Hair color: gray-haired, in the past - chestnut
Eye color: light blue
Faculty: Gryffindor
Blood Purity: half-breed
Loyalty: Order of the Phoenix, Hogwarts
Patronus: phoenix
Magic wand: Elder Wand
Role in films: Richard Harris, Michael Gambon (since GP and KO)
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore(Eng. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, 1881-1997
) is one of the main characters in the Harry Potter series of books by the English writer J.K. Rowling, director of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Supreme Sorcerer of the Wizengamot (wizard court), holder of the Order of Merlin, first degree, founder of the Order of the Phoenix.
Dumbledore's collectible card says the following about him:
Albus Dumbledore, current headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered the greatest wizard of our time. The professor is famous for his victory over the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, the discovery of twelve ways to use dragon's blood, and his works on alchemy in collaboration with Nicholas Flamel. Hobbies are chamber music and bowling.
Throughout the first six books, the image of Dumbledore did not differ much from the classic images of Merlin and Gandalf. He appeared before the readers as a powerful kind wizard, possessing, despite his majestic appearance and venerable age, a lively sense of humor and remarkable mental strength. After the release of the last book of the cycle, which describes the dark past of Dumbledore and reveals the true motives of many of his actions, the opinions of readers regarding him were divided. In particular, many accuse Dumbledore of using Harry Potter and Severus Snape in a calculated and cruel way to defeat Voldemort.
Dumbledore family
Albus Dumbledore was born in 1881 to Percival and Kendra Dumbledore. Three years later, his brother Aberforth was born, followed soon after by his sister Ariana. When Ariana was six years old, she was attacked by Muggle children (after seeing her using magic). As a result of this attack, she became mentally ill. Albus' father Percival took revenge on them and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. He did not tell the court about the reasons for his act, so that Ariana would not be placed in St. Mungo's hospital. After this incident, the family moved to Godric's Hollow. Kendra carefully hid her daughter from prying eyes, from which the neighbors concluded that Ariana was a Squib.
Soon Dumbledore entered the Hogwarts school, the Gryffindor faculty and became the most brilliant student in its history. He received all the honorary awards that were established by the school, entered into correspondence with the most famous wizards of the time, including the famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel, the famous historian Bathilda Bagshot and the magical theorist Adalbert Woffling. Some of his papers have been accepted for publication by scientific journals such as Transfiguration Today, Problems of Enchantment and Potions Practice.
After leaving school, Dumbledore planned to go on a traditional journey with his old friend Elfias Doge, but this was prevented by the death of Kendra, who was accidentally killed by Ariana during another attack.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald
Having become the head of the family, Dumbledore was forced to stay at home with Ariana while Aberforth completed his education. According to him, he returned home angry and unhappy. It seemed to Dumbledore that an end had been put to his brilliant career, that his life had been ruined, and these feelings overpowered his love for his family. Therefore, when the young and no less capable magician Gellert Grindelwald, the great-nephew of Bathilda Bagshot, settled in the neighborhood of Dumbledore, his ideas literally inflamed Dumbledore. And not just ideas, Dumbledore admired Gellert. Grindelwald was a brilliant young man, handsome, intelligent, and most importantly, sharing the ideas of Albus. Grindelwald advocated subordinating Muggles to wizards "for the common good". Dumbledore drew attention to the fact that such power imposes great responsibility, and advocated the use of force only to the extent necessary, but generally agreed with his new friend.
The tools to achieve this dubious goal were to be the Deathly Hallows: the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak. Dumbledore planned to use the stone to resurrect his parents so that they would take the burden of responsibility for his sister and brother off his shoulders.
Dumbledore was already planning to go in search of gifts, but Aberforth strongly opposed this. He reminded his brother that he should look after the sick and uncontrollable Ariana. A fight broke out between Albus, Aberforth and Grindelwald, during which one of them accidentally killed Ariana. After that, Grindelwald disappeared. It was undoubtedly a big blow for Albus, his beloved friend used the Cruciatus on his brother and possibly killed his sister! At Ariana's funeral, an enraged Aberforth broke Dumbledore's nose.
Ariana's death was a turning point in Dumbledore's life. He admitted the fallacy of his ideas and realized that he was not worthy to possess both the Deathly Hallows and great power (and subsequently repeatedly refused the post of Minister of Magic).
Dumbledore soon returned to Hogwarts as a Transfiguration teacher. Meanwhile, Grindelwald began to implement his plans for world domination. Albus until the last moment avoided meeting with his former friend, afraid to find out from Grindelwald that he had killed his sister, or simply afraid of a fight with his former idol. Only when it was no longer possible to stay away did Dumbledore enter into a duel with him and inflicted a defeat on him. According to Elphias Doge, Dumbledore's victory and its consequences for the entire wizarding community are considered the turning point of magical history. After the duel with Grindelwald, Dumbledore became the new owner of the Elder Wand. Dumbledore himself put it this way: "I was allowed to own and use it, because I took it not for profit, but in order to save others from it."
