Of Caves and Tarot Cards

[ahsonazmat]

No: HPFGUIDX 135335


> Ladyljd:
> > What exactly was Dumbledore going through during and 
> > after drinking that potion?  Is he reliving his past?  Seeing 
the 
> > future?  Lost in a morbid fantasy?  
 
> Jen: 
>I think he was reliving the worst moments of his life, his 
> fears and mistakes. Based on some of the things he said e.g. "It's 
> all my fault...Please make it stop, I know I did wrong" and "Don't 
> hurt them....please...it's my fault, hurt me instead." (US, chap. 
> 26, p. 572).
> Also, JKR said in her interview to read Book 6 carefully if we 
want 
> to know Dumbledore's boggart. Well, there it is. His biggest fear 
> was making mistakes which led to other people being hurt, tortured 
> or killed. So the potion must magnify a person's greatest fears 
>and guilts, sort of like an extreme dementor attack, then also 
render a 
> person incapable of doing magic to defend against it. It's a 
> horrible thought.


      This reminds me of what JKR said in her interview, about how 
Dumbledore, in his unequalled intellignece, power, and wisdom, was 
really very alone. I sort of pity him: being the most powerful, he 
is constantly called upon, for advice, for comfort, for counsel, for 
example, for leadership. He always has to be the one who knows what 
to do, when to do it, etc. I guess that's the baggage that comes 
with being the most powerful wizard of the age, but it seems alot 
even for someone of that caliber. He is, after all, just human. It 
makes me thnk that Dumbledore is, in a way, anticipating death - as 
the beginning of a new journey, as respite against the pressures of 
being #1 all the time. He probably views it as a well-deserved peace 
and quiet, after years (heck, centuries) of toil and trouble. 
      What is more remarkable, further, is his ability in the midst 
of these staggering responsibilities to always put on a smile and a 
cheerful face, to appreciate small things in life such as lemon 
drops and chamber pots, to not get a big head and stay grounded. I 
think DD really is dead and gone for good, and JKR has done this not 
only because it makes perfect sense within the dual context of the 
plot and the progression of Harry's hero cycle, but also because she 
wants to make a point, outside the story, about war and life, and 
the losses necessary to get through it. Anyway, just some random 
thoughts.

        - AA