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Albus Dumbledore

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{{HP character| image=Image:DumbeldoreFilm1.jpg 300px|Albus Dumbledore
Michael Gambon as Dumbledore in ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''| bgcolor=#fc0| fgcolor=#000| name=Albus Dumbledore| gender=Male| hair=Silver (formerly auburn)| eyes=Light blue| house= Hogwarts Houses#Gryffindor Gryffindor| blood= Unknown| allegiance=Order of the Phoenix,
Hogwarts| portrayer=Richard Harris (actor) Richard Harris{{HP1}}{{HP2}} Michael Gambon{{HP3}}{{HP4}} | appearance=''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' }} '''Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore''' (born c. Dates in Harry Potter 1845) is a character in J.K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. He has been the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for many years and considered to be one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Being benevolent, slightly eccentric, and powerful, he resembles an archetypal Goodness and value theory good wizard in the style of Merlin (wizard) Merlin or Gandalf. He is sympathetic to Harry Potter (character) Harry Potter's difficulties, and, as such, occasionally allows the young wizard more leeway than he would with others. It is said that he is the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever feared. Dumbledore is described as being tall and thin, with long hair and beard. He has blue eyes, a very long and crooked nose, and long fingers. He wears half-moon spectacles. He is also described as being very well-dressed in magnificent robes. He claims to have a scar above his left knee, its provenance unknown, which happens to be a perfect map of the London Underground. Dumbledore's Magical objects in Harry Potter#Chocolate Frog Chocolate Frog card mentions that he enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling. The card also reveals that he has a great affinity for sweets, magical and non-magical, and has frequently set the password for the gargoyle guarding Hogwarts Floor Directory#Seventh Floor his office door to be the name of various sweets. He tells Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that he is rather fond of Sherbet Lemons, but it is a known fact that he does not enjoy Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, losing his liking for them after coming across a vomit flavoured one. He is also a self-stated fan of knitting patterns, and once told Harry that one could never have enough socks. The name Albus is from the Latin word ''albus'' ("white"), a frequently used symbol for good; "Dumbledore," which means "bumblebee," was picked by the author because she can see him humming while strolling along the halls of Hogwarts. Additionally, a Dumbledoor is an insect which visits the Shire (Middle-earth) Shire each year in ''The Lord of the Rings'', as mentioned in the poem Errantry by J.R.R. Tolkien. In the movie versions, Dumbledore is played by actors of Irish origin. In the film adaptations of ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (2001) and ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002), Dumbledore was played by Richard Harris (actor) Richard Harris, who died in 2002 of Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin's disease. In ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' (2004) and ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005), Dumbledore is played by Michael Gambon. Patrick McGoohan, another Irish actor, was originally offered the role before Harris but turned it down due to health reasons. {{spoiler}}

Early life and career
Image:Dumbledoreharris1.jpg 250px|thumb| [[Richard Harris (actor)|Richard Harris appears as Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films]] Comparatively little is revealed about Dumbledore's early history or family. At the time of the series, he is (according to an interview by Rowling) about 150 years old, meaning he entered Hogwarts as a student in the Dates in Harry Potter 1850s. He was Magical objects in Harry Potter#The Sorting Hat sorted into Hogwarts Houses#Gryffindor Gryffindor House, according to Hermione Granger, and he confessed in the movie version of ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Goblet of Fire'' to having set fire to the curtains in Harry's dormitory. His brother, Aberforth Dumbledore Aberforth, is the bartender at the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade, and was once prosecuted in the Wizengamot for "practicing inappropriate charms on a goat". Dumbledore's extraordinary magical talents were apparent from an early age, as later described by the elderly Griselda Marchbanks, Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, who had personally examined the school-age Dumbledore for his Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test N.E.W.T. exams in Charms and Transfiguration. Marchbanks recalled that the young Dumbledore had "done things with a wand I'd never seen before."{{HP5}} Some time after his graduation from Hogwarts, Dumbledore returned to the faculty as Professor of Transfiguration, plus as deputy headmaster of Hogwarts and in this capacity also served in recruiting students for the school. He identified Lord Voldemort Tom Marvolo Riddle and offered him a place at Hogwarts, glimpsing the true nature of the boy who was to become Lord Voldemort. His keen observations of Riddle's student years led Dumbledore to influence Hogwarts' headmaster, Armando Dippet, not to offer Riddle a faculty position. In Dates in Harry Potter 1945 Dumbledore defeated the dark wizard Minor Dark wizards in Harry Potter#Grindelwald Grindelwald. As J.K. Rowling confirmed, Grindelwald and his followers are meant to be the magical-world analogues of Adolf Hitler and the Nazism Nazis. Dumbledore has held the posts of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. He holds the Order of Merlin, First Class, for Grand Sorcery. He was removed from the aforementioned posts during his conflict with the British Ministry of Magic under the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge about the return of Voldemort and subsequent requisite actions; he was reinstated as a member of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief of the Wizengamot when the ministry was forced to see their own error.