Dumbledore and Voldemort
One of the assignments given to Dumbledore when he was a teacher was to find the young magician Tom Riddle, who later became Voldemort, and invite him to study at Hogwarts. Dumbledore was impressed by Riddle's abilities, but he also noticed the dark side of his personality and never trusted him. When Riddle grew up and expressed a desire to work at Hogwarts as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore persuaded Headmaster Armando Dippet to turn down the request.
In 1956, Dumbledore became head of Hogwarts. Meanwhile, Riddle began to gather followers around him and began to call himself Voldemort. He soon applied again to teach at the school, but was refused, this time by Dumbledore himself.
To fight Voldemort Dumbledore, an organization called the Order of the Phoenix was created. Its members included Harry Potter's parents James and Lily. Dumbledore soon learned that James had an invisibility cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows that was passed down from generation to generation. By this point, Dumbledore had already abandoned the idea of reuniting the Deathly Hallows, but the temptation to look at one of them and study it properly was too great, and with the permission of James, he took the mantle for himself for a while. After the death of the Potters, Dumbledore decided to give her to Harry.
After the birth of Harry Potter
From the first years of Harry's studies at Hogwarts, a warm relationship was established between him and Dumbledore. Dumbledore came to his aid more than once in difficult times: for example, he sent him his phoenix Fawkes and the sword of Godric Gryffindor in the Sorting Hat, without which the boy would never have coped with the basilisk (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”) or gave the idea to use time-turner to save the condemned Sirius Black ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"). At the same time, Dumbledore was never completely open with him. He never told the boy about his past, for a long time he hid from him the content of the prophecy, where it is said about Voldemort and Harry that “one of them must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live in peace while the other is alive , fearing for Harry's peace of mind. In addition, Dumbledore kept many facts about Severus Snape from the boy.
Confrontation with the Ministry
At the end of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Dumbledore gives a speech to the students in which he announces the revival of Voldemort. By doing so, he comes into conflict with the Ministry of Magic, which does not recognize this fact, and loses the post of the Supreme Wizard of the Wizengamot.
At the beginning of the school year, Dumbledore appeared at a meeting of the Wizengamot and acted as Harry's lawyer, who was accused of using magic outside the walls of Hogwarts (which is strictly prohibited). Dumbledore managed to prove that Harry had to defend himself from the Dementors (in fact, it was so). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic began to openly interfere in the internal affairs of Hogwarts. It succeeded in having First Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and gradually gave her more and more powers. Umbridge claimed that Voldemort posed no danger, and Dumbledore was simply spreading panic in order to get the chair of the Minister for Magic. Harry and his friends created an underground circle - "Dumbledore's Squad", where they prepared for a fight with Voldemort, studying defense against the dark arts. When this became known to Umbridge, Dumbledore took all the blame, said that he was allegedly preparing a rebellion against the Ministry, stunned Umbridge and her minions and left the school. Umbridge herself became the new headmaster of Hogwarts. Shortly thereafter, a duel took place between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic building. It ended in a draw, the Dark Lord managed to escape, but after that it was no longer possible to deny the fact of the revival of Voldemort. Dumbledore was reinstated as headmaster of Hogwarts and chief sorcerer of the Wizengamot.
Finding Horcruxes
The mysterious properties of Tom Riddle's diary, destroyed by Harry in his second year, and the phrase dropped by Voldemort on the night of his revival ("I, who have gone farthest on the path of immortality"), led Dumbledore to think that Voldemort Mort created a number of Horcruxes, placing fragments of his soul in them, and set about finding and destroying them. In the summer, between Harry's fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore managed to discover the second (after the diary) horcrux - Marvolo's ring. Finding that inside the stone is one of the Deathly Hallows - the resurrection stone, Dumbledore lost his head and put it on his finger in the hope of returning his family. However, the death spell on the ring worked, and despite the fact that Snape managed to stop the spread of the spell, Dumbledore was doomed.
Knowing that Voldemort had instructed one of the Slytherin students, Draco Malfoy, to kill him, Dumbledore asked Snape to do it for him. By doing this, he achieved several goals: firstly, to save Draco's still not completely damaged soul, secondly, to protect Draco from the wrath of Voldemort for the unfulfilled task, thirdly, to finally convince Voldemort of devotion to him Snape (who worked as a double agent), fourthly, to transfer the right to possess the Elder Wand to Snape. During the year ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"), Dumbledore told Harry about Voldemort's past and the Horcruxes, but did not reveal to him his agreement with Snape. The most terrible truth that Dumbledore hid from the boy was that one of Voldemort's Horcruxes was Harry himself, and he, therefore, must sacrifice himself for the sake of defeating the Dark Lord. Harry should have learned this information from Snape only after the destruction of all other Horcruxes, with the exception of Nagini.
Everything happened exactly as Dumbledore had planned. When trying to get another Horcrux, Dumbledore was greatly weakened and became an easy prey for Malfoy. Draco disarmed him, but could not kill him, and Snape did it (using the Avada Kedavra spell) (the only thing that Dumbledore did not assume was that the Elder Wand chose Draco to disarm him as its new owner). Harry went in search of Horcruxes ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"), gradually destroyed them, learned from Snape about the need to sacrifice himself and took this difficult step. However, Harry did not die, as a small amount of his blood, protected by the magic of motherly love, flowed in the veins of Voldemort (Dumbledore foresaw this, but could not tell Harry about it, otherwise the self-sacrifice would not have been complete, and the shard Voldemort's soul in Harry would not have been destroyed). Hanging between life and death, Harry met with Dumbledore, who finally shared all his secrets with him. For the last time in the pages of the book, Dumbledore's spirit communicates with Harry through a portrait hanging in the headmaster's office. Harry informs Dumbledore of his intention to get rid of all the Deathly Hallows except the invisibility cloak, and Dumbledore "watches him with boundless love and admiration."
