In defense of DD WAS musings on Dumbledore - Even Longer

[Diana]

No: HPFGUIDX 158642

Reading these posts I believe that Dumbledore's character and 
motivations have been greatly misread by some readers.  
Interpretation of a character is always subjective, however I think 
the neglectful, arrogrant DD portrayed in these rants is off the 
mark (though the rant was fun to read).  

Dumbledore may be a genius and a great wizard, but he is still just 
a man.  And a very old man at that.  I'm not arguing senility or 
anything like that, I'm just saying that DD's long life experience 
is definitely relevant to how he came up with his decisions 
regarding Harry and Harry's safety as well as how he ran Hogwarts.  
Dumbledore's greatest fault, to me, seems to be his faith in the 
goodness of people.  As another character said in the book, DD gives 
second chances to people he really shouldn't have.  

James Lyon wrote:
> 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.

Think back to the death of James and Lily at the hands of LV.  
Dumbledore was left to arrange for the safety and long-term care of 
Harry.  Wherever he placed Harry, it had be somewhere that was truly 
safe from LV.  So, he chose Harry's only remaining relatives on his 
mother's side purely so that Lily's sacrifice would provide Harry 
with protection from LV (til he's 17 anyway).  Even though LV may 
not have known exactly where the Dursleys and Harry lived, he knew 
Harry lived with them  Yet LV never tried to kill him again.  Why?  
Because after LV's own AK backfired onto to him, he knew that Harry 
was protected with old magic while under the care of his blood 
relatives.  DD was very wise to use Lily's sacrifice to protect 
Harry so he had a chance to grow up.  
Remember that DD instructed the Dursleys to raise Harry as their own 
son, which they did not.  DD knew the Dursley's might not be gushing 
with love and kindness for Harry, but I think he believed they would 
at least treat him kindly.  At some point during Harry's childhood, 
he realized they were not kind to Harry, but DD knew to remove Harry 
from the protection they provided was unwise, so he left him there 
after seeing that Harry was alive and well, even if his 
circumstances at the Dursleys weren't the greatest.  Harry's very 
life was at stake, so unloving foster parents was better than a 
horrible death at the hands of LV.  I also believe that DD did not 
want Harry growing up a pampered, stuck-up snob (a la Draco Malfoy) 
and knew that taking him out of the WW would not only be an extra 
safety precaution but would allow him to grow up fairly normal.  DD 
most likely truly believed that Dursleys would take in and grow to 
love Harry, but he ended up disappointed that his faith in the 
goodness of people had been wasted on them.  
As for Harry not knowing how to get on the train, well, Hagrid means 
well but can be rather forgetful with some details.  If Harry had 
missed the train, DD or Hagrid would have come and got him.  Like 
Hagrid, DD was probably under the impression that Harry knew at 
least a little about the WW when Hagrid went to fetch him.  As for 
Harry knowing about the WW, it's possible DD thought the Dursleys 
would tell him something about the WW and his parents, or might have 
figured that if they didn't then he could be caught up on the 
details when it was time (when Harry was 11).  Of course DD sent 
Hagrid to fetch Harry because Hagrid is impressively large and won't 
take no for an answer.  ;)

James Lyon wrote:
> 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.
> 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.

I think you are wrong here.  I do not believe Snape used legilimens 
on students (except once when Harry slashed Draco in HBP).  Harry 
felt like Snape could read minds, but I don't think Snape was 
actually using it on Harry.  Why?  Because Snape felt superior to 
the students and would consider it beneath him to read the 
unimportant feelings of students' minds.  Harry's feeling about 
Snape reading minds tells us a lot about Harry; that Harry has an 
uncanny ability to read people and situations, a gift which has 
helped him many times since.  DD trusted Snape, perhaps in his 
folly, but he would not have let Snape teach if he felt Snape 
was 'mind raping' students.  I don't recall a single instance in any 
of the books where DD used legilimens on any student for any 
reason.  DD was good at intuiting what someone might be thinking, 
but that was his experience showing, not mind-reading.    
It is obvious that, unlike in our world, the WW has a tougher 
attitude regarding children.  DD feels that the students can survive 
having a teacher like Snape because it prepares them for the world 
after school.  Don't forget that past headmasters actually chained-
up and tortured rule-breaking students (according to Filch), so 
having a mean teacher is hardly cruelty to the students.  When you 
were in school were all your teachers highly-motivated, kind and 
gifted teachers?  No?  Mine weren't either, so that explains Binns.  
As for Trelawney, it is very clearly explained in OotP that 
Trelawney is a true seer, yet she is unaware of the two prophecies 
she did make; one was witnessed by DD and one was witnessed by 
Harry. DD did not want the seer who predicted the downfall of LV and 
the birth of the child who would defeat him roaming around 
unprotected in the WW.  So, he hired her as a teacher and kept her 
at Hogwarts where he could watch over her, and be nearby in case she 
made another prophecy.  DD can't find a qualified DADA teacher 
because the position had been cursed by Tom Riddle and no one lasts 
more than one year.  It'd be very hard to find candidates for a post 
that seems to bring bad-luck upon whoever assumes it.  
     