Magical accomplishments and skills
Image:Dumbledore-chair.jpg 250px|thumb|right|[[Michael Gambon as Dumbledore in ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'']] Dumbledore is widely famous as a legendary alchemy alchemist who has worked together with Nicholas Flamel (Harry Potter) Nicholas Flamel, the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, and is credited with discovering the twelve uses of dragon blood (In an interview with J.K. Rowling, she confirmed that one of the uses of Dragon blood is as an oven cleanser). He also defeated the great dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, as stated on his Chocolate Frog card, undoubtedly increasing his popularity. In addition to these credits, he is known to be able to conjure Gubraithian Fire (magical everlasting fire). His Patronus Charm Patronus takes the form of a Phoenix (mythology) phoenix, a recurring symbol in the books. Dumbledore also invented the method of communicating messages using a Patronus Charm, a skill he taught only to members of the Order of the Phoenix. He has claimed to be able to become invisible without using an invisibility cloak (although it may have been a metaphor), and there are suggestions that he is capable of seeing through invisibility cloaks. Dumbledore is also skilled in Occlumency and Legilimency. Dumbledore can speak Mermish, the language of the Merpeople. In an interview Rowling agreed with her interviewers that Dumbledore, albeit a genius, is sometimes very reckless, and that, "immense brainpower does not protect you from emotional mistakes and I think Dumbledore really exemplifies that. In fact, I would tend to think that being very, very intelligent might create some problems and it has done for Dumbledore, because his wisdom has isolated him, and I think you can see that in the books, because where is his equal, where is his confidante, where is his partner? He has none of those things. Heâ€™s always the one who gives, heâ€™s always the one who has the insight and has the knowledge." There has been much speculation about where Dumbledore learned it all - he is far more accomplished and far more knowledgeable than any other wizard. Rowling said that Dumbledore was primarily self-taught, although he "had access to superb teachers at Hogwarts". Rowling also said that as far as his education is concerned, "Dumbledore's family would be a profitable line of inquiry, more profitable than sweet wrappers."

