| “ | 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 one of the major characters in the Harry Potter series. He will be one of the main characters of the "Fantastic Beasts" series. Dumbledore is a supporting character in Sorcerer's Stone and Goblet of Fire, a major character in Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, the deuteragonist of Order of the Phoniex, and Half-Blood Prince, and a minor character in Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Deathly Hallows Part 2.
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 and quite possibly the greatest sorcerer of all time and most likely the most powerful magician ever seen in the series. 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.
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History
Early life
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was born on August 3rd, 1881, in the mainly wizarding village of Mould-on-the-Wold in western England, to Percival Dumbledore, . The early years of Dumbledore's life were marked by tragedy when his younger sister, Ariana Dumbledore, was attacked by a group of Muggle boys, who saw her performing magic and were frightened by what they saw.
Ariana was left mentally and emotionally scarred by the event and her magical powers were left severely altered and would manifest themselves on rare occasions usually in random or destructive ways. Albus' father, Percival Dumbledore, was heartbroken and set out in search of his own brand of justice. He located the Muggle boys and attacked them, as they had his daughter. For this, Percival was sentenced to Azkaban where he later died, choosing the sentence over explaining why he had attacked the boys as it would have meant Ariana being taken away.
To escape the accusing eyes of the wizarding world, Kendra Dumbledore moved her young family to the village of Godric's Hollow which, like Mould-on-the-Wold, was a mainly wizarding village. Kendra rebuffed all her neighbours, with the eventual exception of Bathilda Bagshot, preferring to be left alone: and Albus learned not to mention his sister or father in public.
Hogwarts years (1892-1899)
Dumbledore began attending Hogwarts in the autumn of 1892 and was Sorted into Gryffindor house. Dumbledore's first year was met with much whispering about his father's crime. Many of Albus' fellow students mistakenly believed that, like father like son, Albus too hated Muggles. Some praised his father's actions, hoping to gain his trust, but they would not find favour with the young Dumbledore this way. Though later in his young life, under the influence of his love for Gellert Grindelwald, some anti-Muggle prejudice did develop, but he soon saw the error of his intent.[14]
He befriended a young Elphias Doge on his first day at Hogwarts; Doge was suffering from the aftermath of Dragon Pox at the time (greenish skin and pockmarks), which discouraged most from approaching him. Dumbledore, however, demonstrated his uncommon kindness and willingness to look past the surface and find inner beauty in people. Dumbledore also became very well-connected during his Hogwarts years, making notable friends such as Nicolas Flamel, Bathilda Bagshot, and Griselda Marchbanks, who marked him in his N.E.W.T.s for Charms and Transfiguration and later recalled that he did things with a wand that she had never seen before. He also had several of his papers published during his studies.[14]
During his school years, Dumbledore won the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting, became the British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, and received the gold medal for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo.[14]
In his third year, Dumbledore presumably took Study of Ancient Runes and at least one other subject, which is known not to be Divination.
During his fourth year, Dumbledore "accidentally" set the bed-curtains in his dormitory on fire (although he admitted that he had never liked them anyway).
Albus was made a prefect during his fifth year and was made Head Boy in his seventh year. He was considered the most brilliant student to have attended the school.
Tragedy and Friendship
After graduating from Hogwarts in June 1899, Dumbledore planned to take the traditional "Grand Tour" of the world with his friend Doge. However tragedy ensued on the eve of the departure when Kendra Dumbledore was killed by an outburst of Ariana's uncontrollable magic, leaving Albus the head of his own broken family and now in charge of his younger siblings. Dumbledore Grindelwald.png Albus Dumbledore with his friend Gellert Grindelwald in 1899 Albus returned to Godric's Hollow full of bitter resentment at his situation, feeling trapped and wasted, altough he refused to let Aberfoth quit school and insisted he complete his education first before taking care of Ariana. Fortune finally shone on Dumbledore in the form of Gellert Grindelwald, who was in Godric's Hollow to research the Deathly Hallows. Grindelwald was just as talented and brilliant as Albus was, altough Dumbledore would later note that from their interactions as friends that he had realised that he may have been a "shade more skillful". Dumbledore quickly became fascinated by Grindelwald's ideas of wizarding domination, obviously considering Grindelwald an unexpected new chance to show his own brilliance and come out of the local misery. Albus also harboured romantic feelings for the other boy, but regretted his relationship with Grindelwald later in life.
However, after two months, Albus's brother Aberforth, having been disgusted with Albus for his plans and concerned of the fact that he and Ariana will have to be dragged over, angrily confronted him over his neglect of Ariana over the past few weeks, bluntly telling him he couldn't carry out his plans with Grindelwald, as he would have to take her with him, which brought Albus back to reality despite not wanting to hear the truth of the words his younger brother shouted at him. Grindelwald then used the Cruciatus Curse on him. A violent duel erupted between the three teenage boys. Ariana herself tried to intervene in the fight, but couldn't due to her erratic abilities, and in the ensuing chaos was hit by a stray curse and died. No one knew whose curse it was that killed her, but Grindelwald fled immediately, as he already had a bad record back home, leaving the devastated Albus and Aberforth behind. Aberforth resented Albus and they had a strained relationship, with Aberforth punching Albus and breaking his nose at Ariana's funeral. Aberforth never knew of the great guilt and regret Albus would feel for the rest of his life about his part in Ariana's death and thus never forgave Albus until Albus had died and Harry Potter had explained Albus's true purposes, which allowed Aberfoth to finally forgive his brother, altough since Albus had died, they never got to reconcile.
Hogwarts Career
After Grindelwald's flight, Albus returned to Hogwarts to serve as a teacher. Knowing that he will inevitably have to engage Grindelwald and burdened by the secret knowledge of Grindelwald's imminent rise to power and the guilt of failing to pursue him, Dumbledore became the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts to further prepare for his final confrontation with Grindelwald.
In 1926, Dumbledore became a regular columnist for Transfiguration Today, with the Daily Prophet quoting him as saying he was "enraptured!" to be writing for the magazine.
Dumbledore also served in recruiting students for Hogwarts. Most prominent among the students he recruited was Tom Riddle, who he found in Wool's Orphanage in 1938. Alone of all the professors at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was not charmed by the natural charisma and cunning of Tom Riddle. In their first encounter, Dumbledore became immediately suspicious of his "obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination" and resolved to keep a close eye on him during his studies at the school. As Dumbledore was not so easily taken in by his charming façade, Riddle came to despise and fear him.
In 1943, several Muggle-born students were mysteriously petrified by a beast rumoured to have been released by the Heir of Slytherin from the mythical Chamber of Secrets. Indeed, the final victim of the beast, Myrtle, was actually killed; this act seemed likely to ensure the permanent closure of the school, forcing Riddle to go back to the orphanage. While Dumbledore rightly suspected Riddle was behind the attacks, the aspiring Dark Wizard expertly framed Gryffindor student Rubeus Hagrid as the perpetrator.
Riddle was able to pass off Hagrid's tamed Acromantula, Aragog, as the beast attacking students, resulting in Hagrid's expulsion and ensuring that Hogwarts remained open. Dumbledore was never able to uncover hard evidence implicating Riddle, however, he nonetheless kept a very close watch over Riddle, preventing him from opening the Chamber of Secrets again during his remaining years at Hogwarts. He was also able to convince the Headmaster to allow Hagrid to remain at the school as the groundskeeper-in-training.