James Lyon wrote: 
> 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.
> Most of his time seems to be spent on non-headmaster duties.
> He never follows up on anything:  
 
DD explains in OotP that he kept he limited his interaction with 
Harry out of fear that LV, using his mental connection with Harry, 
would bring out Harry's or DD's destruction.  DD also admitted that 
he was wrong to shut Harry out in that manner, but DD explained that 
his incorrect decision was based upon his love for Harry.  The end 
of OotP gave us a lot of insight into DD's actions to that point.  
DD was highly motivated to see Harry stay alive so that the 
prophecy, which was validated by LV's attack on the one-year-old 
Harry, could come to pass - meaning the once-and-for-all defeat of 
LV at Harry's hand.  DD freely admits he made some wrong choices 
with regards to Harry, i.e. not telling him about the prophecy asap, 
keeping him at a distance, etc., however, he made those mistakes 
because he wanted to protect Harry and keep him from grief, worry 
and harm, much like a parent would.  This is why the DD we see in 
HBP is so different - and why Harry's reaction to him is so 
different - DD has opened up and told Harry the truth about his 
destiny while at the same time continuing to care about him like his 
own grandson.  DD treats Harry much like a parent teaches a child in 
that he has great pride in his accomplishments, yet worries for him 
and keeps information from him that he should know for the sake of 
caring too much about him.  DD never treats Harry like an inbecile, 
he just tries to protect him from the horrible truth of the prophecy 
for too long.  DD also tried to protect Harry from the MoM, who were 
gunning for him big time in OotP, by keeping him in the dark because 
I think DD was under the mistaken impression that Harry had read all 
the little snide comments about himself in the Daily Prophet and 
could see that the MoM were out to get him.  
DD lets Snape be Snape and Draco be Draco because he believes he 
can't force people to make the right choices.  He can't force Snape 
to be a kind, loving teacher and he can't force Draco to be a nice, 
thoughtful boy, so he lets them make their own choices in the hope 
that the results of their choices drive them to make different, 
better choices when they don't turn out well for them.  
As for not following up on anything, I have no idea what you're 
referring to here.  Some examples, please?

James Lyon wrote:
> 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.

DD is not omnipotent.  He can't force the Ministry to do what he 
wants them to do.  DD had thought Sirius was guilty as well 
therefore DD did not know an innocent man was being to sent to 
Azkaban.  DD had no authority to overide Barty Crouch Sr. and the 
Ministry members who railroaded Sirius into prison without a trial, 
even if DD had known that he was innocent, which he did not.  DD did 
not let Sirius go back to prison once he discovered that he was 
innocent.  If you recall, DD instructed Harry and Hermione to free 
Sirius in PoA using Buckbeak and the Time Turner.  

>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.

DD did try to protect the students during CoS by having the teachers 
walk them to their classes and canceling after class activities.  
Your fault with DD assumes he knew what was attacking the students, 
where it lived, how it was being called forth and who was calling 
it.  Look at it from DD's perspective.  Fifty years earlier several 
students are attacked and Myrtle is killed.  DD somehow knew it was 
Tom Riddle doing the attacking, but not being able to speak 
parseltongue or locate the CoS, he couldn't prove it was him.  Fifty 
years later, students are being attacked again, but DD knows LV, 
Slytherin's only heir, is a vapor drifting around the Black Forest 
and isn't at school, so how could he be attacking students?  DD 
doesn't know about the diary or that it was planted on Ginny by 
Malfoy until later.  DD may suspect a lot of things, but he can't 
prove any of it, and one thing about DD, he never brings false 
charges against people without having the proof to back it up.  
Should he have known it was a basilisk?  Maybe, but it's assuming an 
awful lot to think DD is intimately familiar with every single 
creature in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book.  

> 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. 

