OoP - GUILTY Dumbledore (was Dumbledore's true sorrow motives)
talisman22457
talisman22457 at yahoo.com
Thu Jul 3 05:46:25 UTC 2003
No: HPFGUIDX 66983
--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "alexcukier" <acukier at u...>
reports having a "strange feeling. . .that Dumbledore is guilty
somehow."
Old Talisman, shaking the dust from her robes and wickedly dipping a
quillful of ink, responds (at Great Length):
Trust your instincts, Alex. In the complex ambivalence of
Rowlingdom, good intentions mix easily with dark deeds and Albus
Dumbledore drinks deeply of this guilty draught.
As to Dumbledore's specific Decoy!Harry/Chosen!Harry theories, the
entrails are not clear. What is clear is that Dumbledore is willing
to sacrifice Weapon!Harry in any way necessary to defeat Voldemort.
What's more, I say, is that Book Five is the Wizengamot in which
Dumbledore, for all his noble intentions, is found Guilty!--not only
of being a cold-hearted manipulator, and Guilty! of being a great
and harmful liar, but yes--Guilty! of Murder!
Evidence for the Prosecution:
(All cites from OoP unless otherwise noted)
I. The Nature Of Lies is an important theme that informs OoP,
probably worthy of a separate post, but consider some examples:
1.) Petunia lies about her bases for wizarding knowledge (31) her
knowledge of LV (37-8) and her reasons for keeping Harry (41). Are
these good or bad lies? Too early to tell.
2.) Ginny lies "unblushingly" about chucking dung bombs, and it's
charming. (75) We're liking her more already.
3.) Mrs. Figg lies--on the witness stand--about seeing the
dementors (144) and in so doing saves innocent Harry from the
corrupt Wizengamot.
4.) Harry tells the truth about LV, and is punished as a liar.
Umbridge's torturous method of etching "I must not lie" in Harry's
bloody skin points up the ironic and pivotal nature of this question
(267).
5.)Hermione lies to Umbridge about whom they are trying to contact
in the fire. (747) The lie saves Harry and the OoP, anything else
would have been traitorous.
6.) Dumbledore is the biggest liar of all.
Dumbledore has always been willing to lie, e.g. "It was only
when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might
not have been quite truthful." (SS 214)
But in OoP, the frustration we suffer, along with Harry, at
Dumbledore's persistent noncommunication, drives home the magnitude
of his lies by ommision. (Though Hedwig knows we've been aggravated
with his silence since book one.) The only question is: how often
does he lie overtly?
II. Let's agree that Dumbledore's lies are all in furtherance of
his "noble" plan. A plan, Dumbledore tells us, in which caring
about Harry is not permitted.(838) Protecting Harry's utility, yes.
Furthering Harry's personal happiness or dreams, no.
Group members have long observed that Dumbledore facilitates Harry's
confrontations with the Dark Lord. Harry recognised that himself
from the start:". . .instead of stopping us, he just taught us
enough to help." (SS 302)
Dumbledore is always there to make sure his Weapon!Harry isn't
destroyed (is he testing whether Harry is "the one," or honing
Chosen!Harry's skills?).
Nonetheless, these machinations are undertaken without consideration
for Harry's needs and preferences. Just part of a cold-
hearted, "noble," plan.
(Small rant here where I say that consigning Harry to 10 years of
child-abuse has more to do with Dumbledore's discomfort at being
around someone he is "using" than the fact LV might come back in 10
years. (835) In 10 years Harry is at Hogwarts and the "Petunia
pact" only protects him a few months or weeks out of the year.)
So, to recap, Dumbledore lies and manipulates to further his cold-
hearted plan, which always includes maneuvering Harry into/through
confrontations with LV.
No exception in OoP in which I believe Dumbledore orchestrates
Harry's conflict with LV, and effectuates Sirius's death.
