ever read. Armed with only the first five books, Rusalka presciently paints a Dumbledore who is a master manipulator obsessed with others’ loyalty to himself.
For your convenience in following the links, this entire section is available at the book’s website: LifeAndLiesOfDumbledore.com
Editions of the Potter books used in this volume:
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (New York: Scholastic Inc, 2000)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (New York: Scholastic Inc, 2009)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (New York: Scholastic Inc, 2002)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (New York: Scholastic Inc, 2006)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (New York: Scholastic Inc, 2004)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (New York: Scholastic Inc, 2001)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (New York: Scholastic Inc, 1999)
Acknowledgments
This book would not exist without a million things going right, and a million kindnesses (big and small) from too many people to mention. So before diving in, I offer a blanket “thank you” to everyone who ever did me a kindness—I assure you that, with my memory like a steel trap, I remember it and appreciate it.
Thanks to the team at Story Spring Publishing, the formidable Annie Tarbuck and Chris Hagberg, who did a terrific job editing this book into something I’m proud of. I’m so glad we worked together to publish the first edition of this book! Thank you for taking a chance on a hyper twenty-four-year-old crazy enough to think he could write a book—I have enjoyed every minute of debating with you about footnotes and abbreviations and hope I have at least slightly ameliorated your feelings towards Albus.
Thanks to Lorrie Kim, who paved the way for this book with SNAPE, and who talked me off a ledge many a time throughout this nerve-wracking publishing process. We may not agree on anything in the Potter series, but I hope we never stop arguing about it!
Thanks to Nancy Pina, without whom I never would have gotten this published. When I was recently out of college and broke, I was able to attend Leviosa 2016 only because you let me stay in your hotel room for free. That convention was where I met Annie and began the long road to publication, so this book would not be published without your generosity.
Thanks to Sheila Simmons, who designed an absolutely gorgeous cover for me. You made me finally understand the impulse to show people baby photos, because I accosted everyone
