Why didn't Dumbledore bring backup? (Harry doesn't count)

[catherine higgins]

No: HPFGUIDX 149332


Michael wrote:
> Going to a secluded cave to retrieve/destroy one of Voldemort's 
> horcruxes seems to be a pretty dangerous task, even for 
> Dumbledore. Why didn't he consider bringing another OP member
> along? (maybe Snape?) Even if this person could not fit on the
> boat, it would have been the safe thing to do. Why wasn't Harry
> surprised or concerned that he would be acting as Dumbledore's 
> backup?


Catherine:
   
  The whole point of Harry going wiht him is that Harry knows about the horcruxes. The Order doesn't. As DD had said, he didn't tell anyone other than Harry about them, because he didn't think it safe for a whole bunch of people to know about them (in case the info got back to Voldemort). Inventory of who knows about them: Voldemort, DD, Slughorn, Harry, Ron and Hermione. The only person that could have been asked to help, other than Harry, would have been Slughorn. But as we saw from Ron getting poisened in his office, he doesn't stay calm in emergencies. Would he have been able to brew an antidote? Perhaps, but not under pressure.
   
  Catherine