FLOOZY No.I - The Dumbledore Papers

[B Arrowsmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 65696

Relaxing last night in front of a cheerful fire ( these twentieth 
century philosophers make a lovely blaze! ), when the flames turned 
green and a hand clutching a document thrust forward.
"Take this!" commanded a voice, "Get it published and I'll get you some 
more!"
"Who are you?" I asked,
"Call me........Floozy."
With that the hand vanished, the flames turned red and nothing remained 
but the parchment on the hearth and a faint scent of stale hair lotion.
I read.
The voice was right. You need to see this.

Kneasy.



THE POTTER PROJECT

Performance Review and Evaluation of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian 
Dumbledore.


Preamble.

Dumbledore's qualifications and experience are unimpeachable. In 
addition to the superb wizarding skills expected from some-one of his 
reputation, he can offer the following specialities:-

Invisibility          ( without the use of artificial aids such as 
cloaks )
Omniscience    ( at least within the confines of Hogwarts )
Legilimancy
Transfiguration  ( at the most advanced levels ever seen by experienced 
observers )

The Partners have been cognisant of Dumbledore for many years, but he 
first came to the attention of a wider public with his successful 
conclusion of the Grindelwald Affair.
He has been closely involved in the conflict with Voldemort and his 
followers since soon after their appearance, being responsible for the 
formation of the Phoenix Organisation as a counter-force. It was he who 
brought  the prediction of S. Trelawney to our  attention and alerted 
us to the need for what became The Potter Project.

Dumbledore was co-opted into the Project at an early stage; he 
volunteered to provide protection and guidance for the Subject. This 
report reviews and evaluates his progress to date in fulfilling these 
responsibilities.


1. Pre-Hogwarts Phase.

The unfortunate events at Godrics Hollow cannot be directly attributed 
to errors by Dumbledore, though he was undoubtedly remiss in allowing 
his Organisation to be penetrated by a double agent. The risks to J. & 
L. Potter were significant given the prophecy and their membership of 
Phoenix. It is just possible that Dumbledore did not have the 
opportunity to use his Legilimancy skills on Pettigrew in the critical 
period, but it is still disappointing. However, he immediately arranged 
the transfer of the Subject to a safe environment ( the Dursley 
household ) and arranged for a watch to be kept over the boy by trusted 
associates who co-operated in deliberately ( and successfully ) keeping 
Potter in ignorance of his antecedents until of age for entry into 
Hogwarts.

Evaluation:  Acceptable - just.


2. The Stone Fiasco.

In addition to guarding the Subject, Dumbledore was also involved in 
the wider watch against Voldemorts return. He had taken into 
safe-keeping Mr Flamels Stone. Justifiably feeling that Gringotts Bank 
was no longer secure he effected its transfer to Hogwarts, presumably 
to ensure a more certain protection.

His own precautions proved to be just as lax,  there being not just 
one, but two penetrations of his security systems.

The first, by an adult wizard under the control and/or possession of 
Voldemort and employed by Dumbledore as the DADA teacher, brings into 
question, once again,  his Legilimancy skills.

The second, by three eleven year old untrained students, beggars 
belief. More so since one of the three was Potter, on whom he was 
supposedly keeping a watchful eye. Where was the much vaunted 
omniscience?

The Stone was an important artifact and of great value to Voldemort. 
Aware of its presence in Hogwarts, he naturally made every effort to 
acquire it. Gaining possession of the Stone had priority, the 
destruction or neutralisation of Potter a secondary but still desirable 
objective. This was fortunate; it was only the impatient eagerness of 
his servant to lay hands on the Stone that saved the situation. A 
wizard would normally have used spells to obtain the Stone from Potter. 
"Accio Stone!", "Imperio!" or even "Stupify!" - any of these and the 
Stone would have been lost. But while Quirrell was possessed by 
Voldemort, physical force could not work on the Subject.

Meanwhile, in total ignorance of this crisis, Dumbledore had allowed 
himself to become distracted by a fake message and was not in any 
position to have any effect on the outcome. There have been some muted 
suggestions that the intention of the whole episode was to 'Steepen 
Potters learning curve'. This is to Our mind, facile. The entire event 
demonstrates a carelessness bordering on culpability.

