Dumbledore

[Hannah]

No: HPFGUIDX 116484


> > I believe DD knows a LOT more than we believe, he seems to know 
> > everything that happens in Hogwarts, even before things happen. 
I read somewhere that it could be because frog-cards, and Bill did 
say  that DD didn't care if they fired him as long as they kept him 
on the  frog-cards. How else could he have known when in PS Harry 
was spending his evenings at the mirror of Erised, and that Harry 
would  be in that final encounter with LV/Quirell? I have no idea 
how DD knows the future, but I'm sure he does know what's about to 
happen.
> 
Christopher wrote:
> Well, there's always everybody's favourite, the Time-Turner! 
<snip>
 Who's to say that he doesn't use one to monitor his school?
> <snip>
 Hence, I see it as entirely possible that
> one of the myriad and sundry photograph inhabitants would be able 
to keep Dumbledore -- or anyone else for that matter -- fully 
apprised of any usual or unusual goings-on.
> 
> Further, there's also Fawkes. That phoenix really gets around, and
> fast. I suspect that we haven't seen all that Fawkes can do.
> 
> And then there's also the possibility that Dumbledore himself has 
some intrinsic ability of which we're not aware. Perhaps he has some 
sort of ability to perceive the future? 

Hannah: 
The problem with Dumbledore and what he knows is that there is so 
much contradiction.  Plenty of comments make him sound practically 
omniscient.  But there are LOTS of things that happen that he 
doesn't appear to know about - the Marauders as animagi, Black's 
whereabouts and the truth about him and Peter, Ginny as the 'heir' 
and the nature of the basilisk, Quirrel with LV under his turban, 
Moody being Crouch in disguise... etc.  

This brings us to one of two conclusions, depending on our personal 
feelings about DD.  Either he genuinely *didn't* know these things, 
which really calls into question his 'omniscience,' and his 
capability in general.  Or he *did* know at least some of these 
things, which begs the uncomfortable question of why he didn't act 
on the knowledge.  

Time travel enables us to explain Dumbledore's apparent omniscience 
in some matters - when he becomes aware of an issue, he goes back in 
time to salvage what he can.  A favourite example would be GH - if 
he travelled back in order to get Hagrid to take Harry, it's a less 
disturbing thought than the alternative (he knew what was going to 
happen beforehand, and didn't try to stop it).  

But when you take into account what Dumbledore does and doesn't 
know, however he's getting his information, it all points to him 
hiding things and the whole 'puppetmaster' theory.  There are just 
too many discrepancies between his deep insight in some matters, and 
his utter ignorance in others.

Hannah