Fantastic Beasts (Series)
Dumbledore will appear in the series, potrayed by Jude Law. He will help Newt Scamander and his allies against Gellert Grindelwald. However, it is certain that his legendary duel with Grindelwald, which will be in 1945, will be shown at the epic of the series, as it was only then that Albus apparently began to take action directly.
Appearance
Albus Dumbledore was tall and thin, with silver hair and beard (auburn in his youth) so long that they could be tucked into his belt. He had a very long and crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken at least twice. (It is speculated that his brother's punch during their sister's funeral may have played a role in shaping his nose.) He was also said to have long and skilful fingers. His eyes were described to be a brilliant, soul-piercing shade of blue, and usually twinkled with kindness and mischief.
Dumbledore wore half-moon spectacles and a colourful array of robes, ranging from purple to crimson-red. He once claimed to have a scar above his left knee in the precise shape of a map of the London Underground, but whether or not he actually did is unknown. His demeanour was often — if not always — serene and ethereal, and he usually spoke in a calm, pleasant voice even when Harry thought that he was actually furious.
During the last year of his life, Dumbledore's right hand was scarred when he donned Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, which was cursed. Had Severus Snape not intervened with a counter-curse, Dumbledore would have died within minutes. Regardless, the curse left his hand blackened and dead-looking, and no amount of healing could repair the appearance. According to Snape, the curse would eventually spread itself from the contained hand, and Dumbledore was doomed to die in no more than one year's time. Whether this means the blackening dead-look appearance would spread throughout the entire body is unknown.
Death, however, served to restore him to full health and strength: his spirit was described as walking sprightly and upright, with hands that were both whole and white and undamaged, and looking exactly how Harry remembered him to be.
Personality
As a young man, Dumbledore was always very kind and empathic man, befriending even outcasts such as the Dragon Pox suffering Elphias Doge. However, he was actually selfish too due to his massive abillities and was bitter by the fact he had to be dragged down by the responsibillity of Dumbledore's Family Head. He also hungered for power, altough it is not entirely for selfishness as Dumbledore wanted power to protect the ones he loved from cruelty.
The death of Ariana, however, permanently altered Albus into a highly selfless and benevolent wizard that was loved and admired by all wizards and witches in the side of the light. He lost any desire to gain power and also lost any intrest to find romance due to his involvements with Grindelwald.
Dumbledore had absolutely no fear of death as he viewed it as a next great adventure. He was overall almost fearless and completely calm, as he did not fear dueling Voldemort or the dark lord's might and rage. He remained completely composed even though he was internally uneasy of many events that happened throughout Harry Potter's years at Hogwarts. The only thing Dumbledore feared was the fact that he may have killed Ariana, which was the only reason why he took years before deciding to confront and defeat Grindelwald. His strong will was displayed in this, as he was able to overcome not only his fears, but also strong desires and feelings, such as the fact that he stood up to Grindelwald despite having a crush on him and strongly desiring power and fame that would come with their revolution when he attacked Aberfoth. He also could endure and recover from the probing of traumas and severe emotional depression quickly to a better degree than most, as he quickly recovered from being exposed to emotionally torturing visions of Ariana's death
Dumbledore's kindness and abillity to see reason made him able to tolerate rulebreaking students and he was even willing to at times support such acts, evidenced repeatedly with Harry and his friends, who he let off easy and even rewarded for their bravery. He believed in the good of everyone always and was adamant on giving others second chances. He allowed Remus Lupin to be a pupil at his school and later a teacher, despite the fact that Remus was a werewolf. He had a great friendship with Hagrid, despite many not trusting him being half Giant. The greatest example of this is Dumbledore's relationship with Severus Snape, in whom Dumbledore was willing to hold a considerable amount of faith after having shown remorse. Dumbledore even saw a possibility for good in Voldemort as a child, and was open to giving him a second chance, despite the fact that Voldemort had already revealed himself to be a cruel sociopath even at a young age, though he kept a careful eye on Tom Riddle during his Hogwarts career rather than simply hoping for the best. He also held on to the belief that Grindelwald is capable of feeling remorse despite all Grindelwald had done. Dumbledore's compassion and peace-loving nature was evidenced many times, as he was never known to kill and would always spare his enemies, evidenced when he spared the Death Eaters he captured, Grindelwald upon defeating him, and even Voldemort himself, who Dumbledore had held back enough that even Voldemort could tell that Dumbledore did not want to kill him. Even more, he is capable of pitying those who had commited crimes and he appeared to have held no grudges or personal animosty towards his enemies even if they had done so much evil and even if they had hurt him personally. His abillity to pity others and mercy was shown by the fact that he pitied Voldemort himself as he had never experienced love and by the fact that he chose to leave Lockhart's crimes unexposed to the public upon seeing Lockhart had got what he deserved. He speaks cordially, kindly and peacefully even with those who had commited crimes, as evidenced most notably with his interaction with Voldemort, who he treated as a guest when he came to apply as a teacher and later even in their duel Dumbledore displayed no animosty in his tone. Another of a notable example of Dumbledore's abillity to converse cordially and peacefully with even those who were disliked by many was shown with his cordial interactions with Gilderoy Lockhart, having apparently bore no animosty for Lockhart personally and even treated him as well as he did with other professors, which is in sharp contrast of how the other teachers treated Lockhart.
His realistic side made him more than willing to go against the authorities, as he started the Order of Phoenix despite Fudge's objection of Voldemort's return as he knew Voldemort had truly returned. He also has no qualms with allowing students who broke the rules to go on unpunished if their reasons are just and would even award them House Points if said rule breaking accident was contributal to others.
More than anything else, Dumbledore was motivated by his belief in the power of the human spirit and he particularly held love at a very high regard, deeming it the most powerful magic of all and inspiring Harry always to use the power of his magic of love and showing some anger and dissapointment whenever Harry said that Love is useless against someone as powerful as Voldemort, always insisting that only with Love can Harry defeat Voldemort.
While Dumbledore had proven to be capable of being a machievellan figure, as he proved he could be stoically pragmatic and was extremely prone to secrecy. He spent a short portion of his youth concocting plans with Gellert Grindelwald for global domination over Muggles, in the process treating his ill sister with neglect and at times, he was too far-sighted, making choices that he believed to be for the benefit of humanity even if it deeply hurt some of the people around him, such as when he placed Harry Potter with the Dursley family despite knowing that they would be unlikely to treat him well, as pointed out by Professor McGonagall, all for the sake of keeping him alive, overall all of Dumbledore's intentions were benevolent and he would try his best to make those who indirectly suffered from his machievellan acts comfortable and showed sincere remorse and regret for them. He had lost all desire to achieve power, as he had grown wise enough that he was able to realise that those who openly seeked power are less worthy than those who did not and only accepted it and the responsibillities that came with it when necessarry.
