Durmstrang Task 2 :: Albus Dumbledore

Hey guys! Durmstrang here with task two!! For this task we received a character to do a deep analysis of, and personally I think ours is a pretty good one!! The one. The only. ALBUS PERCIVAL… WULFRIC… BRIAN… DUMBLEDORE!!! :sparkles:

- Full name info:: Malakai

Dumbledore’s Full Name

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Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is one of the most iconic characters in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. He embodies wisdom, strength, and comion in an unparalleled way. Each element of his name reveals essential aspects of his complex character and carries significant meaning in the tapestry of his life and legacy. Let’s explore the profound meanings behind each of his names.

The name "Dumbledore" brings a whimsical touch, as it derives from an archaic term for "bumblebee." This charming detail adds an enchanting layer to his character, evoking imagery of a gentle yet purposeful creature buzzing through life, embodying curiosity and wisdom. The name "Albus," which translates to "white" in Latin, symbolizes the Professor's iconic snowy white beard—a striking hallmark that mirrors his wise and nurturing presence in the wizarding world.

Delving deeper into his identity, we find that Dumbledore's multiple middle names create a rich tapestry reflecting his intricate character. The name “Percival” stands out, resonating with the noble legacy of a legendary knight from King Arthur's court. This association represents bravery and purity and serves as a poignant reminder of Dumbledore’s gallant leadership during the darkest trials, where his courage shone brightly.

The name “Wulfric,” which translates to "wolf power," subtly hints at his remarkable strength and resilience. While Albus does not possess the ability to transform into a werewolf, this evocative name reinforces his formidable qualities, portraying him as a steadfast leader and protector deeply committed to safeguarding those in need.

Lastly, the name "Brian," rooted in Celtic tradition, embodies the essence of nobility. This intrinsic quality is beautifully reflected in Dumbledore’s wisdom, kindness, and unwavering dedication to the greater good. Throughout the series, he consistently exemplifies the ideal of nobility—not simply in title, but through every action and thought, reflecting an enduring legacy that continues to resonate. Collectively, these names provide profound insight into the rich essence of Albus Dumbledore and the indelible impact he leaves on the wizarding world.

- Family tree:: Lili

Dumbledore’s Family Tree

- Life events:: Moony

- Education:: Dominic

- Magical abilities:: Prasanna

Dumbledore’s Life Events

Introduction

Albus Dumbledore was a wizard around 115 years old when he died and he had quite a life. He spent his adult life fighting against Grindelwald, being a Hogwarts professor and then the heaster when he led the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Voldemort’s reign until he died. However, many may ask what led him to his career choices and what led him to be the person he was. Hopefully this helps you.

Ariana

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Albus had two younger siblings named Aberforth and Ariana. When Ariana was six, she was performing magic outside her house and was confronted by three muggle boys who attacked her. She was traumatized from the harm it caused, no longer performed magic, and became an Obscurial because of it. An Obscurial is a witch or wizard who forms an Obscurus from hiding their magic. Keeping one’s magic inside is harmful for a magical creature as it builds up magic, this forms an Obscurus which slowly poisons them to death. The Obscurus also causes the witch’s or wizard’s magic to lash out into violent outbursts when it gets triggered. This incident caused Albus’s father, Percival, to attack the boys who harmed Ariana. He was later arrested in Azkaban and died there as a result. After this, Albus’s mother, Kendra, moved the family to Godric’s Hollow to keep Ariana hidden from everybody else and keep her safe.

Ariana was typically a sweet girl except for when she lost control of her magic. But, when she was fourteen years old, she accidentally caused a magical explosion that killed their mother while her favorite brother, Aberforth, was not home. Ablus had to become Ariana’s guardian which he resented because he planned to study abroad with his friend. He wanted to escape from his life and shine because he believed he was bright enough to achieve that. Grindelwald moved into the neighborhood then he and Albus grew close. However, the two came up with controversial plans which Aberforth confronted them about because Ariana could not afford to tag along with them. This caused a three-way duel where Ariana attempted to stop the fight but was killed in the crossfire. It was never known who accidentally killed her. This caused Grindelwald to flee from the scene. At the funeral, Aberforth broke Albus’s nose and blamed him for Ariana’s death. Aberforth never forgave Albus after that, he believed that Albus was glad to be freed from his sister. But Albus never forgave himself either. Ariana’s death began the demise of Albus’s and Grindelwald’s relationship, it also made Albus’s relationship with his brother irreparable.

Gellert Grindelwald

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Gellert Grindelwald was a dark wizard who was considered to be one of the darkest wizards of all time. The only wizards who were known to be more powerful than him were Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore. Grindelwald went to Durmstrang Institute (woah that’s our school) but was expelled for using dark experiments and almost fatal attacks on other students. Afterwards, he moved to Godric’s Hollow to stay with his great aunt. Here, he and Albus grew a romantic relationship over the course of two months. They also made a blood pact where they swore they would never fight each other.

