Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore

[Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore]

General Information

Name:
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Heritage:
Pureblood

Birth date:
29/07/1881

Age:
93

Place of Birth:
Mould-on-the-Wold

Current Location/Home:
Godric’s Hollow, or the Headmaster’s office of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

House at Hogwarts:
Gryffindor

Look

General Appearance:
Although already 93 years of age, Dumbledore carries himself proudly, rankly and spiritedly. He has tall and thin figure, topped with a pointy wizard’s hat, matching to his clothes’ colour, on top of his noble head. Dumbledore mostly dresses in numerous colourful robes that reach from purple to deep red. His nose is very remarkable, as it is long, crooked, and appears to be twice broken (it is said that in his youth, his brother Aberforth played an important role in the shaping of his nose). His fingers are slender and thin, skilled with holding and waving his long wand, which had become like a sixth finger to his right hand over the years. Dumbledore claims to have a scar right above his left knee in the precice shape of a map of the London Underground – which he thinks is tremendously helpful when visiting Muggle London.

A Painting

Eye Colour:
Dumbledore’s eyes are of a brilliant blue colour, usually sparkling with kindness, understanding and mischief. Only in the scarce situation of him becoming angry, his eyes would begin to burn like a blue fire, intimidating and piercing. At all times, he wears half-moon spectacles.

Hair Colour:
Dumbledore’s hair is of a very light auburn and silverish colour. He wears it down, so that his curls fall past his shoulders, and his full beard even reaches his belly button.

Background

Parents:
Percival and Kendra Dumbledore

Siblings:
Aberforth (elder brother)
Ariana (younger sister) (deceased)

Other Family:
Honoria (aunt)

Personal History:
In summer 1881, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was born to Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, in the small British wizarding village Mould-on-the-Wold. He was the couple’s oldest child, three years later followed his brother Aberforth, and shortly after Albus’ only sister Ariana. With that, the Dumbledore family was complete.

Albus’ early years up to his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were marked by one tragedy after another persuing the family. Ariana was attacked by a group of muggle boys when she was only six years old. Those boys had been spying on her, becoming interested in her when they saw her performing magic. It scared them. When Ariana was unable to show them how she did the magical trick, they violently assaulted her, wanting to stop this little freak doing odd and unexplainable things. This attack stopped Ariana being able to control her magic. From then on, in situations of high intensity, her magic would erupt in uncontrollable strength, being very dangerous to anyone around.

Ariana’s father Percival sought revenge to the muggle boys. It is not clear what he did to them, it is speculated that he used at least one of the Unforgivable Curses on them. Percival was sentenced to Azkaban prisan for life time by the Wizengamot, after he refused to reveal his reason for his attack, shielding his young daughter. Ariana probably would have been sent to St. Mungo’s if her situation had been discovered. Percival died in Azkaban after only very short time.

The wizarding community in Mould-in-the-Wold believed Percival to have attacked the muggle boys out of hatred or at least dislike for muggles. The witches and wizards looked accusingly and with disdain at Kendra Dumbledore and her three children, causing Kendra to move her young family to the wizarding village of Godric’s Hollow. Kendra shut out the whole neighbourhood there, with the only exception of Bathilda Bagshot. Kendra preferred to be left alone, and her two sons learned not to mention their young sister in public.

By the end of the same year, 1892, Albus came to Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor House. He made friends with Elphias Dodge, who, just like Albus, was an outcast at school: Elphias because of suffering of Dragon Pox at that time, Albus because of his father. Students at Hogwarts expected him to be a muggle hater, just like his father. Some even came up to him and praised Percival’s actions, hoping to make friends with Albus. Albus, however, held no prejudices against muggles or muggleborns. At the end of Albus’ first year at Hogwarts, it was clear to everyone what an intelligent, kind boy Albus was, willing to look past the surface and find inner beauty in people.