Dumbledore, while often kind and calm, did have a very serious side of himself and was capable of a terrifying wrath that eclipsed even the wrath of Voldemort and Grindelwald. This was rarely seen but appears to be well known and combined with his exceptional magical abillities, made very few of his allies willing to cross him and almost all of his enemies feared him to the point that even Lord Voldemort and Gellert Grindelwald was known for fearing him despite their own incredible magical power and wrath and status as the most dangerous dark wizards in history. Just a slight exertion of his serious side and anger could intimidate the likes of Harry Potter and even the Ministry of Magic Cornelius Fudge, evidenced when they both were shocked when Dumbledore made it clear quite firmly that Hagrid did not open the Chamber of Secrets despite Dumbledore not openly showing anger. At the apex of Dumbledore's wrath, which happened very rarely, such as when he apprehended Crouch Jr, who impersonated Moody and almost killed Harry, he was described as with a face that was a classic portrait of cold fury and an aura of power that made him seem as if he was giving off burning heat, being so terrifying that Harry noted he finally understood why Dumbledore was the only wizard to ever strike fear into Voldemort.
Power and Abilities
Albus Dumbledore was outstandingly talented even while still only a student of Hogwarts, quickly becoming the most brilliant student the School ever saw and achieving many awards and prizes that required incredible magical abillity. As an adult, Albus had became an extradionarily powerful and accomplished wizard, considered by many to be the most powerful wizard of all time, and his incredible powers and capabillities were admired and feared by even others of outstanding magical talent, with him retaining his impeccable magical capabilities even after he had grown old. As a testament to Dumbledore's immense power and abilities, he was the only wizard who was feared by the likes of Gellert Grindelwald, even with the Elder Wand, and the Dark Lord Voldemort, who thought himself as the greatest and strongest wizard of them all, as well as the only wizard who was considered and proved to surpass them in their reign of terror.
- Supreme Magical Mastery: After only his first year, Albus was already known to be outstandingly talented and prodigiously accomplished in the magical arts, and seen by many as the most gifted and brilliant student the school would ever see. Even at such a young age, his mastery and knowledge of magic was considered to be so impressive that he won many prizes and the attention of many older wizards, with the ones who tested him describing him as having performed magic that they have never seen. Upon reaching adulthood, at the height of his powers, Albus Dumbledore was considered to be the greatest wizard of all time, a title that he effectively lived up to on many occasions. He returned to Hogwarts and at first became an effective teacher of Transfiguration, a complex and difficult field of magic, and was eventually entrusted with the position of Headmaster of Hogwarts, proving to be fully worthy and capable of being entrusted in handling the intensive magical protections and the safety of thousands of the inhabitants of Hogwarts, becoming the greatest headmaster the school will ever see. During Gellert Grindelwald's rise to power, despite Grindelwald having became the master of the Elder Wand, he still feared Albus enough that he did not dare attack Britain and it was not long before the whole Wizarding World started to believe that Albus Dumbledore would be the only one who could possibly be capable of triumphing over the dark wizard whereas so many others had lost to Grindelwald and so many other countries having been terrorised. Eventually, it was the sentiment of the wizarding world and Albus's own confidence that he can win against Grindelwald that prompted him to take action after Grindelwald had been seen to be unstoppable and countless people had lost their lives, leading to Albus fighting equally with and eventually defeating Grindelwald despite Grindelwald's mastery of the Elder Wand and his position as perhaps the most powerful dark wizard of all time, with Dumbledore describing himself as being equal in power but slightly more skilled than Grindelwald. Even in old age, the immensity of his power and magical mastery remained extraordinary, although the boost granted by the Elder Wand clearly contributed to this, as he was still held in a very high regard by many and considered to be the greatest wizard alive. Indeed, his mastery of magic and power was still so great that even Lord Voldemort, who was seen by many to be the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, feared him and did not dare attack Hogwarts or challenge him directly. During their duel, Albus proved himself to be superior, as he was able to skillfully deflect Voldemort's assault and eventually overpower him. He would have defeated him had Voldemort not fled. Even more impressively, Voldemort noted that Albus had not been fighting to kill during their duel.
- Supreme Magical Knowledge: Albus had a profoundly vast wealth of deep knowledge and understanding of magic and how it works, so much so that Albus was capable of easily sensing magic in an object by simply looking and touching, which he used to identify the protections around the Horcrux Cave and he at least slightly surpasses Voldemort in terms of knowledge on ancient magics, as he was aware of and able to ultilise the properties of an ancient magic capable of warding others from any threat whereas even Voldemort was not aware of them. Due to Albus's extradionary magical might and knowledge, he was capable of easily seeing through and overcoming almost all, if not all, forms of defensive measures used against him, with not even Voldemort being able to keep out Dumbledore, as shown when he single-handedly penetrated the defenses Voldemort set up to protect the Marvolo Gaunt Ring and had no problem overcoming another set of powerful dark wards cast by Voldemort to protect the Horcrux Ring, as well as break out from intensively magically secured prisons, as he was conversationally blatant about his confidence that he can easily escape from Azkaban when his arrest was attempted. Altough on his own admission he was not perfectly sure if his spells could be effective against Voldemort at full power, he proved to be able to singlehandedly cast defensive charms so potent as to hold Voldemort at bay.
- Intellectual Genius: Dumbledore was not only a great wizard, but also was pheneomonally intelligent, considered to be the most brilliant student Hogwarts had ever seen. He remains the most intelligent character in the series, perhaps rivaled only by the intellect of Gellert Grindelwald, and surpassing that of Lord Voldemort, with his intellect greatly contributing in Voldemort's defeat even after his death, and far more so than most of the geniuses shown such as Snape and Lockhart, as he proved able to outsmart them easily. His intelligence is especially evident as he was an exceptionally skillful and forward thinking strategist, capable of devising an elaborate master plan to defeat the seemingly unbeatable Lord Voldemort and was also particularly extremely brilliant at guessing, hypothesising, and predicting. This was seen quite predominantly during the events surrounding the Second Wizarding War, when Dumbledore, through various strategical plans and an almost Machiavellian manipulation of key persons (such as Severus Snape and Harry Potter) before his death, is able to set the path for Harry Potter to locate Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. His intellect, or at least his strategic thinking, is one of his key talents. His genius was mainly noticeable even after his death through his will. He proved to incredibly foresightful, having bequeathed Ron Weasley his Deluminator, understanding that even though Ron would initially walk out on the Horcrux hunt, he would be just as likely to return to it and knewing that Hermione Granger's thirst for knowledge would lead her to investigate the symbol that he had drawn in the copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard that he left her. This ultimately brought Harry to not only learning of the Deathly Hallows, but of how to obtain the Resurrection Stone through the Golden Snitch Dumbledore had left him, giving Harry the emotional support he needed to sacrifice himself to the Dark Lord. Dumbledore also possessed an exceptional amount of emotional intelligence and deductive abillities and high intellectual perception, as he was able to completely see through Voldemort's charismatic mask of being a model student and had a considerable understanding of Voldemort's nature, something that allowed him to accurately deduce the location of his Horcruxes. He was also the only wizard who was not fooled by Gilderoy Lockhart's tall tales and was able to easily work out that Lockhart was a fraud from his personal knowledge of him and of two wizards whose memories had been modified by Lockhart. Although he was initially fooled by Quirell's false letter that said the Ministry needed him, Dumbledore was able to quickly figure it out and return to Hogwarts in time to save Harry. He also managed to eventually see through Chrouch Jr's disguise as Alastor Moody when he took Harry from him, which he said the real Moody never would, whereas Snape and McGonagall couldn't and only followed Dumbledore when he ordered it.