DD didn't allow the dementors to do anything.  They attacked Harry 
on their own.  DD was furious as he drove off the dementors after 
they attacked Harry at the Quidditch match.  DD made sure the MoM 
removed the dementors after they attacked Harry by the lake.  DD 
does not like dementors being anywhere near Hogwarts, but his 
personal desires and reasons were overridden by the MoM.  We have no 
idea what DD did to investigate what happened to Harry's broom 
during PS/SS since the books are from Harry's POV.  DD came to the 
next match, which tells us he was actively trying to prevent another 
attack as well as show the attacker he was on the lookout for 
him/her.  DD felt the stone was safe at Hogwarts with all its 
protections in place.  He did not know Quirrel was hiding LV on the 
back of his head.  DD did not need to investigate how Ginny got the 
diary as he knew Lucius Malfoy slipped it to her.  DD can't prove 
Malfoy gave it to her, which is why he doesn't press charges against 
Malfoy with the MoM, but DD lets Malfoy know that he knows what he 
did.  

> 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).

DD did not expect Harry's name to be entered into the Goblet at 
all.  In fact, I got the impression that DD's newly implemented age 
limit for contestants was specifically to prevent Harry from being 
entered into the contest, either by Harry himself or through 
another's subterfuge.  How was DD to know that a thought-dead DE 
would take polyjuice potion to disguise himself as the new DADA 
teacher so as to sneak Harry's name into the Goblet?  You're asking 
an awful lot of DD if you think he should have seen that coming.  
The WW does not work like our world where minors can't sign 
contracts.  This is *magic* not the world of contract law.  The 
Goblet does not care about age - DD's age limit had be upheld by an 
age line drawn around the Goblet - and will spit out the names of 
any person it deems worthy to the challenge.  Don't forget that 
Barty!Moody confunded the Goblet into thinking four schools were 
competing for the cup and then had Harry's name be the only 
candidate for that forth non-existent school to make sure he was 
selected.  
Once the tournament was underway, DD most likely knew or suspected 
that Moody was sneakily helping Harry with the tasks, which DD would 
not have minded as Harry needed the help to stay safe.  It was only 
when Moody dragged Harry away to the castle at the end of GoF when 
DD realized that Moody couldn't have been Moody, which tells us that 
the real Moody would have helped Harry in the tasks, otherwise DD 
would have seen Barty!Moody's help as suspicious.  DD could not 
directly help Harry because DD was trying to forge ties with the 
other schools. DD helping one of the champions to win would have 
definitely destroyed the hand of friendship he was holding out to 
the other schools.  

James Lyon wrote:
> 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.

I don't remember reading anything in the books about there being 
wizard psychiatrists, do you?  Again, you are projecting our world 
onto the WW.  What did you expect DD to do with Harry after GoF and 
OotP?  Send him to the psychiatric ward at St. Mungos for evaluation 
and counseling?  DD was aware of Harry's trauma after the events of 
GoF, which is why he did not tell him about the prophecy then and 
there.  DD explained a great deal to Harry at the end of OotP, all 
of which gave Harry a lot to mull over during the summer.  While the 
Dursleys aren't exactly a loving family, they are Harry's protection 
and Harry's used to them, so he went home.  Harry was hardly in 
danger during the two or three weeks he stayed at the Leaky Cauldron 
in PoA.  DD knew he was there as did several other wizards who had 
Harry's best interests at heart.  DD rightly felt that Sirius Black 
would hardly stride into the middle of a wizard-packed inn or street 
to attack Harry.  
 
James Lyon wrote:
> Does anyone notice any thing going on here? Is this the way the  
> Champion of the Light treats a child?
> Can ANYONE think of ANY ACTION that DD has taken meddling in 
>Harry's life that was actually of any net benefit to Harry? 
> IMO, there is no way to read canon and not feel that DD is either 
>a bumbling incompetent or a very "bad" person.

DD's biggest faults have always been his willingness to forgive 
people and his desire to see the good in all people, regardless of 
their past actions.  This blindness to people's dark sides has hurt 
DD several times, yet DD persists in giving people the benefit of 
the doubt.  DD admitted that he'd overestimated Snape's ability to 
forgive James (and the Marauders) for their past encounters when 
he'd assigned Snape to teach Harry occlumency.  DD admits that his 
expectations for the Dursleys to care for and love Harry were not 
carried out becuase he'd overestimated them.  DD admitted that he 
had underestimated how much Harry could handle when he'd failed to 
tell him the truth about the prophecy much earlier, an act which 
might have prevented Sirius' death.  
DD allowed Riddle to enter Hogwarts, even though he suspected Riddle 
had done some terrible things to other children, because DD wanted 
to give Riddle a chance to change and be a better person.  DD, ever 
the optimist, felt Riddle deserved that chance.  DD doesn't get rid 
of Slytherin house at Hogwarts because he wants to give every 
student, whether picked for Slytherin house or not, a chance to make 
the right choices.  DD is all about choices, remember, not fate, not 
prophecy, but individual choice.  

Diana L.