One of Harry's sons, Albus Severus Potter, was named after the two headmasters of Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Snape.
Dumbledore's personality
Appearance
Albus Dumbledore appears in the very first chapter of the first book ("Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"). He is described as "a tall, thin and very old man with silver hair and a beard (both of which were so long that he could well have tucked them into his belt). Blue eyes shone brightly from crescent-shaped spectacles that sat on a long nose, so hooked that it seemed as if this nose had been broken in at least two places. Above his left knee is a scar in the shape of the London Underground.
Character
One of the main character traits of Dumbledore is that he does not accept any formalities, speaks clearly and simply, pronounces Voldemort's name without fear and advises Harry to do the same. Dumbledore is alien to any prejudice. He allows Hagrid, who has giant blood in his veins, to serve as a gatekeeper and teach at Hogwarts and says that he would trust him with his life. He also recruits werewolf Remus Lupin and former Death Eater Severus Snape.
Dumbledore is solely responsible for the students of Hogwarts. He rarely gets angry with Harry and allows him to ask questions that are very unpleasant for him, but when Harry once said that Dumbledore often leaves school and leaves students unattended, Dumbledore became angry and declared that during his absence, students are under full magical protection. Harry is instantly silent, realizing that he has crossed some invisible line.
Dumbledore is capable of eccentricities and strange actions in the eyes of others. Confirmation of this is his speech at the solemn ceremony of the beginning of the new academic year:
"Welcome! Welcome to the start of the new school year at Hogwarts! Before starting the banquet, I would like to say a few words. And my words will be: Berk! Bubble! Remainder! Trick! Everything, thank you all!”
Outlook on life
According to Dumbledore himself, at the beginning of his life, he was not much different from Voldemort, because, like him, he was looking for a way to defeat death. In the future, a calm attitude towards death became one of the main life principles of Dumbledore. Here are just some of his statements: “After all, for a properly organized consciousness, what is death if not a new interesting adventure?”, “Truly, your inability to comprehend that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness” ( Voldemort). Another fundamental belief of Dumbledore, constantly ridiculed by Voldemort, is that love is stronger than all magic.
Ranks:
Knight of the Order of Merlin, First Class
Great Wizard
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot
President of the International Confederation of Magicians
As well as a series of films based on these books. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Wizardry. Probably, one of the prototypes of Dumbledore was the English actor John Gielgud, with whom Rowling compared the hero in 1999, when she described the appearance of the hero for an interview.
History of creation
Rowling came up with the idea for the Wizard Boy book in 1990 while on a train trip to London. The writer sat down to work immediately after returning home, and finished the first novel in the series in 1995.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was rejected by eight publishers before Bloomsbury accepted the novel with an advance of just £2,500. At the same time, the last, seventh book in the series, which was released in 2007, was sold out in the amount of eleven million copies in the first day.
Biography
Dumbledore's years of life - 1881-1997. When asked how old the hero was at the time of death, it is easy to answer - 116. Albus was born in the family of a purebred wizard and a half-blood, the hero's father was Percival, and his mother was Kendra. Albus was the eldest son in the family, brother Aberforth was born three years later, and the last to be born was the younger sister Ariana.
At the age of six, the girl was attacked by Muggle teenagers who saw the heroine doing magic. After this incident, Ariana became mentally damaged and could no longer control her own magical powers. Albus' father ended up in the magical prison Azkaban after taking revenge on the Muggles who attacked his daughter.
The girl could be forcibly sent to the hospital of St. Mungo, so Percival hid the true motives of his act and was sentenced to life. The Dumbledore family moved to a new place - in the settlement of Godric's Hollow in the south-west of England, where wizards live next to Muggles. Mother hid Ariana from prying eyes.
Albus from childhood showed great ability to magic. Entering Hogwarts, the hero got into the Gryffindor faculty, where he studied brilliantly and achieved all the honorary awards that he could. Young Albus had an extensive correspondence and made interesting acquaintances. Among the addressees of the hero were famous wizards of that time, including Nicholas Flamel, the famous alchemist, magician who created the philosopher's stone.
Dumbledore's articles were published in the scientific journals of the wizarding world, in a word, the hero became a prominent young scientist. Albus was going to go on a trip with a friend after graduation, but these plans were thwarted when the hero's sister Ariana killed her mother in a fit of madness.
After this misfortune, Albus became the head of the family and was forced to stay at home, looking after his insane sister, while his brother, Aberforth, completed his studies. During this period of his life, Dumbledore's mood was gloomy, his relatives annoyed him. The hero felt unhappy and angry, considered his life and career irreparably ruined. During this unfortunate period, Dumbledore met the young Gellert Grindelwald, who settled next door to the hero.