- Charisma: While not famous for his abilities as a manipulator, due to Dumbledore's exceptional amount of emotional intelligence, he was nevertheless exceptionally skilful at manipulating others, which he was perfectly willing to do for the greater good, apparently even better than Voldemort due to his much calmer and more persuasive with no secret offense as well as greater knowledge of the psyche, able to effectively use a person's characteristics to his advantage to get them to do what must be done with ease. Unlike Voldemort, Dumbledore always seeked and used the best within people to get them to do his good-intended bidding and used his charisma to get many to the side of good instead of evil. The most notable display of his masterful manipulating abilities was that he was able to effectively manipulate Severus Snape into agreeing to protect Harry Potter and act as a spy in Voldemort's ranks for Dumbledore despite Snape's bitterness and hatred towards Harry's father and full knowledge of the risks his job had by using Snape's love for Lily Evans. Another display of his consummate manipulation skills was that he effortlessly manipulated Gilderoy Lockhart into becoming a teacher at Hogwarts by just slyly hinting that Harry Potter was a second-year student at the school, and being a teacher to the "famous Harry" would propel Lockhart's fame into the stratosphere, notably taking advantage of Lockhart's hunger for more fame and ego to get him to agree to take the job so he can expose him despite Lockhart not being eager to take the job due to being more intrested in his career as an author. Dumbledore's overall charisma was immense, as he was able to get many to be incredibly loyal to him and he garnered so much respect and loyalty from his allies that most of them still proved loyal to Dumbledore even after Dumbledore had died and valiantly fought in the Battle of Hogwarts for him. He particularly succesfully quickly befriended Harry Potter and inspired so much loyalty from his protege that he was able to succesfully get him to continue the hunt for Horcruxes despite Harry's resentment of Dumbledore's secrecy and even eventually sacrifice himself as Dumbledore had planned.
- Supreme Master Duelist: Dumbledore was an extradionarily proficient and experienced duelist: during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore effortlessly subdued many Death Eaters and even confidently confronted Voldemort in a one-on-one duel. During said duel, despite even Voldemort himself admitting that Dumbledore was not fighting to kill him, Dumbledore was able to maintain a slight, but visible, advantage over the Dark Lord, skillfully deflecting Voldemort's spells while pressuring Voldemort with his own, ultimately overpowering him, forcing him to flee from the duel. It was presumably from this that Voldemort realised, for the very first time, that even he cannot defeat Dumbledore in a man-to-man duel, and did not want to be seen as the defeated party. He also effortlessly defeated Cornelius Fudge, Dolores Umbridge, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and John Dawlish when they attempted to arrest him (though Kingsley was secretly on Dumbledore's side) with a single spell. All said feats were performed even though he was weaker than his prime and not wanting to kill his opponents. However, it should be noted that he was wielding the Elder Wand on these occasions. Arguably, the most impressive display of his duelling skills was shown when he defeated Gellert Grindelwald, despite the fact that Grindelwald was the master of the Elder Wand. Eyewitnesses claimed it was the greatest wizard duel ever fought. Albus described himself as being equal in power to Grindelwald but may have been a "shade more skillful". He also effortlessly defeated Chrouch Jr before he could react with a single Stunning Spell. Even at a young age, he was already a highly proficient duellist, as he held his own against Grindelwald and Aberfoth in their three-way duel.
- Occlumency and Legilimency: Dumbledore was also impeccably experienced and accomplished in both Occlumency and Legilimency. With his experience in using Legilimency and talent and skill being great enough to read others mind without needing to use his wand or speak the incantation, many people, particularly Harry Potter, often noted that Dumbledore sometimes seemed to see right into their mind and correctly decipher what they were thinking. Hence, Dumbledore could easily sense when someone was lying. His skills in Legilimency was great enough that he was able to coax out from others the true version of their memories even if they had been powerfully modified, something which he said needed a "great deal of skilled Legilimency" to accomplish, doing so to Gaunt and Hokey to get their true memories despite Voldemort using powerful magic to modify them, altough he did admit that he was not able to do so without difficulty. Dumbledore's skill in Occlumency was so great that he was one of the few (together with Gellert Grindelwald and Severus Snape) who was skilled enough in the art to conceal thoughts from Voldemort himself, who was one of the most accomplished Legillimens of all time.
- Wandless and non-verbal magic: Albus was highly proficient at both non-verbal and Wandless magic, both of which were highly advanced and difficult to perform; his prowess was great enough for him to be capable of using both silmutaneously. While some people, such as Antonin Dolohov, as seen during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, seemed to produce lesser magic when using it non-verbally, Dumbledore was capable of extraordinary feats such as conjuring hundreds of squishy purple sleeping bags to accommodate the students of Hogwarts, without saying a word. While in The Cave, Dumbledore proved capable of foiling the defences set up by Lord Voldemort, using wandless and nonverbal magic. He also performed the Arresto Momentum spell, without a wand, to save Harry from falling to his death at the hands of the Dementors. He could also light and put out candles, both with the wave of his hand. He also telekenetically pushed Harry out of the way in order to begin his duel with Voldemort by simply waving his hand at him and duelled Voldemort without ever speaking any incantation.
- Spell and Magical Device Creation: Dumbledore was also capable of creating his own spells and magical devices as well as modifying already existing spells and devices, an abillity that he was famous for. He invented the Deluminator, which was considered unique due to being able to suck out the light from light sources and return them. He also tinkered with it to provide it the abillity to tell Ronald Weasley where Harry and Hermoine were and allow him to apparate their location. He also was able to invent a method of communication with the Patronus Charm.
- Master Aurologist: Dumbledore was accomplished and knowledgeable in the study of the traces left behind by magic, to the point where he was able to recognise and identify the nature of the residual auras that invariably always lingered in areas in which magic had been used, as seen by how he was able to detect the determine the nature of the defensive measures with which Lord Voldemort safeguarded his locket Horcrux by studying the traces left behind from the magic he had used to set them up, allowing him to successfully discover that blood was needed for them to progress into the main chamber of the cave. Later, he uncovered the hidden boat chain much the same way.
- Elemental magic Mastery: Whereas he was only ever seen use two of them in combat, it would appear that Albus's weapon of choice when straying away from more conventional combative spellwork was using the power of the elements in an attempt to overwhelm his adversary and he was thus exceptionally skilled in using them. Although he only displayed two, Albus displayed particular proficieny in using fire based magic. In his duel against Voldemort he conjured a rope of fire and send it at the dark lord, who was forced to transfigure it into a snake to counter it; when he displayed his wizarding powers to young Tom Riddle, he did so by setting Riddle's wardrobe on fire, without actually burning anything; to hold off a throng of Inferi in the Horcrux Cave, he conjured a vast ring of fire, from which he can shoot out jets and balls of fire, that can even enter water. He is known to be able to conjure Gubraithian Fire, which is an advanced piece of magic. His magical pet, Fawkes, is a phoenix, which dies and is reborn from the ashes. In addition, he also showed proficient control over water, easily manipulating the waters of the Fountain of the Magical Brehtren to erupt and flow out and then shaped the water to an orb to encase Voldemort.
