looong - musings on Dumbledore - Even Longer

[James Lyon]

No: HPFGUIDX 158630

Let's start at the very beginning: Was I the only one who questioned Dumbledore's "goodness" when he placed a baby on a doorstep at night and simply turned his back and left? What did DD do to Harry that day? Some how the whole WW learned that Tom had been defeated and DD didn't drop off Harry until the night after the day of celebration.

Right away, my thought was "did JKR have him left on a doorstep  
because that is so "fairy tale" compliant or is she telling us  
something about DD?"

Then, we bounce to the month before Harry turns 11 and he is  
receiving mail addressed to "the cupboard under the stairs." Did no  
one notice that address? After several hundred letters had been sent out, did DD get off his bony ass and check up on Harry? No...he sends that lovable buffoon Hagrid to find him. No one bothers to introduce Harry to the WW world. No one bothers to tell him how to catch the train.

Does anyone notice any thing going on here? Is this the way the  
Champion of the Light treats a child?

Then, consider the most obvious grievance against DD--he allows a  
teacher to abuse and mind rape students (it seemed clear that Snape  
and DD feel no hesitation in casting legilimens on minors--all for  
the common good, of course). It is like he wants Slytherin house to  
be hated and at least a generation of students to be severely abused during their days of magical training. Does anyone look into what  
Draco does? Does anyone care? Obviously not, if you permit Snape to  
treat students the way he does.

IMO, there is no way to read canon and not feel that DD is either a  
bumbling incompetent or a very "bad" person.

He refuses to tell Harry anything he needs to know.

He refuses to train Harry to be able to face his fate.

He takes no interest in how his students are treated.

He expects Harry to act like an adult, while treating him like an  
imbecilic child, and excuses Snape and Draco for their childishness  
and cruelty.

He takes no interest in the quality of teaching since he permits  
Binns, Trewlaney, and Snape to stay on the payroll and can't be  
bothered to try to find a qualified DADA teacher.

Most of his time seems to be spent on non-headmaster duties.
He never follows up on anything:  

He permits Hagrid to be sent to Azkaban without trial, he does nothing to get Hagrid's record cleared and place the CoS fiasco and the death of Myrtle on Tom Riddle. 

He does nothing about a man being sent to Azkaban without trial, he does nothing to free said convict when he learns the man is innocent. 

He does nothing to be sure that the CoS has released all of its secrets, he does nothing to establish what is petrifying the students (I mean, how many things could petrify?) or taking any actions to actually protect them.

He allows dementors to attack Harry several times while on Hogwart's property or very close. He takes no action to determine who cursed Harry's broom.  He doesn't just destroy the philosopher's stone (but brings it into the school so all the students are placed at risk).  He doesn't call for an investigation into how Ginny got the diary. 

He places no extra protection on Harry when he gets entered into the Triwizard Tournament and allows Harry to stumble his way through (not even considering how someone can be forced into a magical contract that they never signed on to or how a minor can be forced into a binding magical contract no matter how the minor got involved).

He sends a child back to an abusive home TWICE after said child is a witness to and is involved in the death on another person without any counseling or any sort of care.  He allows a student he forces to live in an abusive environment to live all on his own for two weeks without any protection or visits when everyone thinks that a psychotic killer is searching for him.

Can ANYONE think of ANY ACTION that DD has taken meddling in Harry's life that was actually of any net benefit to Harry?

James Lyon