Grindelwald and Albus made plans to find the Deathly Hallows and master death, lead a Wizarding revolution which would put an end to the International Statute of Secrecy (this ensured that wizards were hidden amongst muggles), and create a wizard-led order where wizards ruled the world and muggles would be subservient to them. Albus believed that he was doing this for the greater good. That whatever means they had to go by to accomplish their goal would be worth it in the end. Dumbledore believed that in this new world, he could bring his parents back to life with the resurrection stone and have the power to protect his loved ones with the other hallows because he could not protect his sister when he was a kid. However, Grindelwald just wanted to be powerful.

When Aberforth confronted them about how this plan would not give Ariana the attention she needed to be stable, Grindelwald inflicted the Cruciatus curse on him and Albus moved in the way to defend his brother. This caused the three-way duel where Ariana was killed. After Ariana’s death, Grindelwald was blamed for it and left Britain. The blame made him have the mark of a dark wizard. He then stole the elder wand and decided to lead the revolution alone instead of with Albus.

After stealing the elder wand, he led many attacks across Europe causing mass slaughter and attention from wizarding authorities. A wizard hunt was in place for Grindelwald. He was almost captured, but killed his capturers before they could do so. He also created an army for himself so as to not get captured. Grindelwald also created a prison in Austria for his enemies, at this point he has personally murdered several people.

Eventually, Grindelwald began to prepare for when Albus would inevitably try to defeat him. They could not attack each other due to the blood pact, but he knew Albus was smart enough to defeat him without fighting him. Albus already made this threat to his followers. Grindelwald tried to find a way to kill Albus. A while later, he was captured by Newt Scamander in the U.S. But, a MACUSA employee already worked for Grindelwald who helped Grindelwald escape.

Around the year 1932, Grindelwald decided to meet Albus over a cup of tea. They discussed their past and goals. Grindelwald mentioned how he disliked muggles and that it was his goal to destroy their world either with or without Albus’s help. By this time, he appeared on a wanted poster for his “crimes against the wizarding world”. After the tea, Grindelwald also realized that Albus sent somebody to spy on him, so Grindelwald tried to send someone to kill Albus.

Grindelwald eventually became Supreme Mugwump (the highest wizarding position) and declared war on muggles. Shortly after, the blood pact between Ablus and Grindelwald was broken due to a spell Grindelwald casted that Albus blocked. This sent Albus and Grindelwald into another dimension where they had a duel until they reached a stalemate. Grindelwald reminded Albus that he was the only one who fully understood and loved him, then he jumped off of a ledge. Afterward, Grindelwald declared another world war. Albus was afraid to stop him even though he knew he was powerful enough to be able to because he did not want to be the one to end Grindelwald’s reign and Grindelwald knew more than Albus did about who killed Ariana which he did not want to find out.

Eventually, Albus had to fight him because it would be shameful to be silent for any longer. He found Grindelwald and they engaged in the most powerful duel of wizardkind. He eventually beat his former lover and Albus was now the new owner of the elder wand. Albus brought him to the authorities where Grindelwald was imprisoned in the top cell of a wizarding prison for the rest of his life.

After Grindelwld’s capture, Albus received a lot of credit and recognition for taking him down. However, he felt remorse for attempting to take over muggle society when he was a teenager. After Albus beat Grindelwald, he was offered the minister of magic position but feared having too much power because his want of power has been his weakness in the past. It seemed like he still cared for his ex boyfriend even when he turned him in and after the event. It is likely he felt remorse for still having all those feelings after everything had happened.

Lord Voldemort

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Shortly before Albus defeated Grindelwald, he was given the task of recruiting students into Hogwarts where he spent time as a professor. One of these students was Tom Riddle who lived at Wool’s Orphanage. Albus met with the matron before meeting Tom Riddle. She was surprised he was accepted at a private school because he was anti-social and had incidents where a bunny died and an event where other kids became traumatized.

He met Tom and he was originally suspicious and mean to Albus. But eventually, he was able to persuade Tom that he was a wizard and Albus realized how powerful Tom was at such a young age. Albus also found out Tom was a parselmouth, but he did not find this as concerning as Tom’s “instincts for cruelty, secrecy, and domination.” Albus decided to keep a close eye on him at Hogwarts because he was weary of him.

While Tom was around sixteen years old, several muggle-born students at Hogwarts were being mysteriously petrified by a beast that was rumored to be from the Heir of Slytherin in the Chamber of Secrets. The final victim, Myrtle Warren was killed. This almost caused Tom to go home in a permanent school closure, so he framed Gryffindor Rubeus Hagrid and got him expelled. Albus suspected it was Tom but had no way to prove himself right, so he had Rubeus become the groundskeeper at Hogwarts. He kept a closer eye on Tom after this.