Dumbledore and the rise of Lord Voldemort
{{spoiler}} Image:dumbledoreharr1.jpg right|thumb|250px|[[Richard Harris (actor)|Richard Harris as Dumbledore in ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets along with Harry Potter (character) Harry Potter played by Daniel Radcliffe''.]] One of Dumbledore's tasks as a teacher at Hogwarts was to find the young wizard Lord Voldemort Tom Riddle and offer him a place at Hogwarts. Riddle was living in a Muggle orphanage, and while he had discovered some magical abilities, did not know that his mother had been a witch. Even at this early age, Dumbledore was concerned about Riddle's character, and was especially careful to watch his progress throughout his school years. Riddle attempted to get a teaching job at Hogwarts, but Dumbledore first persuaded the current headmaster, Armando Dippet, to refuse Riddle's request, and himself refused a second request some years later. It was to Dumbledore that Sybill Trelawney, subsequently appointed as professor of Divination, revealed the prophecy regarding Voldemort's fall. The prophecy was partly overheard by Severus Snape, who reported what he had heard to Voldemort. Snape was discovered eavesdropping by Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, who removed him from the building (The Hog's Head). Voldemort interpreted the prophecy as referring to Harry, and as a result killed his parents, James and Lily Potter, while trying to kill Harry. Dumbledore has been instrumental in the struggle against his former student, working tirelessly against him with the Order of the Phoenix. When Harry's parents were killed, it was Dumbledore's decision to place the now-orphaned Harry in the safekeeping of Vernon Dursley Vernon and Petunia Dursley, knowing that Harry would be protected by the special magic caused by his mother's sacrifice. Throughout the series Dumbledore is portrayed as a wizard with modern/reformist ideas about blood purity, and the rights of Muggles, part-humans, and non-humans. Dumbledore does not give importance to the so-called ''"purity of blood"'' and believes that an individual's choices reflect his character, rather than his birth, blood, or family, saying "it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." Voldemort angrily refers to Dumbledore as ''"champion of commoners, muggles and Pure-blood#Muggle-born mudbloods."''. Unlike most wizards, save Harry Potter himself, Dumbledore is not afraid to speak Lord Voldemort's name. Dumbledore makes the important discovery that Voldemort is trying to achieve immortality through the use of Horcruxes, one of which was Tom Riddle's diary, destroyed by Harry in ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets''. Dumbledore himself destroys a second Horcrux, an old ring, and is (by popular view) killed after being weakened while attempting to find a third.

Dismissal from Hogwarts
Dumbledore was twice dismissed from his position as Headmaster, the first time during Harry's second year at Hogwarts, when Lucius Malfoy "persuaded" the school's twelve governors to remove him in the wake of attacks by a basilisk on people in the school. He was subsequently reinstated after Harry killed the basilisk and Lucius was found to have threatened the other governors into removing him as headmaster. In Harry's fifth year, Dolores Umbridge was appointed by the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, to oversee activities at Hogwarts, after Dumbledore and Harry tried to convince the Wizarding world that Voldemort had returned. Harry and other students organised a club called "Dumbledore's Army" to learn defensive magic. Dumbledore was compelled to flee Hogwarts after lying to Fudge and Umbridge about the nature of Dumbledore's Army to protect Harry. Dumbledore was reinstated after Voldemort launched an attack on the Ministry of Magic. {{spoiler}}

Death
Dumbledore's death is foreshadowed at the start of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he first appears with a burnt and blackened hand, a result of his recovery and destruction of a ring that was an heirloom of Voldemort's grandfather The House of Gaunt Marvolo Gaunt and was serving as one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. On that occasion, Dumbledore was saved from death by the intervention of Severus Snape, though the injury shows no sign of improvement throughout the year that passes in the sixth book. Dumbledore was repeatedly warned by Harry Potter (Character) Harry Potter that another student, Draco Malfoy, was working for Voldemort. Dumbledore refused to take any action against Draco, and instead reassured Harry that he already knew more about what was happening than did Harry. Draco made two (arguably halfhearted) attempts to kill Dumbledore during the year, but on each occasion a student was injured instead. The first attempt involved a cursed necklace, the second a bottle of poisoned mead. Both these attempts were secondary to Malfoy's main plan, which was to repair a broken magical cabinet already inside Hogwarts, and use it to transport Death Eaters into the castle. There was a similar cabinet in Borgin & Burke's shop, and there was a magical passage between them. The attackers were able to enter the castle through the other cabinet while Dumbledore and Harry were away, attempting to find and destroy another Horcrux. Dumbledore was injured, possibly fatally, in this attempt as he was forced to drink a potion left by Voldemort and on their return he was captured by Malfoy. Malfoy found that he could not bring himself to kill Dumbledore, so instead Snape used the fatal ''Avada Kedavra#Avada Kedavra .28The Killing Curse.29 Avada Kedavra'' curse against him. Dumbledore's funeral is attended by students, teachers, members of the Ministry of Magic, giants, ghosts, and other non-humans. Shrouded in purple velvet, he is entombed in a white marble tomb beside the lake at Hogwarts, and is said to be the only Hogwarts headmaster who is laid to rest in the school grounds. And his phoenix left the school,forever. His portrait appears in the current headmistress's office alongside the former headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts, where he will presumably, like the others, give his aid to the current head of school. Some Harry Potter fans have come up with various theories as to how and why they think he may have survived Snape's The Unforgivable Curses in the world of Harry Potter#Avada Kedavra (The Killing Curse) ''Avada Kedavra''. There are websites devoted to that cause[http://www.dumbledoreisnotdead.com/].