Albus was inspired by the mind and ideas of Grindelwald, who believed that for the common good, Muggles should be under the rule of magicians. Friends were going to go in search of the Deathly Hallows (Invisibility Cloak, Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone) in order to turn these ideas into reality with their help. Albus, in addition to "ideological" motives, also had personal ones - the hero dreamed of resurrecting his own parents.
However, Albus' brother demanded that he stay at home and look after his sick sister. There was a conflict between Grindelwald and Aberforth, during which Albus sided with his brother. During the skirmish, Albus' sister died, struck by an accidental spell. Grindelwald disappeared after this incident, and Dumbledore renounced their common ideas.
After some time, Dumbledore nevertheless returned to Hogwarts, where he became a professor of transfiguration. Grindelwald at this time began to implement his own plans to achieve world domination. Dumbledore to the last tried to avoid meeting him, but in the end, in 1945, he met in a duel and won. From that moment on, Albus became the owner of the Elder Wand, which Grindelwald had previously appropriated by stealing from Gregorovich, the master of magic wands.
Plot
Dumbledore the old man in the first two films of the series ("Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets") plays.
However, in 2002, this actor died and had to give the role of the headmaster of Hogwarts, who played Dumbledore in all the remaining films in the series.
At the end of 2018, the second part of the film about fantastic creatures - "The Crimes of Grindelwald" should be released, where the audience will also see Dumbledore in his younger years.
- Dumbledore as a character became so recognizable that he was parodied. In the American comedy series Wizards of Waverly Place, there are two episodes where Professor Crumbs, the headmaster of the school of magic, is present - the most obvious parody of Dumbledore with a long snow-white beard and mustache. There is also a reference to Dumbledore in the animated series The Simpsons, where in one of the episodes Homer reads a book to his daughter Lisa and comes up with his own ending when he comes to the place where the character dies (Dumbledore's death is parodied here).
- In the 18th century, the word "dumbledore" in English meant "bumblebee". And one of the names of the hero - Albus - comes from the Latin "albus", that is, "white".
- Dumbledore's full real name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian. And one of these names - Percival - was worn by the Knight of the Round Table, one of the characters in the legends of the Arthurian cycle, whose adventures can be read in Thomas Malory's novel The Death of Arthur.
- Dumbledore's Patronus takes the form of a phoenix.
- Dumbledore is called the greatest magician of the twentieth century. The hero knows how to conjure without using a wand and without saying spells aloud, is able to become invisible without a cloak and other devices, has come up with a way to send messages using a patronus, is able to read the thoughts and images of other people (legilimency).
- Dumbledore has an unusual sense of humor, the director is prone to eccentricities and extravagant acts, which often irritates the strict and serious Minerva McGonagall.
- In 2007, while talking to fans, JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, said that Dumbledore was gay. It is not known how the fans took this statement, but some of Rowling's colleagues in the pen and critics found it strange. Indeed, in the books about Harry Potter, the sexual orientation of the character is not accentuated, there are no direct indications that Dumbledore is gay (or not). It is believed that on the part of Rowling it was a publicity stunt, an attempt to draw additional attention to the hero.
Quotes
“The main thing is to fight, again and again, only in this way can evil be stopped, even if it can never be completely destroyed.”
“And my brother? Aberforth was accused of testing illegal spells on a goat. All the newspapers wrote about it. And what do you think, Aberforth hid from everyone? Nothing like this! As if nothing had happened, he continued to work. True, I don’t know if he can read, maybe this is not courage at all ... "
“Don’t be overly arrogant and take full responsibility.”
“- What do you see when you look in the mirror of Erinage?
- I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woolen socks in my hand. A person cannot have too many socks. Another Christmas has passed, and I have not received a single pair as a gift. For some reason, people only give me books.”
Hobbies are chamber music and bowling.
The image of Dumbledore is in many ways similar to the classic image of Merlin. This is a powerful kind wizard who, despite his majestic appearance and venerable age, has a lively sense of humor and remarkable mental strength. However, after the publication of the last book of the cycle, which describes the dark past of Dumbledore and reveals the true motives of some of his actions, the opinions of readers regarding him were divided.
In particular, many readers accuse Dumbledore of using Harry Potter and Severus Snape in a calculated and cruel way to defeat Voldemort.
As conceived by Rowling herself, Dumbledore was "the epitome of goodness", and, as the writer repeatedly admitted, was one of her favorite characters. She stated that Dumbledore "speaks for her" because she knows almost everything about the world of Harry Potter. However, in interviews before book 7, she refers to this character as a "Machiavellian figure", emphasizing his ambiguity.
Name origin
Dumbledore's name Albus in Latin - white. Surname Dumbledore derived from an old English word meaning bumblebee. Rowling chose this last name because she imagined Dumbledore "walking around humming to herself". Full name Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
Biography of Dumbledore
Before the birth of Harry Potter
All the following information becomes known to the reader only in the seventh book of the cycle (“Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows”).