Evaluation:  Totally Unacceptable.


3. The Riddle Incident.

Despite the ease with which a manifestation of Voldemort had been able 
to penetrate Hogwarts,       (see above), few lessons seemed to have 
been learned. Dumbledore is once again outflanked by Voldemort in the 
guise of a  Tom Riddle construct transported into the school by an 
innocent student. The mental possession of this student and the events 
dependent upon this indicate a lamentable  lack of diligence. Key clues 
were missed, deductions were not made. When the situation deteriorated 
to such an extent that staff and students were approaching panic, 
Dumbledore presented an attitude of masterly inactivity. This resulted 
in the unjust incarceration of the CoMC teacher and culminated in his 
own removal from office. At least, he had the wit to install Fawkes, ( 
his  phoenix ), as a stop-gap emergency aide and to drop hints to 
Potter on how to access this help option if required.

Unfortunately, by doing so he encouraged Potter to place himself in 
extreme peril, pitted against overwhelmingly powerful opponents with 
little help and few resources - the very situation that Dumbledore was 
supposed to prevent.

A combination of fortuitous circumstances ( a broken wand, the creature 
being in a state of rest, Riddle wasting time gloating ), plus a lucky 
guess ( poison fang would destroy construct ), allowed Potter to 
survive the encounter.

The action, or more accurately, inaction of Dumbledore throughout this 
episode is most worrying. He exhibits an air of unjustified optimism 
that We cannot understand. If the Project were not so far advanced We 
would seriously consider recommending a replacement.

Evaluation:  Most Unsatisfactory.


4. Black and the Dementors

The persistence and eventual success of Black in not only evading 
Hogwarts security barriers but also Dementors searching specifically 
for him would be admirable in other circumstances. Indeed, it is only 
because of his presence that Pettigrew/Wormtail/Scabbers was unmasked. 
Conversely, there is a faction that argues that this unmasking and 
subsequent escape of Pettigrew led directly to the resurrection of 
Voldemort.

We cannot dispute that Black had a justifiable grievance and that while 
in the circumstances his actions were understandable, they did result 
in a Dementor attack on the Subject. This was the second such attack. ( 
Although Dementors were forbidden entry to the school grounds a 
previous  incursion had been made in daylight at a Quidditch match and 
seemingly directed at Potter. This apparent singling out of the Subject 
from a large crowd should have been investigated. It is an anomaly that 
requires explanation. )

Despite this, no extra restraints or safeguards were emplaced. The 
voluntary extracurricular tuition by the DADA teacher was crucial in 
enabling the Subject to survive the second attack. We have to assume, 
although there is no evidence, that Dumbledore knew of and approved of 
this tuition - otherwise his encouragement of Potter and Grainger to 
make use of the Timeturner would have been terminal for The Project.
( Note: Why didn't Dumbledore take the Timeturner and go back himself? 
How could he have been so sure that Potter, an absolute novice, would 
succeed?)

It should be noted that when Black was still considered to be a danger 
to the Subject, Dumbledore was remiss in failing to recall that the 
Shrieking Shack had been a safe refuge for WMPP - indeed, it had been 
Dumbledore who first suggested it to them. He was also aware of the 
passageway under the Womping Willow, but again 'failed' to remember. 
This  is difficult to accept.

We are unable to decide if the eventual success of The Project has been 
compromised by this omission. Would it have been more desirable for an 
innocent Black to be returned to Azkaban if it meant that the 
resurrection of Voldemort was significantly delayed or even permanently 
avoided?

There is no doubt that this incident showed that there were still 
serious faults in Hogwarts security. Dumbledore rescued the situation 
by his suggestion to use the Timeturner. Even so, it was a risky gamble.

Evaluation:  Poor.


5. The Triwizard Tournament.

Yet again a hostile agent managed to penetrate Hogwarts and insinuate 
himself onto the teaching staff. After the disturbing events at the 
World Cup the most stringent checks and precautions should have been 
taken.