After Grindelwald was defeated and Tom graduated, there was more dark magical activity across England. Albus prepared for Tom to rise to power and make his intent known, so Albus was slowly preparing to oppose him. There were already death eaters recruiting dark creatures to Tom’s cause to overthrow the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry started to call authorities and Albus had already sent out spies to report on Tom Riddle.

Through one of the spies, he found out that Remus Lupin got bitten by a werewolf death eater with the goal to eventually get recruited to Tom’s who was now called Voldemort’s cause. Albus was now heaster of Hogwarts and decided to accommodate Remus when he was ready to go to Hogwarts so he could attend school. Around this time, Voldemort approached Albus with the request to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. However, Albus knew of what Voldemort had been up to and was worried he would use this position to recruit more followers, so he turned him down. Voldemort cursed the position.

When Remus was of age for Hogwarts he was invited to go to the school. After some discussion, Remus’s parents let him go. This earned Remus’s gratitude because he almost couldn’t go to a magical school due to being a werewolf. A few years later, Severus Snape who eventually became a death eater found out about Remus and Albus forbade him from repeating it.

In 1970, Voldemort rose to power and the war began as Albus formed and led the Order of the Phoenix which was a secret team to fight Voldemort and his death eaters. A few of his past students such as Remus Lupin, James Potter, and Sirius Black ed the Order. Other students such as Severus Snape, Regulus Black, and Barty Crouch Jr. became death eaters. Later in the war, Albus was approached by Sybill Trelawney who applied to be the professor of Divination. She fell into a trance and made a prophecy about the birth of a boy born during the seventh month that could defeat Voldemort. Severus was spying on this conversation and relayed it to Voldemort.

Voldemort realized that James and his wife Lily had a boy named Harry who was born during the seventh month. He decided to try to kill the Potters. Severus was horrified because he was in love with Lily and confided in Albus. Albus agreed to put the family in hiding if Severus became his spy, so he did. Albus hid the family in Godric’s Hollow. During this time, he realized James’s invisibility cloak was a Deathly Hallow and borrowed it to study it. The Secret-Keeper for the Potters, Peter Pettigrew who everyone believed to be Sirius Black turned in the Potters’ location to Voldemort. This resulted in James’s and Lily’s death, but when the spell was performed on Harry it backfired because Lily attempted to protect him before she died. When the spell backfired, Voldemort disappeared, but Albus knew that Voldemort was not truly gone.

Albus wanted Harry to be safe, so he left him with Lily’s sister’s Petunia’s family: The Dursleys. Albus regretted that Harry was not in a more loving home because the family detested wizards, but it was believed this was the safest space for him. Severus was a professor at Hogwarts now and Albus asked him to protect the boy. Albus also planned for Harry to be the one to defeat Voldemort because he was the only one able to and to get rid of him according to the prophecy. Over Harry’s first, second, and third years, Albus assisted Harry in saving himself and the school. Before Harry's fourth year, there was death eater activity at the Quidditch World Cup which made Albus believe that Voldemort would rise back up to power shortly. At the end of the year with Peter Pettigrew’s help, Voldemort returned in front of Harry.

During Harry’s fifth year, Albus put the Order of the Phoenix back together. However, the ministry did not believe in Voldemort’s return and sent in Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and she took extraordinary measures to assure the students that Voldemort was not back. Albus was even temporarily fired from Hogwarts and was called crazy for his claims. At the end of the year, he and some of his students including Harry fought against Voldemort and his death eaters in the Ministry of Magic. Voldemort eventually fled and everyone now believed he had returned.

In Harry’s sixth year, Albus took it upon himself to train the boy to eventually defeat Voldemort. Albus did receive one of his horcruxes which was a ring and made the mistake of putting it on and was temporarily cursed by Voldemort until he destroyed the ring. Albus knew that he would eventually die from this curse and told Severus to kill him when the time came. Albus knew that another student named Draco Malfoy was given the task to kill Albus as a death eater, but Albus knew that this would tear his heart apart.

At the end of the year, Albus and Harry tried to retrieve another Horcrux which ended up being fake. But Albus ended up getting poisoned and started thinking of Ariana’s and Grindelwald’s deaths which caused him to apologize profusely. After this, they returned to the astronomy tower where Draco was there to kill him with the death eaters with him. Albus hid Harry and Draco realized that he did not have it in him to kill him, so Severus did. A year later, Harry destroyed the rest of the Horcruxes to realize he was a Horcrux and let Voldemort kill him. Harry ended up going to limbo where he saw Albus and they had a conversation where Albus explained the situation. Afterwards, Harry woke up on the Hogwarts grounds and defeated Voldemort once and for all.