Dumbledore family
Albus Dumbledore was born in the summer of 1881 in a place called the Mound Highlands to the wizard Percival and the half-breed Kendra Dumbledore. Three years later, his brother Aberforth was born, followed soon after by his sister Ariana. When Ariana was six years old, she was attacked by Muggle teenagers, who saw that she was doing magic. As a result of this attack, the girl became mentally ill, unable to control her magic. Albus' father Percival took revenge on them and was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. He did not tell the court about the reasons for his act, so that Ariana would not be placed in the hospital of Saint Mungo. After that, the family moved to Godric's Hollow. Kendra carefully hid her daughter from prying eyes, and the magician neighbors concluded that Ariana was a squib.
Dumbledore soon returned to Hogwarts as a Transfiguration teacher. Meanwhile, Grindelwald became the owner of the Elder Wand, which he stole from the master of magic wands Gregorovich, and began to implement his plans for world domination. Albus until the last moment avoided meeting with his former friend, afraid to find out from Grindelwald that he had killed his sister. Only when it was no longer possible to stay away, in 1945, Dumbledore entered into a duel with Gellert and defeated him. According to Elphias Doge, Dumbledore's victory and its consequences for the entire wizarding community is considered a turning point in magical history. After the duel with Grindelwald, Dumbledore became the new owner of the Elder Wand. Dumbledore himself put it this way: “I was allowed to own and use it, because I took it not for profit, but in order to save others from it”.
Dumbledore and Voldemort
One of the assignments given to Dumbledore during his time as a teacher was a meeting in 1938 in a Muggle orphanage with a young magician, Tom Riddle Jr., to invite him to study at Hogwarts. Dumbledore was impressed by Riddle's magical abilities, but he also noticed the dark side of his personality, his tendency to cruelty, tyranny, and never trusted him. When Riddle grew up and expressed a desire to work at Hogwarts as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore convinced Headmaster Armando Dippet to decline his request.
Dumbledore went on to teach Transfiguration at Hogwarts and later became headmaster. Meanwhile, Riddle began to gather a company of followers around him and began to call himself Lord Voldemort. Soon, Voldemort, who entered the dark path and began to create Horcruxes, again asked to teach at the school, but was again refused, this time by Dumbledore himself.
After Voldemort started the First Wizarding War in 1970, an organization called the Order of the Phoenix was created to fight Voldemort Dumbledore. Among its members were Harry Potter's parents James and Lily. Dumbledore soon learned that James had an invisibility cloak, one of the Deathly Hallows, passed down through generations. By this point, Dumbledore had already abandoned the idea of reuniting the Deathly Hallows, but the temptation to look at one more and study it was too great, and he, with the permission of James, took the mantle for himself for a while. After the death of the Potters, Dumbledore subsequently handed her over to the grown Harry.
In 1980, Albus appointed the seer Sibyl Trelawney, who made the prophecy about Harry Potter and the Dark Lord, as a teacher at Hogwarts, and soon he had to transfer Harry to his relatives after the death of his father and mother.
After the birth of Harry Potter
From the first days of Harry's training at Hogwarts, they had a warm relationship with the headmaster. Dumbledore came to the boy's aid more than once in difficult times. Dumbledore saved Harry in the fifth book. At the same time, he was never completely frank with the boy: he did not tell him about his past, for a long time he hid from him the content of the prophecy, where it is said about Voldemort and Harry that “one of them must die at the hands of the other, for neither can live in peace while the other lives," fearing for Harry's peace of mind. In addition, Dumbledore withheld from the boy many facts regarding Severus Snegg.
Opposition to the Ministry
At the end of Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore delivers a speech to the students in which he announces the revival of Voldemort. Thus, he comes into conflict with the Ministry of Magic, which does not recognize this fact, and loses the post of the Supreme Wizard of the Wizengamot and the head of the International Confederation of Magicians.
At the beginning of the school year, Dumbledore appeared at a meeting of the Wizengamot and acted as Harry's lawyer, who was accused of using magic outside the walls of Hogwarts (which is strictly prohibited until the age of majority, coming at 17). Dumbledore managed to prove that Harry had to defend himself from the Dementors (in fact, it was so). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic began to openly interfere in the internal affairs of Hogwarts. It succeeded in having First Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and gradually gave her more and more authority. Umbridge claimed that Voldemort posed no danger, and Dumbledore was simply spreading panic in order to get the chair of the Minister for Magic. Harry and his friends created an underground circle - Dumbledore's Detachment (eng. Dumbledore's army), where they prepared for a fight with Voldemort, studying defense against the dark arts. When this became known to Umbridge, Dumbledore took all the blame, said that he was allegedly preparing a rebellion against the Ministry, stunned Umbridge and her minions and left the school. Umbridge has become the new headmaster of Hogwarts. Shortly thereafter, a duel took place between Dumbledore and Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic building. It ended in a draw, the Dark Lord managed to escape, but after that it was no longer possible to deny the fact of the revival of Voldemort. Dumbledore was reinstated as Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and head of the International Confederation of Wizards.