Admittedly, the disguise was inspired, the attack audacious and well 
executed. But all credentials,  bona fides and identities should have 
been re-evaluated after the Name Drawing. The presence of 
representatives from two further schools multiplied the possible 
suspects, but Dumbledore made no searching or persistent effort to 
determine why Potter had been covertly entered and fraudulently chosen 
to compete. For once, We wish that Dumbledore did not have such a 
reputation for honesty. Quick thinking and mendacity could have avoided 
many problems if, when the 4th slip emerged from the Cup, he had named 
it as, say, Draco Malfoy.

The shortcomings mentioned above resulted in the death of an innocent, 
the temporary abduction and attempted murder of the Subject, and the 
re-birth of Voldemort. Once again sheer luck saved Potter and allowed 
him to return bringing information that few wanted to believe.

It was  only at this point that Dumbledore realised how he had been 
duped and identified the culprit. This was much too late to undo the 
damage inflicted by Crouch. We find it difficult to believe that 
Dumbledore had no suspicions about "Moody". They are old friends who 
worked together in the Phoenix Organisation. Even if the physical 
disguise was perfect and even with the genuine Moody handy for 
information, even the most casual conversations between such long 
established friends in the course of the school year would expose 
revealing gaps in the Crouch/Moody knowledge and memory.

Even the unmasking was only a partial success; lack of foresight 
resulted in the loss of a valuable witness and source of information  
and a consequent lack of credibility in the eyes of those who, 
particularly at the Ministry, did not wish their comfortable lives to 
be disrupted. ( Note: Crouch may have had further accomplices. See Memo 
- Bagman: A cause for concern.)

Only the escape of Potter prevented this from being total disaster. 
Dumbledore was incompetent throughout.

Evaluation:  Most Unsatisfactory.


6. Dementors and the Ministry.

Once again We have to report that the Subject has been exposed to 
extreme danger.

It could not have been anticipated that a MoM employee would target 
Potter with Dementors. Dumbledore's pre-occupation with reforming the 
Phoenix Organisation meant that with the increased risk to The Project 
with the return of Voldemort, there was a lack of competent wizards and 
  he was reduced to relying on poor quality support staff. The Subject's 
use of defensive magic allowed Ministry vindictiveness an opportunity. 
Dumbledore successfully deflected this, quickly and decisively, though 
he would have done well to remember that bureaucratic organisations do 
not take kindly to defeat and being made to look foolish and invariably 
seek revenge; their petty spitefulness causing the serious disruption 
seen later at Hogwarts.

He should also, as a schoolmaster of many years experience, have 
foreseen the likely reaction of the Subject to unwelcome instructions 
given without explanation. Expecting an unsupervised teenager to 
co-operate fully was not realistic. This failure in communication and 
lack of firm guidance resulted in Potter yet again rushing into a 
situation unprepared and with no appreciation of the dangers he faced. 
This near disaster should never have been allowed to develop.

Dumbledore's rescue mission was timely for Potter and his friends but 
came too late to prevent the single fatality that occurred. The 
identity of the casualty ( Black ) is likely to engender more distrust 
and rebellion by Potter in the future. The wisdom in disclosing to the 
Subject of the contents of the prophecy is questionable. Intimating to 
Potter that he may be just the fellow to remove Voldemort will 
certainly not be conducive to his future health and well-being.
(  Note: Dumbledore is renowned for not lying. He is also renowned for 
not telling the entire truth. We have not been able to confirm that he 
repeated the prophecy verbatim.)


Evaluation:  Poor.


Conclusion.

We are at a loss to comprehend the level of ineptitude and lack of 
judgement shown by such an experienced  and powerful wizard as 
Dumbledore undoubtedly is. His avowed intention is to protect the 
Subject, but because of his grievous errors, unbelievable oversights 
and careless neglect, Potter stumbles from one dangerous crisis to 
another without check or restraint. We are starting to wonder if 
Dumbledore is really trying to achieve the same aims as Us. The Subject 
could hardly be at higher risk if he were staked out as bait or if he 
were being given the cosmetic protection appropriate for a decoy.

Overall Evaluation:  Unsatisfactory.

Given this low rating, it is possible that a Senior Partner may give 
Dumbledore very close attention in the near future.

Signed,

Clotho, Achesis & Atropos,

Senior Partners,
Vita Brevis Ltd.