Why Sirius's death you say? Because killing Sirius achieves 4-5 of
Dumbledore's goals:
1.) It Activates "the power the Dark Lord
knows not" (841), which in turn;
2.) Allows Dumbledore to further Verify that
Harry is the chosen one;
3.) It prepares Harry to receive the Prophecy
(sort of cocking Weapon!Harry);
4.) Harry's lasting love-grief becomes Voldemort-
Legilimency/Posession Repellent, thereby
ensuring Weapon!Harry's utility to "the
noble plan," and incidently;
5.) It gets rid of someone who does care
about Harry the person, and who would disobey
Dumbledore to further Harry's happiness.
The Evidence Continues:
III. Dumbledore admits Sirius's death is his fault. (825)
Dumbledore admits that by not warning Harry about the trick
that Dumbledore, himself, saw coming, he allowed Harry to fall for
it. (N.B. At the same time Dumbledore is busy warning experienced
adult wizards to beware LV's tricks so that they won't fall for them
(96).)
IV. Dumbledore is aware that Sirius's nature--brave, clever,
energetic--makes him unlikely to stay home when other's (esp. Harry)
are in danger. (825) Yet Dumbledore confines him to his miserable-
memory-laden childhood home.
Dumble dore does not contradict Harry when Harry points out how
Sirius hated being shut up, saying "that's why he wanted to get out
last night." (834)
In fact, if he's not faking, Dumbledore's icy facade appears to
crack here: guilt, guilt, guilt.
(Pan back to Sirius saying,"Personally I'd welcome. . .a deadly
struggle for my soul[, it] would have broken the monotony nicely."
(82)
Not only does Sirius hate confinement, and love Harry, but he does
suffer from Snapes taunts about uselessness and cowardice.
Dumbledore says not, but Dumbledore lies. (833) We see for ourselves
that Snape's taunting hurts Sirius deeply. Sirius and Snape draw
wands over it (518-20) and battle is only averted by Mr. Weasley's
arrival.
Dumbledore knows that Snape stopped giving Occlumency lessons, that
LV has been gaining more and more access to Harry's mind, and that
(just a lucky guess?) LV will bate Harry with Sirius.
Dumbledore knows as well that if Sirius is told that Harry has
stepped into LV's trap, nothing will stop Sirius from going to
Harry's rescue. For extra insurance, let's just have Snape tell him
to stay home, shall we? (830)
Indeed, let's look at Snape's behavior on the fatal night.
O.K. Snape understands from Harry's cryptic message that LV is
springing his trap.
Then Snape sees Harry go off into the forest. Snape doesn't see
Harry come out for awhile (how long??)
1) Contrary to what I've seen posted in the OoPFaq, Snape NEVER
searches the forest. Dumbledore merely "says" (if we can trust him)
that Snape "intended" to search for Harry. (830) And, he
only "intends" that after sending the OoP to the M.O.M.
Why would Snape assume Harry was at M.O.M.? Umbridge went
into the forest. Umbridge remained in the forest until Dumbledore
fetched her. Why wouldn't it be MUCH more likely that Harry was
being assailed by Umbridge/centaurs/giants/werewolves/spiders/etc.
when he didn't come out soon enough to suit Snape?
Snape has special ways of communicating with OoP members (830),
surely that includes Dumbledore? Why is Dumbledore just a little too
late arriving at Grimmauld Place? Just after Sirius left. (831)
How long did it take to interrogate Kreacher (assuming that was even
necessary)? Why is Dumbledore so tardy to the party?
No matter, he behaves badly enough when he arrives.
V. Dumbledore's guilty behavior at the M.O.M.
includes his late arrival (OoP been fighting for 5 pages).
But, he dashes down the steps to the floor of the Death Chamber, and
almost instantly neutralizes the Death Eaters. (805)
Oddly, "[o]nly one couple were still battling." (805) Bellatrix and
Sirius. Bellatrix misses (with what is apparently a stunning spell)
and then . . . JK drops to a new, one sentence paragraph, for the
crucial shot.
"The second jet of light hit him . . ."