Outro

Throughout Albus Dumbledore’s life, he dealt with a lot. His sister was attacked, his father got arrested and died, his mother was accidentally killed, he fell in love, his sister was killed, his ex boyfriend ended up becoming a dark wizard who Albus eventually had to defeat, and then his former student rose to power and Albus had to train a child to defeat him. Then he had to sacrifice himself for the cause to make people including Voldemort believe that Severus was still a Death Eater. Still, Albus had a great impact on the world and Harry named his one son Albus Severus Potter after him.

Dumbledore’s Education

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Dumbledore attended Hogwarts from 1892-1899, where he was sorted into Gryffindor. There was a rumour being spread that Albus disliked muggles, due to what his father had done, but it was proven wrong. Though he did end up developing some anti muggle prejudice under the influence of Gellert Grindelwald later on in his life, but disagreed with Gellert’s values soon after. Albus was known to be an outstanding and gifted student during his school years, possibly why he became a prefect and Head Boy. It was during his Hogwarts years that he became well connected and befriended Nicholas Flamel, Bathilda Bagshot, and Griselda Marchbanks (who mentioned that Albus had done things with his wand that she had never seen before during his Charms and Transfiguration N.E.W.T.S). He had also met Elphias Doge, who suffered from Dragon Pox. But that didn’t stop Albus from being kind to him. Albus became the British Youth Representative for the Wizengamot and had several of his papers published during his studies with Adalbert Waffling. It’s also known that he was gifted in transfiguration, since he eventually went back as a professor to teach the subject. Before that he went to to study alchemy under Nicholas Flamel, but returned to Britain for unknown reasons.

Albus received a teaching position at Hogwarts, which he gladly accepted, and returned as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. At some point he discovered the Mirror of Erised, a device that showed the viewer their deepest desire. He, haven seen what he desired the most (Grindelwald), decided to hide it under a black velvet curtain and leave it where he had found it. It wasn’t until Harry found it in 1991 that Dumbledore saw the mirror again. Dumbledore kept in touch with Nicholas Flamel during his teaching era, going from being student-mentor to a long lasting friendship. He had also become close friends with Eulalia Hicks. In 1910 he taught Newt Scamander and Leta Lestrange. Three years later in 1913, Newt got expelled from Hogwarts after one of Leta’s experiments went too far. Dumbledore fought for Newt’s innocence and was able to convince them to let Newt keep his wand. During Grindelwalds rise to power he invited Newt and his friends to Hogwarts, then to the Hog’s Head where he created his first army.

Albus became involved with the recruitment of students for Hogwarts, having to visit and inform those who were on the Book of ittance and had muggle families of the existence of magic. One of the students he met during that time was Tom Riddle. Albus informed Riddle on the existence of magic and invited him to Hogwarts, but was suspicious of the boy and kept an eye on him. At some point Dumbledore became the Professor of Transfiguration. During the 1942-1943 school year his suspicions of Riddle grew once the Chamber of Secrets was opened. The news of the Heir of Slytherin was being spread around the school, and after the first attack of Riddle’s basilisk, Albus began suspecting that Tom was behind the attacks. Riddle however framed Rubeus Hagrid and made it seem like it was Hagrid’s acromantula that had attacked the muggle-borns, leading to Hagrids being expelled. Hogwarts, despite the events that happened, was kept open. Dumbledore kept a close eye on Tom after that, making sure the Chamber of Secrets was never opened again. Luckily he was able to convince the Heaster to let Hagrid stay at Hogwarts as the groundskeeper-in-training.

Sometime during the 1960’s he became Heaster, following the death of Armando Dippet. Minerva Mcgonagall was then given his previous position of Transfiguration professor. Tom Riddle (now known as Voldemort) returned, seeking the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor after Professor Dipet turned him down the first time. Dumbledore, suspecting that Tom was going to use it to recruit followers, denied his request. This led to Voldermort angrily jinxing to the position to prevent anyone from holding the position for more than one school year. Albus met Remus Lupin, a boy suffering from lycanthropy, and built the Shrieking Shack for his transformations near Hogsmeade. He also created a path beneath the Whomping Willow to allow Remus to access it from Hogwarts. During his tenure as Heaster he witnessed several events, such as: the First Wizarding War, the defeat of Lord Voldermort, the cursed vaults, the reopening of the Chambers of Secrets, the second rise of Voldermort and the start of the Second Wizarding War. Unfortunately he never saw it finish, as he was murdered by Severus Snape in 1996. Following his death, his portrait was hung in the Heasters office to give advice to the current Heaster (or Heistress).