Finding Horcruxes
The mysterious properties of Tom Riddle's diary, destroyed by Harry in his second year, and the phrase dropped by Voldemort on the night of his revival ("I, who have gone further than all others along the path of immortality"), made Dumbledore think that Voldemort created a number of Horcruxes by placing fragments of his soul in them, and Albus set about finding and destroying them. In the summer between Harry's fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore managed to find a second (after diary) Horcrux - Marvolo Gaunt's ring. Finding that one of the Deathly Hallows - the Resurrection Stone - was inserted into the ring, Dumbledore succumbed to the temptation and put it on his finger in the hope of returning his family. As a result, the strongest curse imposed on the ring worked, that even such a strong wizard as Severus Snape managed to stop its spread only for a while, then he was already powerless to do something. From the effect of the curse, Dumbledore's hand turned black, as if charred, it was impossible to cure it, and, moreover, the old wizard had no more than a year to live.
Knowing that Voldemort had instructed Draco Malfoy to kill him, Dumbledore asked Snape to do it for the student. By this, he pursued several goals: firstly, to save Draco's still not completely damaged soul, secondly, to protect Draco from the wrath of Voldemort for the unfulfilled task, and, thirdly, to finally convince Voldemort of Snape's devotion to him (who was actually a double agent). During the year (“Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince”) Dumbledore told Harry about Voldemort's past and Horcruxes, but did not reveal to him his agreement with Snape. The most terrible truth that Dumbledore hid from the boy was that one of Voldemort's Horcruxes was Harry himself. And He, hence, must sacrifice himself to defeat the Dark Lord. Harry learned this information from Snape only after the destruction of all Horcruxes, with the exception of the Nagini snake.
Everything happened exactly as Dumbledore had planned. In a joint attempt with Harry to get a false Slytherin medallion, Dumbledore was greatly weakened (he drank a terrible emerald potion) and became an easy prey for Malfoy. Draco disarmed him, but could not kill him, and Snape did it (using the Avada Kedavra spell). The only thing that Dumbledore did not assume was that the Elder Wand chose Draco, who disarmed him, as its new owner. Harry went looking for the Horcruxes ("Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows"), and eventually he gradually destroyed them. After witnessing the murder of Severus Snape by the Dark Lord during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry received memories from him. From them, he, among other things, learned about the need to sacrifice himself and take this difficult step. However, Harry did not die, as a small amount of his blood, protected by the magic of motherly love, flowed in the veins of Voldemort (Dumbledore foresaw this, but could not tell Harry about it, otherwise the self-sacrifice would not have been complete, and the shard Voldemort's soul in Harry would not have been destroyed). Hanging between life and death, Harry met with Dumbledore, who finally shared all his secrets with him. For the last time on the pages of the book, Harry communicates with a portrait of Dumbledore hanging in the headmaster's office. Harry informs the painted Dumbledore of his intention to get rid of the Deathly Hallows, except for the invisibility cloak, and he "watches him with boundless love and admiration."
Harry's second son, Albus Severus Potter, is named after the two headmasters of Hogwarts, Dumbledore and Snape.
Dumbledore's personality
Appearance
Albus Dumbledore appears in the very first chapter of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). It is described as follows: “He was tall, thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard - so long that they could be tucked into his belt. He was dressed in a long frock coat over which was thrown a sweeping purple robe, and on his feet were high-heeled boots adorned with buckles. The eyes behind the tinted glasses were blue, very lively, bright and sparkling, and the nose was very long and crooked, as if it had been broken at least twice.
According to Dumbledore, there is a scar above his left knee in the form of an exact diagram of the London Underground.
Describing Dumbledore's appearance in a 1999 interview, Rowling compared him to John Gielgud.
Character
One of the main character traits of Dumbledore is that he does not accept any formalities, speaks clearly and simply, pronounces Voldemort's name without fear and advises Harry to do the same; in personal meetings with the villain, he calls him by his real name "Tom". Dumbledore is alien to all prejudices, including the very common idea of the superiority of "thoroughbreds": for example, he allows Hagrid, in whose veins giant blood flows, to serve as a gatekeeper and teach at Hogwarts and says that he would trust him with his life. He also recruits the werewolf Remus Lupin, the former Death Eater Severus Snegg, and the centaur Florence.
Dumbledore is solely responsible for the students of Hogwarts. He rarely gets angry with Harry and allows him to ask questions that are very unpleasant for him, but when Harry once said that Dumbledore often leaves school and leaves students unattended, Dumbledore became angry and stated that during his absence the students were under full magical protection. Harry is instantly silent, realizing that he has crossed some invisible line.
Another trait of Dumbledore's character is to allow the student to learn from his mistakes. For example, when Hermione signed up for all the new subjects at the beginning of her third year, Dumbledore, instead of forbidding her, allows her to try such loads, providing her with a Time-Turner .
Dumbledore is very secretive. When he and Harry were discussing the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore said he saw himself in it, holding a pair of thick woolen socks. However, it later turns out that in reality, he, like Harry, saw his family in the mirror. Albus' brother, Aberforth, told Harry that Albus always had a talent for hiding and hiding.
Being a wise and brilliant wizard, Dumbledore, nevertheless, is capable of eccentricities and strange actions in the eyes of others, largely due to his unusual sense of humor, which sometimes annoys Minerva McGonagall, who is distinguished by a strict and serious character.
Albus Dumbledore's wand
Albus Dumbledore wields the Elder Wand. This is one of the three Deathly Hallows. He got it by defeating the former owner Grindelwald. The stuffing of the stick was thestral hair. .
