Many sleepless nights

[Freud]

No: HPFGUIDX 124518


I've been reading some commentary by others who speculate that 
Dumbledore should not have left Harry in Petunias' care.    

I have a totally different take on it.  I don't believe Dumbledore 
had a choice.  I believe he acted as he did in order to save Harry  -
and also to save the world from what Harry might have become.     

Dumbledore is extremely compassionate and wise.  I'm sure he would 
not want anyone to suffer unless there was a good reason for it.  In 
Harrys' case I think he was left with an impossible situation where 
his back was against the wall.   

Dumbledore had just been through a horrible time where many good 
wizards had been brutally murdered and even he couldn't prevent it 
from happening.  Now a miracle had occurred but at a terrible cost.  
And Voldemort STILL wasn't dead.  

Dumbledore was one of the few people with the power to even defy 
Voldemort, and a heavy weight was on his shoulders. He was one of 
the people responsible for SAVING the world from Voldemort. 

Now here was a little babe who had just defeated Voldemort, but also 
inherited a large assortment of alarming powers, many of them 
duplicates of Voldemorts.  Not a good sign.  

And Dumbledore knew Voldemort would one day return.  He had to 
weigh the good of the world against the life of a child.  How
awful it must have been for him.  I would not have wanted to
be in his pointy shoes. 

I'm sure he had a nightmare vision of TWO Voldemorts in his head.  
He desperately wanted to save Harry, but he didn't want him to turn 
into a 2nd Voldemort.  What could he do?  There was no time.  In 
hours the entire Wizarding world would know what Harry had done.  
Everyone would want to use him.  Especially people like Lucius.    

Harry was just a small child but he would be worshipped by the 
wizards who despised Voldemort, he would be hunted by the 
deatheaters seeking revenge, he would be hunted by Voldemort 
himself, and there was no way to protect him except one. 

Dumbledore had to act quickly.  So he made a difficult choice.  
Probably one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do.  
But he did it to save the world.  And Harry too.  

He put Harry into a situation where he would have no status at all. 
Where his powers would not be discovered or developed.  Where Harry 
would be forced to experience what life is like without kindness or 
compassion.  Where he would be forced to work for his supper.  

Why?  Why would Dumbledore do this?  For humility!  More than 
anything else Harry needed humility - a quality that Voldemort 
sorely lacks.  

Now it is entirely possible that Harry might have had this quality 
anyway - but could Dumbledore take that chance?  He had just spent 
years and years tormented by his failure with Tom Riddle.  In his
heart of hearts I think Dumbledore feels responsible for being 
unable to prevent what Voldemort became. 

Dumbledore did not wish to leave Harry but he couldn't risk the 
alternative.  

I believe it was a choice that weighed most heavily on his soul.   
But something needed to be done to counter Harry's powers, and the 
possibility Harry might use those powers for evil.  

So he gave the baby up to a situation where he knew the boy would 
not be coddled.  And I'm sure there were many sleepless nights over 
his decision.  And Vernon and Petunia did their job.  They kept the 
boy alive.  But didn't do much more than that.  And Harry learned 
humility.  And he dreamed of being saved from his fate.   And 
learned compassion for others because he was a boy who needed 
compassion.  

And Dumbledore watched and waited to see what kind of boy Harry 
would turn out to be.  And I'm sure he longed to interfere a million 
times.  But he knew Harry had to learn it for himself.  

And finally when Dumbledore was convinced Harry had learned humility 
he brought him back into the Wizarding World.  

Can you imagine Harry raised without a conscience?

I love Dumbledore.  He sees the whole chess board - not just one 
piece.