Throughout his Hogwarts years, Albus made notable friends (Nicolas Flamel being one of them. He was respected for his talent at charms and Transfiguration, and some of his papers were published during his studies. He won the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell Casting, became the British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, and received other prizes and honours in his young years. Albus was made Prefect in his fifth year, and Head Boy in his seventh. People consider him to be the most brilliant student ever to have attended Hogwarts.

After graduating, Albus had planned a Grand Tour together with his friend Elias Dodge, to travel around the whole world. However, his mother Kendra Dumbledore was killed in one of Ariana’s magical outbursts, making Albus head of the family and in care of Ariana. He had to cancel the tour. Instead, he returned to Godric’s Hollow, deeply resenting his situation. He felt trapped, wasting his intellect and talent. It was during that time or desperation that Albus met Gellert Grindelwald, who travelled through Godric’s Hollow to research on the Deathly Hallows. Albus believed Grindelwald to be his perfect counterpart: Just as talented and brilliant. Grindelwald told Albus about his ideas of wizard domination over the muggles, fascinating the teenager. Albus thought this, Grindelwald, and Grindelwald’s ideology to be his big chance to get away from Godric’s Hollow and his dull task of watching Ariana each day. Albus also let himself fall in love with Grindelwald – regretting this relationship later on.

Albus neglected Ariana, to instead spend his time with Grindelwald. After two months, Aberforth, Albus’ brother, confronted him about his neglect, triggering a duel: Grindelwald had used the Cruciatus curse on Aberforth, causing Dumbledore to protect and fight on his brother’s side, against his lover. As the three teenagers duelled, Ariana herself tried to make the fight stop, but failed. Instead, in the chaos, she was hit by a curse and died. No one of the three boys knows who had cast this certain curse, and Grindelwald fled immediately, leaving both Albus and Aberforth in a devastated state.

In Albus’ desperation and fear that he himself might have – unwillingly – caused Ariana’s death, he returned to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as Transfiguration Professor. Although he was offered the position of Minister of Magic several times, he declined each time. He had a good reason for that: Learning from the effect Grindelwald and Grindelwald’s ideas had on him, he now knew what awful effect power could have on him. Dumbledore prefered to stay teacher – an occupation he loved passionately – now knowing very well that his greatest weakness was his desire for power. Albus also recruited students for Hogwarts – and so, about fourty years after beginning his teaching career at Hogwarts, recruited a young orphaned student named Tom Riddle.

In the meantime, Grindelwald had built up an army, and terrorized whole Europe with the one Deathly Hallow that he had found: The Elder Wand. Albus knew that he had the power to face and defeat Grindelwald – but he did not dare do so, out of fear Grindelwald could reveal to him who had sent the deadly curse at Ariana. Only in 1945 had Albus gathered all his courage not to look away from the terror regime Grindelwald had built up around him, and faced his former lover. It was what people called the greatest duel of all times, legendary. Albus defeated Grindelwald, imprisoned him in Nurmengard – and so brought the Elder Wand into his own possession.

Albus never trusted his student Tom Riddle, the boy he himself had recruited for Hogwarts. He mistrusted Riddle. Already after their first encounter, Albus was aware of Riddle’s „obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination“. Throughout Riddle’s years at Hogwarts, Albus kept a close eye on him. As Albus was not as easily charmed by Riddle, Riddle came to despice and fear him.

In 1943, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, several muggleborn students were petrified by an unknown beast, and finally one student, Myrtle, killed. Albus suspected Riddle to be behind those attacks, but had no proof. The school was about to be closed when Riddle presented Rubeus Hagrid as evil maniac, who had let his pet Aragog attack students. Hagrid was expelled – but with the help of Albus, Hagrid was allowed to stay at Hogwarts, becoming the groundskeeper-in-training. Albus never was able to proof Riddle’s guilt in the attacks, whereas Riddle could convince the staff of Hagrid’s most obvious guilt instead.

