Dumbledore's role in Priori Incantatem

[ladjables]

No: HPFGUIDX 36678

Hi everyone,
Forgive me if this seems completely obvious/unlikely,
but I believe Dumbledore had a hand in Priori
Incantatem (PI).  

I've never considered Dumbledore omniscient, any more
than I would consider him oblivious.  But now Fawkes
is on my mind, or rather his tail-feathers are.  How
significant is it that two feathers from Dumbledore's
pet form the cores of Harry's and Voldemort's wands? 
I can't accept mere coincidence.

In GoF, after Harry explains what happened with the
wands, Sirius asks Dumbledore, "on whose face there is
an arrested look",(GoF, US Edition, p 697) why the
wands connected.  Dumbledore explains that when 2
wands share cores, they will not work properly against
each other.  In fact, if they're forced to duel, a
rare effect known as Priori Incantetem will take
place.  In sum, brother wands will not perform
normally (especially) in battle.  And yet, rare as PI
is, Dumbledore knows all about it.

PI is rare because brother wands are rare.  One could
say PI is rare because many wizards don't duel, but in
CoS Dumbledore approves dueling lessons at Hogwarts,
and Hermione comments that Flitwick was a dueling
champion in his day, which suggests competitions take
place. What about when wizards practice, or are
playing around?  Look at the hex-off on the train in
GoF, where everyone pulled wands on each other.  There
are ample opportunities to discover PI.  Also, the
dramatic impact of PI is weakened if there are other
wands that share cores hanging about.  Thematically,
the "cheating death" motif that binds Harry to
Voldemort would be lost if phoenix wands abound.  So a
rare event like PI should occur totally by chance, or
be prearranged.
 
Dumbledore takes two feathers from Fawkes, feathers
which symbolize the ability to cheat death, (thank
you, somebody who wrote that great post on what the
tailfeathers represent) and gives them to Ollivander. 
I am of course assuming JKR intended the phoenix
feathers to be imbued with this power, and as
Dumbledore is well acquainted with the regenerative
nature of phoenixes, he must be familiar also with the
properties of the feathers.  So someone who gets a
phoenix wand has the potential to escape death, and
this must make a phoenix wand (and its wielder) worth
keeping an eye on.  But what if this person's power is
evil?  How could he be counteracted?  It must be a
rare ability.  Unless someone else turns up with a
similar talent, one that would neutralize the former.

Dumbledore knew, when the two wands were eventually
bought, that the Reverse Spell Effect would be
possible.  If the wands were ever to duel, they would
prove ineffective as weapons.  If Dumbledore allowed a
dueling club at school, then I don't think he was
taking a stand against dueling!  And as kooky as
Hogwart's headmaster is, I think he would have cared
that PI was possible if these two wands ever met.  PI,
though rare, can't ever be a pleasant experience, even
if it's intensity depends on the types of wands and
spells used by the owners.  A spell-regurgitating wand
is just a plain nuisance.   

So Dumbledore withheld information, because he wanted
to make sure that the Reverse Spell Effect i.e. a
botched duel, WOULD be possible between the phoenix
wands.  After all, he had Ollivander notify him as
soon as Harry bought his own wand, but never mentioned
PI to Harry.  Note how he explained PI to Harry and
Sirius: he didn't recall some theoretical concept he
had just heard of.  The arrested look on his face
implies restraint: he checked his reaction because he
was guarding his response to Harry's story/Sirius'
query.  Then he carefully selected his words, trying
to decide how much to let on.  Yes, I got all that
from a look!  Don't make me mention a certain gleam of
triumph...

Trelawney's first prediction has been discussed many
times.  Let's toss it in.  Was this prediction a
projection of Priori Incantatem, or of the final
showdown, or just the identities of Voldemort and
Harry?  Dumbledore's instinct and experience fighting
dark wizards served him well.  He knew to take
Trelawney's prediction seriously, and I think it led
to his involvement with the wands.  

Say Trelawney predicted a dark wizard who had the
power to elude death could only be foiled by someone
with this ability.  Dumbledore is privy to this
information.  If the feathers were given together, and
Tom Riddle was able to pick the phoenix wand, long
before Voldemort even existed, then Dumbledore may
have had some foresight into the matter and planned
the duel between evil wizard and good wizard for over
50 years, at most.  Giving the two feathers innocently
seems too daffy even for Dumbledore.  After defeating
Grindelwald I don't think he would have rested on his
laurels, that's uncharacteristically lazy.  Would he
have owned Fawkes since then and not known: 
1)what a phoenix feather wand core would represent,
which should have been portentous?
2)about priori incantatem?

Alternatively, one feather could have been given first
for no special reason.  THEN Trelawney makes her
prediction.  Dumbledore realizes its import, and has
Fawkes' other feather delivered for use as a wand
core, requesting that Ollivander inform him as soon as
this wand is bought.  So Dumbledore still planned the
duel at least 15 years ago.  Or here's a variation: as
per Trelawney's prediction, the first wand was indeed
placed for a "Harry" to defeat the unidentified Dark
Wizard.  When Riddle chose it, Dumbledore observed
Riddle carefully.  He finally became aware of Riddle's
true nature, and so set out to even the odds!   

Creating not one, but two wands seems deliberate.  Not
apprising the owners of PI seems deliberate. 
Deliberate and secretive, that's Dumbledore all over. 
So, I'm speculating that Dumbledore anticipated and
set up Priori Incantatem.  He was definitely involved,
and I think Trelawney's first prediction was the key. 
Oh, he didn't know where and when PI would take place,
but he knew those two wands would clash someday, and
his motive was to give the good wizard a surviving
chance.  

Dumbledore is aiding and supporting Harry, like the
prototypical Merlin did for Arthur.  Did Harry really
just imagine hearing Dumbledore's voice through the
phoneix song during PI?  Fawkes is really Dumbledore's
link to Harry.  Like Merlin, Dumbledore knows what
omens to pay attention to, and with a nudge here, a
tweak there, he can help things fall into place. 
Which makes me curious as to what else Albus D. has up
his roomy robe sleeves.  

Ama, who wonders why no-one ever talks about
Dumbledore's arrested look...   


















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