Aberforth

[Kathryn Jones]

No: HPFGUIDX 174977

Carol wrote:

Just out of curiosity (I'm addressing the group in general), what were
your expectations for him and how close to the mark were they? What's
your reaction to the character as he's presented? Is he just a plot
device? A foil to Albus? Something else?

Is he wiser than DD in your view, or are they both mistaken in their
perceptions of each other? Any guesses as to which House he was in?


KJ writes:

   I had great hopes for Aberforth.  Considering the fact that he was in 
the first Order,
I expected him to be seen taking a more active role.  The build-up about 
Dumbledore's family
increased my interest in Aberforth.  He is close to DD and Hogwarts, he 
obviously has the means
to provide information to the next Order generation, and from the scene 
in DH, we see that he
gets a certain amount of latitude from the DEs.  When DD made the 
comments about Aberforth's literacy,
I expected the opposite from Aberforth. I think we are now meant to 
understand it as a sibling joke, but
considering the pain and damage DD caused his brother and his family, I 
don't find it amusing.

    I feel like JKR created this character for the sole purpose of 
telling us about DD's life.  There was bitterness
on the part of Aberforth, and righteous indignation as we might expect.  
What was missing, was Dumbledore's
feelings about his brother.  How can Dumbledore be made to show that he 
regrets his past life, when he
makes puerile cracks about his brother's intelligence.

    There was no resolution between the brothers.  There was almost no 
need for Aberforth at all.  I feel like she
invented him and had to have him do something.  He could have been a 
great character instead of another "What
the heck was that?" moment.

KJ