- Magical multilingualist: Albus could also speak Mermish and Gobbledegook. He can recognise Parseltongue, the language of snakes, as he demonstrated while he and Harry were inside Bob Ogden's stored memory; he was able to quote verbatim a Parseltongue phrase uttered by Morfin Gaunt in a later stored memory.
- Expert Potioneer: Dumbledore was also proficient and knowldegeable at Potions, as, according to the obituary written by Elphias Doge, he published papers in The Practical Potioneer.
- Master Alchemist: A world-widely famously accomplished Alchemist, Albus was extensively learned, experienced and in the magical art and science of Alchemy. He was known for having often experimented in the art with his old friend Nicolas Flamel, with whom he corresponded while still a student, contributing a great work to the science. Dumbledore particularly excelled in the study of the substance of dragon blood, as he was considered to be the foremost expert on the substance, a title that he lived up to when he managed to discover the twelve uses of dragon's blood. His knowledge and experience in the study of Dragon Blood also allowed him to easily distinguish it from human blood by tasting a small amount of it.
- Charms: Dumbledore was exceptionally accomplished and knowledgeable in Charms, being the greatest master of charms in the series and displaying the ability to perform the most extraordinary feats of charming, proving to be above even the likes of Filius Flitwick in charms. His mastery and knowledge of Charms was well known, as he published papers in Achievements in Charming. He had mastered the Human Presence Revealing Spell enough to use it wandlessly and nonverbally with enough power to detect the presence of those using the Cloak of Invisibillity. He had fully mastered the highly advanced Disillusionment Charm to the point of being able to cast it with so much strength that he can effectively render himself invisible without needing an Invisibility cloak, a very advanced level of magic that he claimed he was already able to do at the age of 17. He was also exceptionally proficient in the incredibly complex Patronus Charm: he could not only cast a corporeal Patronus (in the form of a phoenix), but could also decide whether his Patronus was corporeal or incorporeal. In fact, even his Patronus at incorporeal form was powerful enough to repel all the Dementors that Fudge had placed in Hogwarts; Dumbledore's talent in Charms was great enough that he was even able to devise new uses for this charm, allowing it to be used as a form of communication (with the caster speaking with their own voice through the Patronus). He also performed the Partis Temporus Charm to part the firestorm he created to fend off the Inferi in the Horcrux Cave so he and Harry can safely return to his boat. Dumbledore was also capable of performing the extremely complex Fidelius Charm. He could effortlessly perform medium level enchantments such as Aresto Momentum, doing so wandlessly and nonverbally, and even combine them, apparently combining Glacius with Incendio to blaze Tom's wardrobe while not actually burning anything. He can effectively perform a variety of the most powerful enchantments, shown when he enchanted the Mirror of Erised to only give the Philosopher's Stone to a person who wished to find it but not to use it, or when he animated the statues of the Fountain of Magical Brethren to life and manipulated them to incapacitate Belatrix and guard Harry. He also was able to enchant the Deluminator to allow Ron to hear Harry and Ron's voices as well as apparate to their location in anticipation of him leaving the Horcrux Hunt. Dumbledore was particularly exceptionally accomplished and knowledgeable in the use of Defensive Spells, as he was aware of even the greatest of defensive spells. As Headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore was in charge of controlling the protective measures of the castle, with the strength of his protection being so great he was able to effectively repel Voldemort for years, and he could easily lift and recast them, evidenced when he temporarily lifted the Anti-Apparition Jinx to allow the students to learn how to Apparate, and later undid the protection around the school so he and Harry could breach the perimeter on a broomstick.
- Study of Ancient Runes: Dumbledore was also accomplished in Ancient Runes, as he was able to perfectly understand the contents of the copy of the first edition of the Tales of Beedle the Bard, which were written completely in Runes. His abillity to read and understand the runic language the book was shown by the fact that he had written a series of extensive notes on the book's various stories, providing his own interpretations of the stories' events, as well as recording significant historical background to how the stories had been changed or adapted over the years from the first edition.
- Transfiguration Mastery: Albus was known to be exceptionally knowldegeable, talented and accomplished in transfiguration, achieving among the most impressive feats of Transfiguration in the series and superior to even Minerva Mcgonagall. Even before his graduation, his knowledge and abillity on the subject was such that he was submitted papers on some fields of Transfiguration, including Trans-Species Transformation to the journal Transfiguration Today, that impressed Bathilda Bagshot enough to contact him. It appears to be his main area of expertise, apart from his abillities in defense against the dark arts, as he effectively taught the subject before becoming headmaster. During his battle with Voldemort in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore was even able to cast a transfiguration variant of shield charm that could immediately transfigure thousands of glasses thrown at him by Voldemort into sand. He was also skillful in Vanishment, as he could easily vanish a fire snake Voldemort sent at him with a simple fluid wand movement. He was also able to transfigure the Slytherin banners in the Great Hall to that of Gryffindor's simply by clapping his hands. Dumbledore was very proficient in Conjuration, as he could conjure a stretcher to transport the unconscious Harry, hundreds of squishy purple bags to accomodate the Gryffindor students in the Great Hall when Sirius Black broke into the Castle, two armchairs for Mrs Figg and himself to sit on during Harry's disciplinary hearing, a tea tray when the trio came to visit Hagrid, and a goblet to drink the Emerald Potion, all nonverbally and with little effort.
- Defense Against the Dark Arts Mastery: Albus was a pheneomonally accomplished and knowledgeable master of defending against the Dark Forces, quite possibly the greatest master of defense against the dark arts in history. Before becoming Transfiguration's professor, Dumbledore took over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, further displaying his impeccable expertise in the field. His abilities in this field appears to be most particularly compotent in combatting dark magic users, as were perhaps best shown during the uprisings of Gellert Grindelwald and Lord Voldemort, both regarded at the time of their respective rebellions as the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time. Even with this in mind, not only did popular opinion grow during both conflicts that Albus Dumbledore would be the only one capable enough in defending from the dark arts to be possibly capable of putting an end to their seemingly unstoppable rise to power, but also those opposing said dangerous criminals were quick to rally at his side. For this reason, both Dark Wizards feared him and were unwilling to challenge Dumbledore directly. Perhaps the most notable display of his pheneomonal ability to handle himself in magical combat against dark arts users was when he overpowered the Elder Wand wielding Grindelwald. Indeed, during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the mere presence of Dumbledore on the field of battle sufficed to make the Death Eaters, some of the most notorious and dangerous criminals in wizarding Britain, to attempt to flee, with Dumbledore easily subduing them singlehandedly and proved to be all the motivation Belatrix Lestrange, arguably the most deadly and ruthless out of all the Death Eaters, needed to leave her comrades behind to save herself, as well as shock Voldemort himself, who Dumbledore proved able to adequately defend himself against and even overwhelm and almost defeat. During his time as Headmaster of Hogwarts, he displayed a pheneomonally impeccable amount of abillity and power in the use of protection spells, as he was singlehandedly responsible for upholding the magical protections around the school, with his defensive spellwork being so strong and sophisticated that no dark force from the outside was ever able to breach Hogwarts's defenses. Not even Voldemort was ever able to penerate Dumbledore's defensive magic, an exceptional feat as the combined abillities of the Hogwarts Professors were not able to keep out Voldemort. He was also very knowledgeable on the topic of Dark creatures and how to defend against them, as shown by his ability to produce a Patronus Charm that was strong enough to single-handedly chase away a large number of Dementors that Cornelius Fudge had ordered stationed around the castle when they left their post, despite not even being a corporeal one. He also was very familiar with the concept of Inferi and how to fend them off with fire. He was an extremely skilled expert of identifying the effects of curses and reversing them, even capable of identifying and suppressing the damage done to him by the exceptionally powerful curse on Marvolo Gaunt's ring as to be able to return from the village of Little Hangleton in Yorkshire and travel all the way to the Scottish Highlands in spite of his injuries for further treatment from Severus Snape at Hogwarts. His understanding of human nature also allowed him to understand the functions of ancient magic that warded people from any danger that few witches and wizards even knew about: taking advantage of the magical protection that lingered over Harry due to his mother's sacrifice, Dumbledore was even able to effectively ensure that for the next sixteen years he would be safe from both Voldemort and his followers as long as he lived where a blood relative of his mother resided, highlighting his knowledge and profiency in the subject.
