Albus Dumbledore

"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than the forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all."

- Albus Dumbledore, about Harry Potter's true powers that makes him diffrent from Lord Voldemort. "It is important to fight and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay though never quite eradicated"

- Albus Dumbledore, about the fight against evil "After all, to the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

- Dumbledore to Harry Potter about death (Most famous quote) "It is our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities"

- Dumbledore to Harry Potter about choices

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born August 3, 1881 - died June 30, 1997) is the deutragonist of the Harry Potter series. He was the Transfiguration Professor, and later Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore also served as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards (?–1995) and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (?–1995; 1996-1997). He was a half-blood wizard, the son of Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, and the elder brother of Aberforth and Ariana. His father died in Azkaban when Dumbledore was young, while his mother and sister were later accidentally killed. During his youth he and Gellert Grindelwald was searching for the Deathly Hallows (The Elder Wand, The Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility) to become "immortal" and invincible. This led to his sister's death when he and Gellert was duelling and a curse accidently killed Ariana. His early losses greatly affected him early on, even at his death, but in turn made him a better person.

Albus Dumbledore was considered to be the most powerful wizard of his time. He was most famous for his defeat of Gellert Grindelwald, the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with Nicolas Flamel.

It was through Dumbledore that resistance to the rise of Lord Voldemort was formed, as it was he who founded and led both the first and second Order of the Phoenix. Due to the fact that he had a keen mind and legendary power, Dumbledore became the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared. He was the wielder and the master of the Elder Wand from 1945 until 1997 and considered by many as the greatest Headmaster to ever grace Hogwarts. When Harry Potter arrived, Dumbledore took a personal interest in him and aided him many times during his years at Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, after coming into possession of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the cursed ring of Marvolo Gaunt, he became fatally cursed. As he was about to die, he planned his own death with Severus Snape. He even appeared in Limbo (a plane of existence that exists between the real world and the afterlife) where he told Harry how he masterminded Voldemort's defeat by taking advantage of Voldemort's mistake by taking Harry's blood for his resurrection. This means that Harry's mother Lily's Sacrificial protection was still intact and that shielded Harry from a direct death and in the process that Harry was willing to sacrifice himself to save everybody, gave everybody a Sacrifical protection so Voldemort couldn't torture or kill them. Though Dumbledore was no longer alive at the time, it was through Dumbledore's machinations that Voldemort was ultimately defeated and peace was restored to the wizarding world. He is the only Headmaster that was laid to rest at Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore's portrait still remains at Hogwarts.

He was last seen in Limbo by Harry, just after Harry asked him about if what he sees in Limbo is real or if it's just happening inside his head. In response, Dumbledore answers with "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" and than vanished into the afterlife.

Power and Abilities
Dumbledore was an incredibly powerful and knowledgeable sorcerer. He was a star at Hogwarts, and his accomplishments were only rivalled by that of Lord Voldemort. He was adept at the Patronus Charm - his took the form of a phoenix - and was skilled enough to perfect the Patronus so that it could actually speak. In addition, Dumbledore was extremely talented in pyrokinetic magic - his signature spell was the utility of fire. This ability was so advanced that he could create a huge firestorm, in spite of the fact that he was currently hallucinating and also heavily incapacitated by a poison. He was also an incredibly proficient duellist, able to remain on par with the extremely powerful Lord Voldemort, but also able to defeat the Elder-Wand-wielding Gellert Grindelwald, despite the latter having the ultimate advantages.

Quotes
Albus Dumbledore is known for his inspirational and educational quotations."Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love" "“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.”" "And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." "You think the dead we love ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?" "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it." "Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it." "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided." "I am not worried, Harry. I am with you." "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows." "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more." "“You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it" "Curiosity is not a sin…. But we should exercise caution with our curiosity." "Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth" "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that." "The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution." "You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!"

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?" "Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right, and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good and kind and brave because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort."

Trivia

 * In the Harry Potter films, Dumbledore was played by the late Richard Harris in The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, whilst Michael Gambon played him in the remaining films after Harris's death.
 * He is spoofed in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy as Dean Toadblatt.