Albus became Headmaster of Hogwarts around the year 1956, when Armando Dippet left the post. Again, Dumbledore was offered the position of Minister of Magic, which he again turned down.

Albus keeps track on all his students, even after their time at Hogwarts. Same with Tom Riddle, who had gone into the underground and stepped forth again ten years later, as Lord Voldemort. Many people never realized the connection between Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort – but Dumbledore was able to see right through this mask. When Lord Voldemort came to Hogwarts – and Albus let him enter the grounds and castle – to apply forthe post of professor of Defence against the Dark Arts, Albus turned him down, knowing much of Tom’s activities throughout the past years. This led to Lord Voldemort cursing the position of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, so that no teacher would be able to hold this position for longer than one school year.

In 1970, after Lord Voldemort’s first rise to power, Albus founded the Order of the Phoenix, named after Albus’ phoenix Fawkes, whom he had tamed himself. The Order of the Phoenix was a secret organization of witches and wizards ready to fight Voldemort and his supporters, the Death Eaters. As only wizard Voldemort had ever feared, Albus was considered the perfect leader of such an opposing organization, and was the significant counterpart of Voldemort.

When Remus Lupin entered Hogwarts in 1971, being in the condition of being a werewolf and having to go through a painful transformation each month, Albus let him attend Hogwarts without as much as a frown. As precaution, Albus built the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade, a house without any doors to enter, where Remus should enter on fullmoon nights, through a secret passageway, that led from the guardian tree, the Whomping Willow, all the way down to the Shrieking Shack. Remus’ condition was to be kept a secret.

Character Traits

Personality:
Albus Dumbledore has a highly complex personality. I will therefore divide the description of his character into several points, which are important to him:

• Love: Albus’ most important character trait is the love he carries for his fellows, for each one of his students, his colleagues, and for all other people he meets and gets to know. He has a wonderfully big heart in which each and everyone can find a place. He is able to fully trust other people, seeing their best side, trusting in their goodness and in the power of their human spirit. Albus also is very forgiving, he’d forgive anything, any fault or any wrong deed, no matter how severe, if he sees that the person is honest and truly means his seeking forgiveness. To Albus, love is the greatest, the most powerful magic of them all – love in all forms: friendship, trust, romantic love, love found in a family.
  
• Knowledge of human nature: Albus’ ablility to understand people is of great value here. His eyes are said to be piercing, piercing right through a person’s soul. Albus is able to understand how another person works, what is important to this other person, which weaknesses and strengths this person possesses, what this person is capable of. But it’s not only the ability to know and tell a human’s nature – Albus is sensible enough to acknowledge both the good and the bad sides in a person. But Albus carries the deep belief that in the end, the good side always wins over the bad side, in a person. That people want to be good, want to do good deeds, always.
  
• Philosophy: This leads us to the point of a philosophy Albus stands up for and acts after, at all times: Let’s wait and see if a person can work a difficulty out on his or her own. Let’s see if he or she can solve their problems on their own. Let’s offer our help, but not pressure them to accept it. Only at the very last minute, only at the moment when it become clear that the person is unable to manage on their own, only then is the time to intervene and help the person to do the right thing, to choose the right side. Albus believes that people want to do the right thing, and just need to be shown the way to do so sometimes.
  
• Wisdom: Albus’s wisdom is both to him, a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, his wisdom and his foresight had brought him so far, had earned him the respect of so many people, and the fear of some others. It had given him the power to overthrow and finally defeat his lover of long lost days, Grindelwald. It had made him stand by his principles at all times, never wavering. And yet, where Albus is now, a headmaster of so many titles, wished to be Minister of Magic by so many – Albuy stands alone there. Albus’ wisdom has isolated him from all other people. He has no equal, no true confidant, no partner. The only man he had ever thought of as equal was Grindelwald, and had misused his trust and love, or rather had been unworthy of it.
  Albus had tought himself most of his knowledge himself. He is very easily fascinated of the most different topics – be it sweet, Quidditch, the war, or the mysteries of Ancient Runes. Albus reads much, he sucks up the content of books like a thirsty sponge. He is very well aware of how powerful all this self-taught knowledge had made him, how talented he is, and that there aren’t many wizards with abilities and talents such as his. Yet, Albus is never arrogant, self-important or pompous.
  