Outlook on life
According to Dumbledore himself, at the beginning of his life, he was not much different from Voldemort, because, like him, he was looking for a way to defeat death. In the future, a calm attitude towards death became one of the main life principles of Dumbledore. Here are just some of his statements: “After all, for a properly organized consciousness, what is death, if not a new interesting adventure?” (in another translation: "For a highly organized mind, death is just another adventure.") "Truly, your inability to understand that there are things in life much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness" (Voldemort). Another fundamental belief of his, constantly ridiculed by Voldemort, is that love is stronger than any other magic.
sexual orientation
In October 2007, answering questions from fans, Rowling stated that " Dumbledore is homosexual". In response to the statement, some critics expressed the view that the author's personal opinion, unlike the texts of the works, is not canon, since the books in the series do not contain direct indications of this fact. So, according to Edward Rothstein, a cultural critic from the New York Times: "Rowling may perceive Dumbledore as gay ... but others do not necessarily have to share her opinion." American author Orson Scott Card called Rowling's statement "grossly hypocritical" because "instead of actually presenting readers with a gay character, she attributed this quality to him retroactively, as if it were just an afterthought." In addition, some critics put forward a version according to which Rowling's statement might not correspond to her original intention for the character and be just a publicity stunt. Political correctness and commercial reasons have been cited as possible motives for Rowling.
Ranks
- Knight of the Order of Merlin, First Class
- The Greatest Wizard of Our Time
- Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (was temporarily removed due to ministerial attacks, but soon reinstated)
- President of the International Confederation of Magicians (temporarily removed due to ministerial attacks, but soon reinstated)
- Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
All previous commentators have correctly pointed out perhaps the most important aspect in this matter: Albus Dumbledore cannot be unambiguously characterized in the categories of "good / bad". The reason, in my opinion, is simple: Albus is above such a categorical division into positive and negative in its essence, both as a character and as an archetype, the place of which is assigned to him.
Everything that I have said further is the purest IMHO based on the opinion of people who are authoritative for me (where I can, I will put links). I immediately warn you about the subjectivity of my assessment and interpretations: I consider Albus Dumbledore one of the best characters in the entire series of Harry Potter books, and in my personal top he takes a stable first place, overtaking even Hermione Granger. Accordingly, my position is very, very pro-Dumbledore, and the assessment of his activities is very positive (other opinions, of course, have every right to exist).
When asking a question, you asked to rely on the conversation between Albus and Severus from the memories that Harry saw in the Pensieve. A very characteristic, climactic moment of the book, when it finally becomes clear to all of us where everything is going, and what Dumbledore's plan was from the very beginning. It turned someone away from Albus (in fanfiction there is even a stable stamp called " Dambigad", although he appeared before the seventh book), and someone, reluctantly, was still able to accept his goals, tasks and actions, although it took a lot of effort and time. Personally, the well-known work of two Russian authors helped me to do the latter. anna_y And catherine entitled "Albus Dumbledore's Big Game". Particular attention in it should be paid to the first three parts, where the authors simply lay out everything that happens on the shelves, but the greatest value, in my opinion, is a short essay on the last book, where Dumbledore's goals are directly stated: "Dumbledore never<...>did not refuse to try to save a person if there was at least a tiny chance of salvation. And no matter how illusory this chance was, it invariably became for Dumbledore a reinforced concrete foundation for rescue work.
It was Dumbledore who, in all seven books, was the translator of one of the fundamental ideas of Potteriana: "You should not choose the easy, but the right way", and the problem of this choice is very well illustrated by the authors of the BI:
"There are two people. It is known that if one of them is allowed to be killed, then the second will survive. If not allowed, then there is a certain risk that both will die, but there is also the possibility that both will survive. Well, Dumbledore in such situations always puts target: both must survive. Because you can't choose, you can't sacrifice, you have to fight for everyone."
If Harry had not gone into the forest to Voldemort and voluntarily decided to destroy himself and the Horcrux along with him, then Voldemort would not have been one hundred percent destroyed. Dumbledore foresaw various outcomes of the war, but he knew one thing for sure: Harry have to destroy the Horcrux in yourself so that Voldemort is destroyed. And he conveyed this knowledge to Harry through Severus Snape, who, what Albus knew for sure, would do ALL for Voldemort to be defeated. Not everything went as planned, but in the end, Dumbledore's faith in the best came true - Harry managed to survive and at the same time destroyed the Horcrux.
If you look at Albus as a mentor figure, you can see his clear function in relation to Harry: he is a kind of Merlin under King Arthur, who raises the boy in childhood, teaches magic and helps to achieve royal power in the end. In lecture "Harry Potter: The Gospel of Rowling"(by the way, look, very interesting parallels and interpretations) Dmitry Bykov directly identifies Dumbledore with the figure of God the Father. I like the first version more simply because Merlin himself is somehow closer, although, if you think about it, Merlin in the magical world is just some kind of analogue of a generally recognized deity, though without the attached religious cult.
