Dumbledore has Edge

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No: HPFGUIDX 35642

A sideways step perhaps from the discussions a while back about 
Lupin's 'Edge'. I would like to suggest Dubledore also possesses 
something of this elusive quality. 

Perhaps I should here try to define what I understand by 'Edge' as 
applied to Lupin at least, since it may or may not match what others 
mean by it. I see it as something to do with the potential for 
menace or danger in a personality. Someone (sorry can't quite 
remember who) spoke of it as the feeling that Lupin could be mean to 
you but wouldn't. You know he won't harm you and can trust him 
absolutely (in human form of course) but the sense of his potential 
to be dangerous is there and seriously attractive. Again for me this 
is entirely to do with his human personality and nothing whatsoever 
to do with the unfortunate fact that he turns into a ravening wild 
beast at every full moon. It is his human side that can also be 
dangerous and that for me is the source of the 'lazy' comments that 
people have seen as evidence of a dark side to him (if that makes 
sense to you). However this quality is very different from the 
threat of violence from a real abuser. That is what makes it Edge 
and not terror or threat. From Lupin and the other Good Guys this 
Edge, for me, comes from their ability and willingness to use 
violence or power if need be but only reluctantly, in the service of 
Good and for motives that have some degree of justification. It is 
not violence for violence's sake as it is with Voldemort and the 
DEs. This sense of Edge from Lupin is why I am still convinced that 
he was on that train as a protecter for Harry and why I think 
Lupin's backstory would involve years of dangerous living on his 
wits, if not actually spying like Snape, at least being some kind of 
operator against the Dark. No canon evidence of course. Just my 
feeling.

Anyway to go back to Dumbledore, we know that he is a powerful 
Wizard and from book 1 learn that he has already played a major part 
in the last great war defeating the dark wizard Grindlewald etc. 
Quite apart from the hints about his role in relation to the 
conflict with Voldemort. Harry gets a glimpse of this power in the 
unveiling of Crouch Jr. scene in GoF. However there are also little 
moments in the earlier books that for me bring him into the category 
of someone with Edge. In particular his comment to Snape in PoA when 
Snape furiously asks if Dumbledore has forgotten that Sirius showed 
himself capable of murder at the age of 16. That 'My memory is as 
good as ever it was Severus.' struck me at the time as a very 
pleasantly spoken but very definite threat. It shuts Severus up as 
effectively as a blow. We know now something of what is behind it. 
In effect Dumbledore was saying 'And I remember all you showed 
yourself capable of - I remember your death eating days even if I 
also remember all you have done to redeem yourself since.' That is 
surely Edge.

Mercia