• Humor: Being so isolated had caused Albus to develop a certain kind of humor. Often this would be seen as entirely inappropriate, or strange and out of place. But for Albus, his humor serves a certain purpose: To make situations more comfortable. To include people and get them closer to him. His humor allows him to appear not as the wise, the grand headmaster, superior to others, but all to the contrary as just any other wizard, as an equal to the other people present.
  
• Composure: Albus appears, at all times, as calm and composed. He appears as wise, knowing exactly how to handle any situation, knowing what best to do, always keeping the overview, neutral and calculating. Although Albus can love unconditionally, he never loses sight of the entire situation, like in a chess game. He always thinks of the best for the entirety. He is the ever content. Only on very rare occasions Albus becomes angry or fearful – he is a very dangerous man then, fighting like a lion.
  
• Fear: Albus’ greatest fear is the fear of power. More explicitly, the fear of his own desire for power. Through Grindelwald, Dumbledore had learned a very important lesson already in his youth: That even if he wants to use power only for good – power is best used by those who do not desire to have it, for they can reasonably handle power. Power made Albus forget the reality, he lost his sensitivity and understanding, and he forgot his principles that were so essential to him. With Grindelwald, Dumbledore concentrated all his love entirely on Grindelwald, and forgot all other persons he cared for. Power does not bring out his best side, he realized. That is the reason why Albus again and again refuses to take the position as Minister of Magic.
  
• Family: Albus cares for his family, and always cared. It grieves him much that his family had broken apart. He feels great sorrow for the pain in his family – and partly feels responsible for causing so much pain by befriending and loving Grindelwald, which indirectly caused Arianna’s death and Aberforth’s turning his back on Albus. Even now, over eighty years after Arianna’s tragic death, Albus and Aberforth have not returned to their previous relationship. Albus believes Aberforth to be a better person than him, and believes that his brother blames him – correctly – for the death of their sister. This belief broke Albus’ heart.
  
• Professor: Albus’ greatest passion is for teaching and studying. He enjoys being a professor, teaching students, see them develop into marvellous young adults. There is no greater joy in the world for him.
  
• Sweet tooth: Albus is particularly fond of sweets of any kind, muggle or magical. The candy he most enjoys is the muggle sherbert lemon. Albus likes Bertie Bott’s beans of every flavour a little less, once having tasted a vomit flavoured bean in his youth.
  

Strengths:

• Love
  
• Friendship
  
• Trust in the goodness of people
  
• Patronus messaging – Albus invented a method of sending messages via Patronus, he taught this skill to the Order of the Phoenix;
  
• Invisibility – Albus has the ability to render himself invisible without the use of an Invisibility Cloak;
  
• Occlumency and Legilimency – Albus has perfected his skills;
  
• Non-verbal Magic – Albus is able to produce magic without a wand;
  
• Fire Magic – Albus perfected fire to be his most favoured weapon. He can conjure it without a wand, and command it;
  
• Charms and Transfigurations – those two subjects Albus was strongest at during his time at Hogwarts;
  

Weaknesses:

• Fear of his own desire of power
  
• Memory of his sister Arianna
  
• Not knowing who truly had killed Arianna – Albus blames himself for her death.
  
• Never reastablishing the relationship to his brother Aberforth
  
• Love – Albus never would willingly let anyone he loves, trusts and he knows is innocent and has a true heart be hurt
  
• His belief in the goodness of people
  

Other Information

Pets:
Fawkes the Phoenix. Dumbledore tamed him himself.

Wand:
The Elder Wand, 15“, Thestral Tail Hair core