- Dark Arts: While not an open practitioner of the Dark Arts and in fact, rarely performing dark spells, Cuthbert Binns said that Dumbledore was still fully capable of ultilising the Dark Arts. As he was considered to be equally brilliant to and later proved to be superior to Grindelwald, it is reasonable to say that had Dumbledore chosen the path of a dark wizard, he would have become the most powerful dark wizard in history, with abilities and knowledge from apparently and certainly would have been centuries of research that may surpass even Voldemort. Even while limited by his benevolence, Dumbledore has displayed sufficient proficiency to be capable of easily casting offensive hexes, jinxes and curses of immense destructive power, as seen when he swiftly incapacitated Fudge, Umbridge, Dawlish, and Kingsley with a powerful hex that emitted a streak of silver light and was described as having the force of a gunshot and caused the floor to tremble when they tried to arrest him and later when he duelled Voldemort in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore cast an extremely powerful forceful curse that possessed so much force that even though Harry was protected by the headless golden wizard statue, he still felt his hair stand on end when the curse passed and was potent enough that even Voldemort was unable to deflect it without conjuring a silver magical shield to block it. He was also capable of casting the Anti-Disapparation Jinx, which he used to prevent the Death Eaters from escaping after he captured them. Mcgonagall even said that Dumbledore could easily be capable of wielding the same level of Dark Powers wielded by Voldemort and he simply chose not to. His overall extensive knowledge of the Dark Arts was also considerable, as he even fully understood the scarcely known and extremely advanced piece of old magic used to create Horcruxes. All his theoretical and practical know-how in regard to the Dark Arts also augmented his skill in fending it off.
- Care of Magical Creatures: Dumbledore was exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable with interacting with magical creatures. This was shown as Fawkes the Phoenix was fully loyal to him as a pet until his death, and civilly and skillfully interacted with creatures such as Thestrals, Merpeople, Centaurs and possibly Goblins, considering he could speak both Mermish and Gobbledegook. He sometimes used Thestrals as a mode of transport when not apparating, communicated with the Merpeople in Mermish during the Triwizard Tournament second task in order to get the results from the champions, and hired the Centaur, Firenze, to teach Divination in Hogwarts. He was one of the few wizards that Hogwarts's Centaurs respected and trusted, enough that Dumbledore was able to convince them to return Umbridge safely without any harm done to him and the Centaurs later payed their respects during Dumbledore's funeral. He also interacted with House-elves with kindness and compassion, giving Dobby and Winky jobs at Hogwarts and encouraged Harry to treat Kreacher more kindly. Dumbledore's abillities and knowledge of the subject appears to be equal to that of even Rubeus Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor whose abillities and knowledge of creatures was his strongest field, as they were the only ones who knew Fluffy could be subdued by music. However, while he was good at interacting with many magical creatures, Dumbledore despised dark creatures such as Dementors due to their depressive effects and untrustworthy natures.
- Healing magic: Dumbledore was very proficient and knowldegeable in healing magic as he managed to control the curse from Marvolo Gaunt's ring, which was cast by Voldemort and had immense power, for a while before receiving further treatment from Severus Snape and easily healed his wound by just silently pressing the tip of his wand on it after using his blood to open the passageway when searching for Salazar Slytherin's Locket.
- Apparition: Dumbledore was highly adept in apparation, as he is able to apparate silently, which only a master of Apparition could do. He could transport himself from one place to another with pinpoint precision, even when locked in combat. He used this ability to avoid some of Voldemort's spells during their duel before counter-attacking. He could apparate within the Hogwarts Grounds as Headmaster.
- Flying: Dumbledore was a highly skillful flyer, as despite being considerably weakened from having drunk the Emerald Potion, he was shown to be perfectly capable of flying from Hogsmeade to the Hogwarts Astronomy Tower without having any problem manuevering the broom around while flying at full speed and was even able to accurately hit Hogwarts with a spell while remaining on his broom to undo the protections around the Castle.
- Love: Dumbledore was exceptionally learned and knowledgeable in the nature of love along with the magic associated with it, and showed a remarkably powerful capability to feel true love. This was shown as he was able to understand the true magical power behind a loving sacrifice, telling Harry about the magical protection he had inherited when his mother sacrificed herself to protect him from Voldemort, and was also able to inform Harry that his own ability to love allowed him to close the connection between him and Voldemort and repel Voldemort's attempted possession of Harry by focusing on grief when he was unable to perform Occlumency. He was also able to distinguish between pure, unconditional love which most people felt for each other, and the obsession which was caused by Love Potions. While Dumbledore became "quite asexual" in his older years, after the disaster following his romantic interest in teenage friend Gellert Grindelwald, he evidently cared greatly about his family, close friends, students, allies and the wizarding community. His ability to love gave him the strength to overcome his selfishness and obsession for power, and stand up to Grindelwald in order to protect his brother Aberforth when Grindelwald attacked him. His abillity to love also allowed him to eventually overcome his fear of learning who really killed Ariana and duel Grindelwald again at the heights of his power and defeat him when he was threatening to take over both wizarding and Muggle worlds, and become a better person by protecting many people he cared about, especially when Voldemort rose to power. His ability to love also made him concerned about Harry Potter's safety, to the point that he kept the Prophecy a secret from him earlier on, and distanced himself from Harry during his fifth year, hoping it would reduce the connection between Harry and Voldemort, along with protecting him several times.