Dumbledore’s Magical Abilities

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Dumbledore was one of the most famous wizards of all time. I would say among the children of Hogwart, he was as famous as Merlin himself. As the bearer of the most prestigious wizarding awards, Dumbledore has an esteemed status in and out of the wizarding world. (Yes even muggles and squibs like him). Albus Dumbledore is a name that signifies magic, wisdom and power. Some may call him a wizard, but he was so much more. Dumbledore’s magic skill set was like none other where it stemmed from deep rooted knowledge as well as hefty amounts of practice relating to the arcane arts. His skills were apparent him from a young age even during his time at Hogwarts. During his time at the legendary school for witchcraft and wizardry, he stood out among his colleagues for his remarkable prowess in Transfiguration, Charms, and other areas of magic. Unlike most of his peers, he possessed clear understanding of the fundamentals of how magic worked as opposed to blindly using spells. (No Harry Potter was harmed by this sentence.)

Dumbledore’s mastery over spells and charms was legendary. There were no boundaries when it came to Dumbledore’s magic. Not only was he richly talented, he also possessed the ability to sprint without the need to utter an incantation while omitting the movement of his wand. The deep sense of integrity and mesmerizing inner strength was perfectly captured with his beautiful pet & Patronus – a phoenix. In addition to his other worldly magic, he superbly delved into unique magic skills comprehending the languages spoken by house elves and merpeople. Being one of the greatest occlumens of all time, he remarkably blocked all forms of intrusion into his mind while simultaneously also being proficient in legilimency, which allowed him to see into other people’s thoughts.

Dumbledore was also a highly skilled duelist. His duels were not merely exhibitions of strength, or repeated usage of Expelliarmous for that case. They were strategic fights that highlighted his composed nature and tactical genius. The legendary confrontation with Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic illustrated his capability to confront even the most formidable dark wizard. He didn’t simply react, he foresaw, reacted at right time, and ultimately triumphed.

His expertise also encomed alchemy, as he worked alongside Nicholas Flamel to create the Sorcerer’s Stone. He had a deep understanding of dragon blood, having identified its twelve uses. His wand, made from the elder tree—one of the rarest and most powerful woods—served as a channel for his remarkable abilities. Dumbledore’s magic was not solely about strength, it was rooted in understanding, wisdom, and the use of that knowledge for the greater good. He was a teacher, a mentor, and a symbol of hope in a world often engulfed in darkness. His magic influenced countless lives, leaving a lasting impact on the wizarding world.

Well, it feels so good to even discuss his magical powers. His least frequently used spells were of course the three unforgivable curses and his most used spell was the one he used to change house banners and announce Gryffindor as the winner of house cup :sob: Just kidding. I hope his legacy lives on and hope you had a great read. Thank you for reading !!

- Personality and analysis:: Moony

When people read the Harry Potter series or see the movies, they often have mixed feelings about Albus Dumbledore. Some people love him because he defeated Voldemort, some hate him because of the means he went by to defeat Voldemort, and others consider him morally gray, a mix of both.

A Good Person

In the series, the kids look up to Dumbledore. He is the calm heaster who often lends a helping hand. After Harry defeated professor Quirrel, Dumbledore went to see him in the hospital wing and shared some of the secrets from the past year. Then he awarded Harry and his friends points for the Gryffindor house which made them win the house cup.

During Harry’s second year, Dumbledore sent his Phoenix and the sorting hat with Godric’s sword to defeat Tom Riddle. After Harry’s third year, Dumbledore talked to Harry about that situation as well. From early on, Harry learned to trust Dumbledore and so did the audience.

After Harry’s fourth year and Voldemort returned, Dumbledore helped him get situated in the hospital wing. However, during his fifth year, Dumbledore ignored him out of an attempt to protect Harry which he grew furious about. Harry grew to confide and rely on Dumbledore and he was upset when that was gone. At the end of the year in the book, he yelled at Dumbledore in his office and threw some of his objects. Dumbledore was calm about this.

During Harry’s sixth year, Dumbledore trained him on finding Horcruxes and they even tried to search for one together. They thought they found it but Harry eventually realized it was fake. After Dumbledore’s death, Harry and friends searched for the Horcruxes while Rita Skeeter published a book sharing secrets about Dumbledore.

Harry began to question Dumbledore’s motivation because he heard that he almost took over muggle society with Grindelwald, that his sister was killed, and that his father was arrested. Harry was upset that he was never told about some of this but gained closure by talking to Aberforth and then to Dumbledore in limbo.

Many people believe that Dumbledore was a good person and a “god” figure in the series because he always knew what was happening and then led Harry to find out. Even though there was so much chaos, he was calm about it. And at the end, he had Severus Snape kill him so that his student wouldn’t have to.

A Bad Person

However, there are a great deal of people who also believe he is a bad person under the disguise of being good.

