Dumbledore Survives! Was Albus Dumbledore and LONG

[msbeadsley]

No: HPFGUIDX 80440

Robert Jones wrote:
> I hate to be a downer, but I think DD will die in Book 7 before the 
> final battle.  He has to survive through Book 6 to have his talk at 
> the end with Harry, but JKR made him appear older in OOTP.  And 
> when the final showdown between Harry and LV occurs, Harry has to 
> go up against LV alone (hopefully with Godric Gryffindor's sword, 
> because, well, I like swords).  For Harry to be a real hero, he 
> can't have DD around as a safety net.

So, in LOTR, since Gandalf was still around after the defeat of 
Sauron, Frodo wasn't a "real hero"?

(I agree that JKR made Dumbledore seem older in OoP.  But, IIRC, she 
has included at least one mention of his age/tiredness in *every* 
book after PS/SS.)

There are a number of ways I can think of to have both hero!Harry and 
survivor!Dumbledore and I shall enumerate them here, dealing once and 
for all with all the nihilists out there who seem to want a higher 
body count <kidding!>:

Dumbledore is critically injured and not certain to survive when the 
final battle occurs.  Ways this could happen are thus:
--Fawkes will die and we find Dumbledore had a near-vital bond with 
the bird (as Voldemort may have with Nagini), making him helpless as 
he recovers from the loss.
--Dumbledore may be betrayed by someone he trusts and turns his back 
on at the wrong time, making a long stay in St. Mungo's necessary.
--Dumbledore may come so close to death that everyone thinks he is 
dead; he could be saved by Fawke's magic, a one-time use only ability 
which destroy Fawkes (and could make Harry and Voldemort's wands no 
longer effective--nah).  Harry may know only that Dumbledore 
is "killed," not that Fawkes saves him.

Dumbledore knows that the prophesy does not include *him*.  He may 
trade his ability to be available for Harry during the final battle 
if he sees a way to get great earlier gains for it in the overall 
war, as follows:
--Dumbledore may succumb to using an unforgivable curse in battle or 
under some other extreme conditions and allow himself to "come along 
quietly" to Azkaban, where he will remain until after the  final 
battle. (But only if Fudge remains Minister of Magic.)
--Dumbledore may age so very much more (possibly due to treachery) in 
Book 6 that he and Harry both know he can be no more fighting help to 
Harry; or Harry may have to put his foot down in Book 7 and tell 
him, "I can't be worrying about you and conquering Voldemort at the 
same time!  Go warm your feet by the fire and stay out of the way!  
(Aside: Sit on him, Dobby!)  I want to give you socks for Christmas 
and have you say the service at my wedding!" (for all you shippers)
--Dumbledore may trade himself under an agreement of non-resistance 
to the DE for a group of hostages (just where *is* Penelope 
Clearwater these days?) and spend the time until after VM and the DE 
are vanquished as a prisoner/hostage; he could end up like the 
Longbottoms.  (Oh, wait, a higher body count *is* better.)
--Dumbledore may trade himself as hostage for an opportunity for 
Harry to escape certain death.  (Harry may have to make the same 
decision that Dumbledore may have made:  *no one* is indispensable.  
Dumbledore could then escape as/just after Harry brings down 
Voldemort.)
 
Dumbledore is missing and presumed dead, only to return after the 
final battle is over, which could happen thus:
--Aberforth "doubles" for his brother in order to give Albus the 
upper hand via the element of surprise.  Aberforth is killed but 
Albus survives; no one else knows of the switch.  Dumbledore may even 
deliberately let Harry think he is dead if he thinks that is what 
Harry needs to believe.
--Dumbledore leads a force against an opposing force of dark wizards 
we haven't seen yet: Durmstrang parents/graduates, meeting them 
halfway between Durmstrang and Hogwarts, and mops them up only in 
time to join the final post-Voldie-go-boom celebration.

Dumbledore is forced to remain passive because a magic "bomb" has 
been wired to go off under Hogwarts sometime in Harry's final year if 
Dumbledore uses more than a minimum of magic, anyone tampers with it, 
or any significant number of students leave the grounds.  (Filch 
helped the terrorists plant it; he just hasn't been the same since 
the centaurs roughed up his crush, Dolores Jane.)

I could go on.  JKR is nothing if not full of surprises.  If she 
wants Dumbledore to come out of this okay and can write it that way 
without sacrificing (there's that word again) narrative tension and 
integrity, I think she will.  She doesn't seem to me to be nearly as 
bloody-minded as many of her fans.

Sandy, aka "msbeadsley"