- Supreme Master Leader: Dumbledore was an exceptionally experienced and compotent leader. He founded and led the Order of the Phoenix against Voldemort and his Death Eaters in both the First and Second Wizarding Wars. His leadership skills and charisma were held in such a high regard that whenever he made a decision, most people would instantly trust his judgement. His leadership skills was so great that he was entrusted with the highest positions of authority, such as the title of Hogwarts Headmaster, which he did so masterfully he was the best to ever hold the title. He was even offered the position of Minister for Magic several times but declined as he felt he could not be trusted with that sort of power, with Harry Potter holding Dumbledore at such a high regard that despite being angry, he did not hesitate to admit Dumbledore would have been much better than Fudge or Scrimegoue. Despite all his considerable leadership skills, however, following his death, he noted that he considered himself an inferior leader compared to Harry Potter, as he deliberately sought power where Harry led others only after he was elevated to the position of leadership by outside circumstances.
- Supreme Master Teacher: Albus was also a highly capable teacher, as during his time as the Professor of Transfiguration, his performance was good enough to earn the trust of Armando Dippet, who distrusted almost all of the staff members. As a testament to Dumbledore's effiency as a teacher, he was able to guide Minerva McGonagall into succesfully becoming an Animagus, which was known to be immensely difficult to do, by the age of 17.
- Physical aptitude: Despite his advanced age and rather skinny build, Dumbledore was in surprisingly good physical condition, as he has been seen to be capable of physicallly performing feats that should be far beyond someone of his age and body, even being comparable to that of a young, fit athlete: his strength was great enough to raise Harry forcibly off the ground away from Cedric Diggory's body with one hand, which shocked Harry. He was also very agile for someone as old as he was, as shown during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and displayed sufficient swimming ability to quickly swim, "with the sudden agility of a much younger man" and with a "perfect breaststroke", in the churning sea to reach The Cave. Dumbledore also displayed considerable endurance and stamina, as after only a brief moment of rest from being incapacitated by the Emerald Potion, he was able to cast a firestorm to fend off the Inferi of the Cave's attack and quickly afterwards fly from Hogsmade to Hogwarts.
- Indomitable Willpower: Dumbledore's willpower was tremondously strong, at least on par with, if not, slightly superior to Harry Potter, so much so that his willpower allowed him to overcome strong personal feelings and desires when properly motivated, as evidenced by the fact that he was able to force himself to stand up to Grindelwald when he threathened Aberfoth despite his crush for Grindelwald and selfish desires. His willpower was strong enough that he eventually managed to make the decision to duel Grindelwald again at the height of his power despite his fear of knowing that he had killed Ariana and defeat him after his old friend had killed so many in his reign of terror and seemed unstoppable to the wizarding world. His confidence that he could easily escape Azkaban also implies he was confident that his sense of self would be strong enough to allow him to avoid going insane in the presence of so many Dementors long enough to escape, a remarkable implication, as many of Azkaban's prisoners became insane or at least dramatically changed from their time in there. A lesser testament to Dumbledore's extreme willpower was that he could flawlessly perform Occlumency(to the point of blocking out even Lord Voldemort) and Nonverbal Magic without fail, both of which required an exceptional amount of willpower. His spirit also was incredibly strong, as he was able to remain determined even in situations that would scare others of outstanding bravery. He could recover even from the harshest of emotional depressions and losses, as he was able to continue living despite all the tragedy and deaths of his friends he suffered in both his war with Grindelwald and Voldemort with full determination.
- Social Networking: Due to Dumbledore's exceptional charisma and vast positions of influence, holding the positions of
Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards (?–1995) and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (?–1995; 1996-1997), he possesses a vast amount of network of followers and contacts around the Wizarding World. His network allows him to be aware of events before the majority of the Wizarding World such as his quick awareness of Harry's arrival on the Burrow and keep tabs on highly elusive individuals, such as Voldemort, who Dumbledore said he had his resources track him in Albania. He apparently has subtle connections inside even the Ministry, as even after he was stripped of his positions, he was able to recruit some aurors to his side.
Relationships
Family
Parents
Albus' relationship with his parents was not very clear. However, it is evident that he did not respect his father, as he was imprisoned in Azkaban for magically attacking three Muggle boys who had inflicted permanent psychological damage on Ariana, an act that Dumbledore found to be unceremonius. According to Aberforth, their mother taught Albus secrecy. Given that she read stories to him, it can be assumed that Albus had a good relationship with her, or at least a better one than the one she had with Aberfoth. Her death made Albus feel angry and bitter, as it left him with the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother, and he thought himself trapped and wasted. However, despite his presumed resentment for his mother for leaving him with the responsibillities of head of the family, which completely vanished after Ariana's death and was replaced with tremondous guilt for failing his mother in looking after Ariana and lack of respect for his father, Dumbledore truly loved his parents, as he desired strongly to apologise to them for failing to take care of Ariana and would always see them in the Mirror of Erised with his siblings alive and well.
Ariana Dumbledore
Although he loved his younger sister, Albus was resentful when he had to take responsibility for her after their mother's death, which forced him to stay at home, and thus abandon his ambitious plans. When he and Gellert Grindelwald made plans to subjugate Muggles and take power in the wizarding world, Albus planned to bring Ariana with them, but Aberforth pointed out that she was in no state to go. This launched a three-way duel between the brothers and Grindelwald, and Ariana was accidentally killed in the fray. Albus was devastated by his sister's death and for the rest of his life, Albus never forgave himself for the part he played in her death and always felt tremondous guilt and remorse over it. He also was haunted with the fear that it had been him to kill her, to the point that he delayed facing Grindelwald for years. His Boggart would be Ariana's corpse and he would always see Ariana alive and well in the Mirror of Erised.
Aberfoth Dumbledore
Although Albus loved him, the two brothers were not close to each other, as they were very diffrent persons in both personality, with Aberfoth resenting being in Albus's shadow. Despite not being close, it cannot be doubted that Albus loved and cared for him dearly, evidenced by the fact that even though he resented having to stay at home, Albus still refused to allow Aberfoth to stop his education out of concern of his brother's future. While Albus likely alienated him, along with Ariana, during his obsession with Gellert Grindelwald, when Grindelwald attacked Aberforth, Albus immediately came to his brothers aid and fought against his crush, clearly displaying that even at the height of his worst years, Albus cared for his brothers' well-being more than Grindelwald's and his own pride. After Ariana's death, Albus and Aberfoth's relationship becomes very estranged, as Aberfoth blamed Albus for the death of the sister he and his mother spent so much time caring for. Altough they eventually established a cordial relationship with each other, with Aberfoth joining the Order of Phoenix when Albus founded it and attending Albus's funeral, Aberfoth and Albus still remained distant as Aberfoth was never able to forgive Albus. Albus himself made no attempts to change his brother's opinion about him, apparently acknowledging that he deserved it and accepting it as his punishment for their tragic family past, which Albus had a hand in. However, Albus was neverthless saddened that he and Aberfoth never could reconcile and he did had a strong desire to make peace with him, as whenever he saw the Mirror of Erised, Albus always saw he and Aberfoth reconciled and all of his family returned to him. Albus also came to believe that Aberforth was a better person than he was due to his much greater devotion to Ariana, which Harry Potter disagreed with. Aberfoth himself however, eventually changed his opinions of his brother when Harry Potter helped him realise what Albus' intention really was and had forgaven him, as he chose to participate in the Battle of Hogwarts, helping the students and faculty of Hogwarts and the Hogsmeade residents to protect the school where Albus served as Headmaster for almost half of his lifetime, from Lord Voldemort, as well as to allow Harry time to find what he thought to be the last Horcrux.