Some of the hate towards him goes to him pretending to be good when he hid all of the information about once having a relationship and trying to start a war with Grindelwald. People also believe that he is bad because even after he wasn’t in a relationship with Grindelwald, it took many years for him to decide to stop Grindelwald because of their past relationship. What makes it worse is that he never confronted his actions and let himself become famous instead.

Dumbledore also manipulated many people to his cause and most of these people included his students who were children at the time. It is believed that the only reason he let Remus Lupin (a werewolf) go to the school was so that he could gain his appreciation and have him and his friends the Order of the Phoenix.

When Harry’s parents Lily and James died, Dumbledore borrowed James’s invisibility cloak. Because he seemed somewhat omnipotent, some people believe that Dumbledore took the cloak on purpose so that the two would get killed. Dumbledore knew that Harry was the only boy who could defeat the Dark Lord and possibly knew that the only way he could do that was if his parents died. Some fans believe he is a villain for this.

Dumbledore also sent Harry to live with his aunt and uncle who hated wizards and constantly mistreated him throughout his childhood. It is shown that Dumbledore feels remorse for Harry’s childhood. Many fans question why he could not have let McGonagall or Remus raise him.

Dumbledore also let Sirius get arrested even though he knew he was innocent and didn’t cause James’s, Lily’s, and the muggles deaths. This is shown when Dumbledore helps Harry and Hermione help Sirius escape the dememtors.

People also believe that Dumbledore manipulated Harry. He withheld information from him but expected so much out of him. He wanted Harry to defeat Voldemort and led him along the way without telling him what he was doing.

Many fans do not like that Dumbledore played god, created children soldiers, and let bad stuff happen. This is especially worse because he had access to a time turner and instead gave it to Hermione so that she could attend more classes.

A Morally Gray Person

Some fans though believe that Dumbledore is morally gray. That he is not all good or all bad. These people believe that even though Dumbledore did bad things, he had his reasons.

Even though Dumbledore did manipulate many people to defeat Voldemort, it worked. Remus Lupin did his cause. Lily dying caused Harry to initially be protected from Voldemort. Having Harry live with the Dursleys made a protection spell go over the house so that none of them could get hurt.

Harry grew humble being raised in that home instead of in the wizarding world where he was famous. If he was raised by Sirius, maybe he would be consumed by fame, maybe he would have been too proud to defeat Voldemort. Harry also relied on Dumbledore because Dumbledore “rescued” him from his home which made Harry listen to him throughout the series.

Some of these fans believe that Dumbledore manipulated Harry because if Harry knew everything, he would be too scared to defeat Voldemort. That he had to move in the steps Dumbledore prepared for him to do so.

These fans don’t deny the bad things that he’s done but say that he did do them for a reason. Maybe he shouldn’t have hidden behind being the nice calm guy who always saved the day because he was secretly playing god. But also, playing god worked in the end. Dumbledore didn’t exclude himself in his plan either, he sacrificed himself so that Snape could be perceived as a bad person which led Harry to defeat Voldemort. In the end it was “for the greater good”.

In the series, Dumbledore’s personality seemed calmed yet off. During the Deathly Hallows, it is found out why his personality seemed off and it was because he harbored many secrets. Even then though, he apologized to Harry in limbo which made him a better person in the end. The people who see him as bad or morally gray think that what he did to achieve his goals was unfair and that made his personality selfish and manipulative.

I believe that people see people’s actions in different ways. Some people look at intention more while others look at the actions themselves. Some of Dumbledore’s actions were good like training Harry but they were also bad because he let bad stuff happen to achieve his goals. Some people know that he did bad but believed he had good intentions because his intention was to defeat Voldemort no matter what he had to do to do that. Some also believe his intentions were bad because he never told people why he did what he did and let them follow along without their consent. What do you believe? Do you think he was good, bad, or morally gray?

- Moodboards:: Olivia

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Apps used: Pinterest, Pixelcut, and Picsart

Time: 40+ minutes

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I used my Pinterest pics to format a moodboard, then went into Picsart, adding some quotes, 2 portraits, and his wand. I then added in some dramatic lighting as a border, then adding some extra stickers, to finish off.

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I used PhotoGrid to format the photos, using images I got from Pinterest. I then used Picsart to add in a background, a few quotes, 2 stickers, some sparkles, and finally another filter symbolizing fawks.

- Fanfic cover:: Axel

- Grindelwald:: Axel

- Dumbledore:: Stevie

Sources

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Grindelwald POV

Some people believe that people are born evil or good, but I don’t think that is always the case. The truth is, people can learn things along the way of their journey. My journey was a long, complicated and harsh life but somehow I made it to the other side. Well, if you can even call sitting in a cell the other side. In my rise to power I had demonstrated a great amount of insouciance towards everything, never really stopping to think about it. Perhaps things happen for a reason, maybe I wasn’t meant to rule as long as I thought. It was the man who gave me my ideas, he was the one to eventually cause my downfall.