Symbolism
Albus Dumbledore does have seemingly strong similarities with other characters from books or movies. Two notable examples would be Master Yoda from Star Wars and the wizard Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings. Though J.K. Rowling has never admitted to which characters or persons from history have influenced Dumbledore inside of the books, it is apparent that he has much in common with all well-written mentors of literature - an excellent example of the Jungian, 'Wise Old Man' archetype.

See also
* List of characters in translations of Harry Potter

External links
{{spoiler}}
- Harry Potter Lexicon
- The Phoenix Files: Albus Dumbledore on MuggleNet
- What JK Rowling said about Dumbledore
- MuggleNet:Quotes by Albus Dumbledore
- Dumbledore Is Not Dead! {{start box}} {{succession box | before = Armando Dippet .html">Hogwarts Headmaster.html">Head_teacher|Headmaster | years = December 1956 - Spring 1993| after = Minerva McGonagall (acting)}} {{succession box | before = Minerva McGonagall .html">Hogwarts Headmaster.html">Head_teacher|Headmaster | years = June 1993 - Dates in Harry Potter Spring 1996 | after = Dolores Umbridge}} {{succession box | before = Dolores Umbridge .html">Hogwarts Headmaster.html">Head_teacher|Headmaster | years = June 1996 - Dates in Harry Potter June, 1997 | after = Minerva McGonagall }} {{succession box | before = ''Unknown'' | title = Hogwarts subjects Transfiguration Master | years = late 1930s (?) - December, 1956 | after = Minerva McGonagall}} {{succession box | before = ''Unknown''| title = Hogwarts Houses Head of Gryffindor House | years = late 1930s (?) - Dates in Harry Potter December, 1956 | after = Minerva McGonagall }} {{end box}} Category:Fictional magicians Dumbledore, Albus Category:Gryffindors Dumbledore, Albus Category:Harry Potter characters Dumbledore, Albus Category:Hogwarts Headmasters and Headmistresses Dumbledore, Albus Category:Order of the Phoenix Dumbledore, Albus {{Link FA|it}} cs:Albus BrumbÃ¡l da:Albus Dumbledore es:Albus Dumbledore fa:Ø¢Ù„Ø¨ÙˆØ³ Ø¯Ø§Ù…Ø¨Ù„Ø¯ÙˆØ± fr:Albus Dumbledore is:Albus Dumbledore it:Albus Silente he:×?×œ×‘×•×¡ ×“×ž×‘×œ×“×•×¨ ms:Albus Dumbledore nl:Albus Perkamentus ja:ã‚¢ãƒ«ãƒ?ã‚¹ãƒ»ãƒ€ãƒ³ãƒ–ãƒ«ãƒ‰ã‚¢ no:Albus Humlesnurr pl:Albus Dumbledore pt:Albus Dumbledore sl:Albus Dumbledore fi:Albus Dumbledore sv:Albus Dumbledore vi:Albus Dumbledore tr:Albus Dumbledore zh:é˜¿ä¸?æ€?Â·é„§ä¸?åˆ©å¤š

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