The jet is the subject of the sentence.
The person who fired the shot, and the color of the jet, are
mysteriously missing from the sentence.
Sure Bellatrix had just finished a "first," shot. So had Dumbledore.
How about "the second jet aimed at him?" Maybe even magiked to look
like it came from Bellatrix's direction?
Again:
1. Dumbledore doesn't neutralize Bellatrix;
2. JK is coy about where jet came from.
You don't like it? Well try it another way.
VI. Let's say Dumbledore just takes advantage of what should have
been another stunning spell. Why does it take Sirius "an age" to
fall? (806) Is is just Harry's subjective view?
Harry sees Sirius hit and leaps down the steps (compare Neville
coming down 808) before Sirius, who is on the dais (804), falls
through he archway.(806) Remember how Dumbledore controlled Harry's
fall to the Quidditch field in PoA? hmmmm.
Moreover, Dumbledore is fast on the draw. (814) But he doesn't try
to shield/deflect Sirius from falling through the veil.
Dumbledore is right by the dais. Dumbledore doesn't offer comfort
to Harry.
1. Dumbledore doesn't neutralize Bellatrix;
2. JK is coy about where crucial jet came from;
3. If Sirius just stunned, does Dumbledore "float" him
through veil?;
4. Fast-draw Dumbledore doesn't try to save Sirius from
falling through veil;
5. Dumbledore doesn't comfort Harry.
VII Dumbledore is strangely inneffectual against Bellatrix, and
takes a long time to reveal himself in the M.O.M. lobby.
Harry has already been fighting Bellatrix for awhile, has clarified
that the prophecy is broken, and Voldemort, having Legilimened as
much from Harry, has appeared, before Dumbledore steps back in.
Another masterful manipulation.
Now Dumbledore can test his theory. Dumbledore nonchalantly spars
with LV. Then, just when Harry thinks LV is gone, Dumbledore orders
him to stay pinned under the statue guard, and
"[f]or the first time, Dumbledore sounded frightened." (815)
Why? Somehow (Legilimens?)Dumbledore knows LV is about to possess
Harry. Now he'll find out: 1) whether Harry can be used as a tool
of LV's; 2) whether Sirius was killed in vain.
The possesion is thwarted when Harry considers joining Sirius in
death, and "his heart fill[s] with emotion." (816)
*Here is the power the Dark Lord does not know. Activated
*Harry is a match for LV. Verification.
*Harry no longer cares about the petty, childish things of his
universe beore Sirius's death. He has further impetus for ending
VL's evil career: Preparation to receive the prophecy.
*Grieving Harry will be feeling the aching loss/love of Sirius for
years to come: LV can't stand to share those feelings:
Legilimens/Possession Reppellent.
*Sirius can't interfere with Dumbledore's "noble," heartless plan.
How does Dumbledore know what thwarted LV's possession of Harry?
(844) How does he know what was in Harry's heart when LV was
banished? How can he say: "It was your heart that saved you[?]"
Yet he knows immediately. (816) And thereafter, he looks at Harry,
speaks to Harry and allows Harry to remain in his company.
1. Dumbledore doesn't neutralize Bellatrix;
2. JK is coy about where crucial jet came from;
3. If Sirius just stunned, does Dumbledore "float" him
through veil?;
4. Fast-draw Dumbledore doesn't try to save Sirius from
falling through veil;
5. Dumbledore doesn't comfort Harry.
6. Dumbledore manages the LV scene in lobby;
7. Dumbledore knows LV going to possess Harry;
8. Dumbledore knows Sirius love/grief thought repels LV;
9. Dumbledore gets:
a. special power activation;
b. chosen one verification;
c. Prophecy preparation;
d. LV repellent;
e. no sirius interference.
Oh, yes. Sirius had to die.
The velvet curtain flies open and Talisman, eyes rolling, mouth
drooling, clawed hands thrashing, shrieks: DUMBLEDORE IS GUILTY!
GUILTY! GUILTY!
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