It was cold and the dark atmosphere was apparent as I sat in the place I created to be someone else’s hell. The place I had made when everyone feared me, and now they likely just think of me and what I did in the past. How I’m locked up here now, probably for the better. As I sat here in my cell, I began to wonder where it all went wrong. Once, I had been a boy ionate about the dark arts and the next I was in love. The next we were fighting and the next I was rising to the power I knew I could once achieve. But he was always my weakness, he was the one I started out with and the one who came to end everything I had once had. My back pressed against the cold bare wall as my mind swirled with thoughts of the past. I have to it, this man once felt like my everything, we had a plan. If it weren’t for his siblings, we could have built a life together full of our well thought out plans.

But I don’t just think of him, I think of my great aunt Bathilda who always welcomed me at her home and was willing to help me. She showed me care and comion, the feeling I had from her I will never forget. In fact, she was the one who introduced me to the man I still think of to this day. While most people would feel threatened by someone, at that time I didn’t. We were just two intellectuals who wanted to work together to achieve greatness.

My mind began to take me back to the night we met and the days and nights that followed. We had spent everyday together after my Aunt introduced us all those long years ago. We were just young boys, both intelligent and equal. We spent every night writing letters to each other even when we had spent the day together. Did he our common interests? Does he think about our Deathly Hallows plans? Does he… me? All of these were real questions that I think about every single day.

I had achieved greatness until everything came crashing down. I had managed to gain power and even stole the Elder Wand from Mykew Gregorovitch. Yet somehow, even in all of this I still wanted more, my ambition getting the best of me. After I got the wand, I went all across Europe as I murdered many, though this got the attention of muggles which was never my plan. They had my face all over, people were looking for me whilst I hid in the château.

Though they tried to kill me I escaped and I narrowly avoided the situation, and by then I had gained a massive following. I knew I was bound to make enemies, and this very prison I am sitting in is that place. Created for my enemies and located in Austria, Nurmengard. I had known I was bound to face him one day, I couldn’t avoid the truth forever even if I wanted to. But we couldn’t duel directly… the blood pact we had made as teenagers still coursed through my body.

While I was on the run while trying to keep up with my army, I was nearly caught several times but I seemingly escaped. I mean, the only person who I knew measured up to my power was Albus Dumbledore himself.

As I tried to kill Credence Barebone, the blood pact was broken and I knew that this was both good and bad. It was devastating, yet my power seemed too important at this point. I casted to kill whereas Dumbledore chose to protect, that seemed to be the biggest divide between us. We dueled, though all that happened was we reached a stalemate. While this duel hadn’t been nearly as bad as the one we had years later, my heart was broken. I’m assuming he felt that way too, at least that is what I’d like to tell myself.

A few years later we dueled a duel that became legendary to the world, one that broke my heart more than any normal person could realize. Not only had I lost my power, but I had officially lost the one person who had seemed to have genuine love for me. I had lost the man who had been the source of everything I worked for and didn’t feel real. I think for a while we had been scared, we had feared the confrontation of love and heartbreak all at once. In the end, Albus won.

I the feeling of the bare concrete under my knees, everything in my body burning both of hate and heartbreak. It had been the day where I had completely forgotten about being power hungry and instead realized what I had lost and sacrificed to get that power. I staring at the man I loved, knowing that I’d never see him again and there was no way I could redeem myself. That moment felt so helpless, I just sat there until they took me away as I watched Albus gather the Elder Wand and get me sent to the very prison I created.

If I could take back the past I would change everything. I would change how I acted and how it ended. I know some things were just not meant to be and perhaps that was our fate.

After many years of sitting in my cell, I contemplated life every single day. One day I encountered a visit from Lord Voldemort, as he interrogated me for my knowledge of the Elder Wand. I still love him, I thought to myself. I wouldn’t want to be the reason he is gone, especially after all we’ve been through. I refused, I didn’t tell the Dark Lord who had it or anything of the sort. It was all a blur, but it was my final act of redemption. He would never know I protected him that night, but at least it brought me peace. And then those were my final thoughts… a second later, everything went black.

Dumbledore POV

Whenever I thought about loving him, I also thought about hating him. I hated him for not fighting for us. I hated him for being the reason that my sister was gone. But most of all, I hated that I still loved him. That is why I ended up in the Leaky Cauldron. I walked across Hogsmeade, tears collecting in my eyes, as I traversed across the path, my robe swished and swayed as it usually did and I ended up at the door of the Leaky Cauldron. To be honest, I never liked Pumpkin Juice. So I had decided to just get a Fire Whisky and sit at the end of the pub. Nothing else had worked yet before, so I had decided to sit alone. I was used to quiet hours of solitude, yet I still craved his presence, I still missed him with all my heart. Hate had slowly turned into anger and there was a pit in my heart that he had left. I wondered about how I could live with myself if I went to the dark side. Our ambitions were too strong, they always were.