I won't go into aspects of Dumbledore's biography to find out exactly how he got to where we find him at the beginning of the books, that's a topic for another question and discussion. In the books, we see what is: Dumbledore is a very old man, battered by life, who, nevertheless, has not lost his cheerfulness, faith in people and the ability to sincerely love his loved ones. His fundamental trait, which he suffered and acquired throughout his life, I consider his ability to admit and correct his mistakes (the formation of Voldemort and his destruction), learn from them (raising Harry Potter), and also pay the bills in cases where it is not possible to correct the situation (the story with Ariana and Grindelwald). He is first and foremost human, and is human in the highest degree, and therefore cannot be wholly good or bad; he knows how to forgive, trust, and appreciate the best even in the most lost people (Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, etc.). And at the same time, as we can see from the Harry Potter books, the mistakes of great people are very, very expensive, and Albus Dumbledore made many mistakes and paid the full price for their consequences.
For the first time we see Albus Dumbledore on Privet Street. He was a tall, thin, and very old wizard with silver hair and a beard (both of which were so long that he could well have tucked them into his belt). His “blue eyes shone brightly from under crescent-shaped glasses, sitting on a long nose, so hooked that it seemed as if this nose had been broken in at least two places”. Above the left knee of the wizard is a scar in the form of the London Underground Road. Dumbledore wears a long frock coat, a purple robe, and buckled boots.
Personality and character
The name Albus is of Latin origin, it means "white". The surname Dumbledore is associated with the Old English word bumble-bee "bumblebee". As J.K. herself says Rowling, Dumbledore often walks around humming to himself, and this singing is like the buzzing of a bumblebee. The full name of our hero is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
Albus Dumbledore does not tolerate formalism, his speech is simple and clear. For him there are no prejudices and superstitions. The wizard calmly and confidently pronounces the real name of You-Know-Who and convinces others of this. For Dumbledore, there are no racial prejudices: the sorcerer accepts the half-giant Hagrid, the werewolf Lupin, to study at school, he hires the centaur Florence, he is kind with house elves.
Another important trait of Dumbledore is patience and generosity. He is rarely seen angry, but when he does, it is for very serious reasons.
Dumbledore remains calm in dangerous moments. For example, he stops the panic during the appearance of a mountain troll at the school.
At the same time, Dumbledore is secretive. When he and Harry were discussing the Mirror of Erised, the wizard said that he saw himself in it, holding a pair of woolen socks in his hands. However, it is later revealed that in reality he, like Harry, saw his family in the mirror. Albus' brother, Aberforth, told Harry that Albus always had a talent for hiding and hiding.
Despite his wisdom and genius, Dumbledore is capable of strange, sometimes eccentric acts (the reason for which lies in the unusual sense of humor of the sorcerer). For example, at the opening of the school year, he could say:
"Welcome! Welcome to the start of the new school year at Hogwarts! Before starting the banquet, I would like to say a few words. And my words will be: Berk! Bubble! Remainder! Trick! Everything, thank you all!”
Childhood and youth
The great wizard of modern times was born in 1881. His parents, Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, doted on their son. Three years later, a younger brother, Aberforth, was born, followed by a sister, Ariana. When the girl was only 6 years old, a tragedy occurred in the family: Ariana refused to use magic (because of the bullies who pestered her), the head of the family was hidden in Azkaban because he wanted to punish them, and Kendra Dumbledore had to move to Godric's Hollow. Already from there, at the age of 11, Albus Dumbledore entered Hogwarts School, the faculty of Gryffindor, and became the most brilliant student in her history. He received all the honorary awards that were established by the school, entered into correspondence with the most famous wizards of the time: Nicholas Flamel, Bathilda Bagshot, Adalbert Woffling, and articles of the aspiring magician were published in leading magical science journals, for example, in Transfiguration Today, Problems sorcery" and others. Being a very enthusiastic nature, Albus did not notice what was happening in the family, even during the holidays he was engaged in magical sciences.
In his youth, Dumbledore befriended an equally gifted but evil wizard named Grindelwald. The epiphany came when Ariana died during a quarrel with Grindelwald. The pain of loss and guilt has not left Albus since then, although he himself never spoke about it.
Apparently, Ariana's death and the story of Grindelwald prompted Dumbledore to teaching activities, although the young wizard was prophesied the highest posts in the Ministry of Magic.
Magic and mentorship
Dumbledore and Fawkes*
Dumbledore's pet is a phoenix named Fawkes. The phoenix is also the wizard's patronus.
Dumbledore is a magician of world renown. Here are just some of his regalia: Chief Wizard of the Wizengamot, Commander of the Order of Merlin First Class, Chairman of the International Confederation of Wizards.
However, our hero began his career with teaching and was faithful to his chosen activity until the very end.
Initially, Albus Dumbledore held the position of Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. In 1956, he was appointed headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
During his work, a lot of very different events happened, from the pranks of schoolchildren to the fight with the most dangerous wizard - Voldemort.
Much can be said about this, but it is better to read it anyway.
Care
Albus Dumbledore card**
Dumbledore passed away the way he planned. Getting another horcrux, the wizard was greatly weakened and became an easy prey for Malfoy Jr. Draco disarmed the magician, but killed Albus Severus Snape. Dumbledore's death was prearranged between Dumbledore and Snape.
The last time Dumbledore communicates with Harry is through a portrait in the headmaster's office. In the future, the youngest son of Harry Potter received his name in honor of the two headmasters of the school, Dumbledore and Snape.