Archenemies
Lord Voldemort
Dumbledore met Tom Riddle for the first time there and apparently was unaware that he had just met the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time. He was however intrigued by Tom Riddle as his powers were surprisingly well-developed by such a young wizard who had begun to use them consciously. Dumbledore was also disturbed by the fact that Tom was a Parselmouth, a rare ability supposedly connected with the Dark Arts, although not as much as the fact that Tom had obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination which was proved by the fact that Tom had used his magic to hurt the other children in the orphanage. Dumbledore then returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon Tom Riddle, as he was alone and friendless, a dangerous situation. As Riddle's teacher, Dumbledore was never charmed by him and saw his true nature. Their teacher-student relationship was cordial but evidently strained, with Riddle and Dumbledore being cautious around each other. Dumbledore felt uneasy about Riddle's request to become a teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts and did not want Riddle back at Hogwarts in a position of power. However, it was evident that Dumbledore felt remorseful for having failed to change Riddle, as he admitted that he really wished he could have still forced Riddle, now Voldemort, to repent. He also appears to be willing to retain contact with the latter, even allowing him to visit the school for a supposed job interview and displaying a courteous attitude. His refusal to give Riddle a job permanently sealed the enmity Voldemort felt for him and he cursed the Defence Against the Dark Arts Post out of spite.
Throughout the years, Voldemort continued his reign of terror and was feared by many but Dumbledore was never afraid of him and often advised others to call him Voldemort instead of He Who Must Not Be Named. Voldemort feared Dumbledore obviously as the Wizarding World was aware of and Dumbledore acknowledged Voldemort as being the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time, showing that both still considered the other to be exceptionally powerful and skilled. However, it can be assumed that Dumbledore may have omitted Grindelwald completely as Grindelwald has proven to be at least equal, if not superioe to Voldemort and while Dumbledore considered Voldemort to be more dangerous due to his lack of humanity while Grindelwald's actions, while heavily flawed and destructive, did have some nobleness in it and Grindelwald also could feel remorse, he may have presumably deemed Voldemort as only being almost as powerful as Grindelwald as he had faced Grindelwald at his prime, who had put up at least as much of a fight as, if not, an even better fight than Voldemort against him.
Eventually, Dumbledore and Voldemort meet again and Dumbledore still acted cordial around him and referred to him as "Tom". Dumbledore and Voldemort then engage in a fantastic duel that Voldemort used all of his magical prowess to combat the legendary wizard, apparently showing he did recognise Dumbledore as his most formidable opponent and the only one who can threaten him. Despite all of Voldemort's crimes, Dumbledore did not desire Voldemort to die, as he held back just enough that Voldemort was able to see through it. However, Dumbledore took Voldemort seriously neverthless and did not hesitate to use among the most powerful of his spells to fight him. The duel ended in Dumbledore's technical victory, as he had overpowered and forced Voldemort to retreat and exposed him to the Ministry, thus the fight for the Prophecy's ended with Dumbledore spectacularly winning, as not only did Dumbledore exposed and overpowered the Dark Lord, but he also deprived him of some of his forces.
While Dumbledore died at Snape's hands, as he asked Snape to do it so Draco won't, having known the boy had been ordered to kill him by Voldemort, his legacy allowed Harry Potter to triumph over Voldemort, thus marking the whole rivalry between Dumbledore and Voldemort as Dumbledore's true and decisive victory.
Proteges
Newt Scamander
Not much of Dumbledore's relationship with Newt is known as of now. However, it is evident that they were close, as Dumbledore was so fond of him that he strongly defended him when he was about to be expelled. Newt, in return, appears to respect Dumbledore greatly, to the point that he had no qualms going to Paris when Dumbledore ordered him too and obeyed Dumbledore without much questioning when Dumbledore gave him a currently unknown task.
Harry Potter
Dumbledore's closest relationship was perhaps to Harry Potter, who is his informal Protege.
Dumbledore was the one who ordered Hagrid to save Harry after Voldemort murdered James and Lily. He protected Harry magically.
Upon Harry's school years, Dumbledore and Harry quickly established a strong bond. Dumbledore saw Harry as a boy of reasonable talent while Harry saw Dumbledore as the greatest user of magic in the history of the Wizarding World. Dumbledore always let Harry off unpunished whenever he breaks the rules. He also trusted Harry to the point he quickly believed that Sirius was innocent.
Incompotent and corrupted Hogwarts Professors
Gilderoy Lockhart
Dumbledore knew Gilderoy Lockhart, the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor (1992-1993), when he was still a student. Unlike the other professors, he apparently found Lockhart's antics to be amusing instead of irritating and seemingly believed he could have overcome his love for vanity and became a great wizard, as he kindly denied Lockhart's proposal of starting a school newspaper. However, upon Lockhart modifying the memories of two wizards that Dumbledore knew, Dumbledore, having never been fooled by Lockhart's tall tales, easily found out the truth and immediately decided to appoint him as a Hogwarts professor to expose Lockhart's fraudulence, and because Lockhart at the time was the only person willing to apply for the cursed Defence against the Dark Arts post, apparently deeming Lockhart's love for vanity as having gone too far to be allowed to continue and dissaproving of Lockhart's callous stripping of the right of true heroes to be acknowledged. However, he did not seem to truly hate Lockhart, as after the Memory Charm completely wiped out Lockhart's memories, Dumbledore was compassionate enough that he decided to leave Lockhart in peace and did not expose his crimes, likely as he pitied Lockhart and saw that having completely lost all of his popularity and with the remnants of his magical brilliance now lost to him and his cunning now harmless, to condemn him to being eternally despised by the wizarding community would be unnecessarily cruel. He also acted cordially around Lockhart and treated him as well as he did with other professors and tolerated his messes, showing further that Dumbledore did not hate Lockhart and only wanted to prevent more heroes from being unjustly stripped of their right to be acknowledged.
Quirinus Quirell
Dumbledore was one of Quirell's mentors when he was still a student and his employer. Despite Quirell's timidness and intrest in the Dark Arts, Dumbledore apparently believed he could become a great wizard and free himself from his hunger for power. However, Dumbledore immediately realised that Quirell had met Voldemort when he travelled around the world, and shared his body with him when Quirell started to look suspicious. Dumbledore did not hesitate to have Snape keep an eye on Quirel and later he showed no care or remorse for Quirell's death when talking to Harry.
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. | „ |
| “ | Those that we love never truly leave us. There are things that death cannot touch. Paint and memory and love. | „ |
| “ | Love blind us. | „ |
| “ | Harry, there is never a perfect answer in this messy emotional world. Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic. In every shining moment of happiness is that drop of poison: the knowledge that pain will come again. Be honest to those you love, show your suffering. To suffer is as human to breathe. | „ |
Gallery
.jpg "Promo pic of Richard Harris as Professor Dumbledore (CoS).jpg (43 KB)")
Trivia
- In the Harry Potter films, Dumbledore was played by the late actor Richard Harris in the adaptations of The Philosopher's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, whilst Michael Gambon played him in the remaining films after Harris's death. In the upcoming sequel of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, he is set to be played by Jude Law.
 Heroes
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