While I ultimately did choose goodness in the end, I could acknowledge that I was only a shell of the self I once was. I ultimately had to become a solivagant. I had to wander on my own. But without him, I felt empty. I was just wandering through the motions of life not fully knowing what to do. In the end, I had realised that it would be easier to live with myself if I chose goodness. I chose Hogwarts. Yet the place that once felt like my home just felt like a husk. We were both powerful. We could both be great… together. I have to live with myself and understand my decision, especially for Hogwarts. Whether I am a lone wanderer or not, I have to make sure that Hogwarts is safe. Not just for me, not just for the current students, but for all of our society. Part of me wants to stay in the Leaky Cauldron, part of me wants to hide away. Yet I cannot do that, so I decide to sit on this table at the front of the room. People know who I am. They are probably wandering around aimlessly too. I shall find myself a purpose, I shall see another day and I will make sure that love wins. In a world full of hate, I want to show that love still exists, it is in all of us, even him. I can see it in him. My love wasn’t always enough, my sacrifices weren’t enough, nor was my perceived goodness. Truth be told, I am not perfect. I could never be perfect for him and I’ve got to live around that.

I had to abscind before it was too late. But really it was Gellert Grindelwald himself who absconded me. He chose darkness over me. I cannot even blame him. Too much had happened. We had too much history, too much of a past and the worst part of it all was that he had no future. Destined to be apart forever. There was nothing I could do. Our fate was written in the stars. After all those years, I still saw him in the stars, they still reminded me of our eternal love. We may have fought like cats and dogs might do, however we could also be friends as animal companions can be. I do miss him with all my heart. Hogwarts was my choice. Now I have the Elder Wand, I won, I have the power and here I am, feeling utterly powerless. I did not win after all. I lost him. I lost because I lost him. My mind was whirling, my tears were still falling, my drinks were being poured and all I could bring myself to do was cry. I tried to cover myself with my robe, wiped my tears away with my robe sleeve. It was no use, they always appeared. I couldn’t bring myself to leave Hogsmeade or the Leaky Cauldron so I ordered another drink, this time it was a drink I didn’t like just to make sure I was staying responsible.

We were friends first, then lovers, then duellers and now we are just strangers. Born to meet, destined to part.

The bartender looked at me. I looked back at him. I’m sure he realised that the colour had left my eyes. But I didn’t dare to ask him, I couldn’t bear to think to myself that I had changed. Maybe deep down I’d that I won. For now, I was broken beyond repair. I twirled my wand around my finger. Slowly losing grip before I gained control again. I studied each mark, each indentation, each grain of wood.

It felt like the weight of the world was crashing down upon me. That is when I started to see my sister. I could hear her voice. I could see her so vividly. She was playing. Throwing stones into the lake. I could hear her distinctive laughter and I couldn’t bring myself to get out of this trance. There was something that came over me that not even a spell could fix. I saw my sister. She looked at me but she laughed and I don’t understand why. I guess it was the innocence of childhood that remained. Because that was all she had the chance to live through. Unfortunately, she’d never know how proud I was of her. Despite her age, I did believe she was stronger than I ever could have been. Her confident self assured smile had remained and yet she was no more.

This was a trance I couldn’t break myself from. If I broke away from it, that meant that my sister would be gone forever. But I didn’t know what to do with the traces of her. I couldn’t put any of those feelings into a box, I couldn’t bury them, I couldn’t bury her. The worst feeling of all was that I was traversing through life without him, without Grindelwald. I had tried my best to bury all the reminders of him and as my sister was throwing rocks aimlessly in the water, he was there too. That was something I could not sacrifice. I could not put what I felt for him into words and I must it that I regret not fighting for him. It was no use. I couldn’t be the man he needed, not even with my power and my heart.

Part of me wanted another drink, so I decided against it. I was sure my sister wouldn’t like me suffering. There was a guilt gnawing at the edges of my mind, waiting to bubble to the surface. It felt cathartic to see her. To see Ariana Dumbledore, my sister, a part of me, my other half. Grindelwald had slowly become my other half, we were not related and didn’t share the same blood yet it felt like we were meant to become something. I was meant to be with him. I should have been with him. My memory wasn’t always clear. A constant was him, a constant was her. Two sides of the story that I had tried to bury. Going to the Leaky Cauldron had made me realise how far I’d come. How backwards I might become if I let myself go.

My robe is merely a costume for the man I used to be, the man I should have been. I’ve let her down.

- Axel

I do hope you guys learned a lot about our dearest Dumbledore!! We certainly learned a lot more. Thank you! :)

- Cover and dividers by Lili