Dumbledore as a judge of character (Was:Why DD did not ask Snape to kill him

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 166082

Carol earlier:
> > Dumbledore also trusts another powerful wizard who demonstrates
pettiness, childishness, and immaturity: Sirius Black <snip>
> > That aside, let's look at the people Dumbledore trusts (perhaps
not as completely as he trusts Snape). We can start with Harry, whom
he loves and admires and from whom he withholds information only 
because Harry is too young, not yet ready, or because the link with
Voldemort is too strong (in OoP). <snip> And DD also trusts Ron and
Hermione, to whom he allows Harry to confide the Prophecy and the
existence of the Horcruxes. He trusts Hagrid with his life (but
perhaps not with his secrets). He trusts the members of the Order with
the knowledge that Voldemort is back before that becomes common
knowledge and with helping him in the fight against LV.
> <snip>
> > He doesn't trust Trelawney enough to make her an Order member
apparently, but he keeps her at Hogwarts, even allowing her to share
classes with Firenze, because it's the only way to protect her.
> <snip>
> > But Dumbledore never trusted Tom Riddle, even as an
eleven-year-old boy. So where and when has Dumbledore been wrong as a
judge of character? I don't see it.
> <snip>
> 
Vexingconfection responded: 
> 
> Absolutely brilliant! Well thought out and particularly insightful.

Carol again:

Thank you very much. Not everyone agrees with us, but I appreciate the
compliment. And with regard to Sirius Black, I'm talking, of course,
about post-PoA. Dumbledore did, of course, believe that Black was the
Secret Keeper who betrayed the Potters and guilty of multiple murders,
but perhaps that's one of the mistakes he regrets. As for believing
him to be in danger from both the Ministry and the Death Eaters if he
rashly leaves the house in OoP, he's absolutely right. (I wonder why
Black didn't choose to go back to the tropical paradise he was hiding
in before rather than staying at 12 GP with only Kreacher and Buckbeak
 for company.)
> 
Vexingconfection:
> I think JKR is very keen in regard to human nature.  Just being
immature does not mean a person is untrustworthy. What I would be
interested in knowing is how can Dumbledore, who is so intelligent
that he surprises himself, always be so trusting?

Carol:
As his mistrust of Tom Riddle indicates, he isn't *always* so
trusting. I think that he trusts people who have shown that they
deserve his trust--not quite the same thing as granting second
chances, which provide the *opportunity* to earn the trust. I don't
see him offering a second chance to Lucius Malfoy, for example. 

Vexingconfection:
> You mentioned Tom Riddle-DD gave him a chance. Why? 

Carol:
Probably because he was eleven years old and not a hardened criminal
yet. But he never showed remorse or regret for his actions, unlike
snape, so he didn't get a second chance.

Vexingconfection:
Trelawny has made several actual forecasts, yet he does not trust her.
 Why?
> 
Carol:
That's a good question. Note that I said he "apparently" doesn't trust
her enough to make her a member of the Order, and certainly he hasn't
told her about her role in the Prophecy. Evidently, he thinks she'd be
in even more danger if she knew. Possibly, not telling her is another
of Dumbledore's mistakes. But I think he thinks that she's unstable
and flighty, and he's certainly afraid of what Voldemort would do to
her if she fell into his hands, so he's protecting her, letting her
teach even though he has no respect for her subject (it's not
required, but some students will want to take it to prepare for their
OWLs and NEWTs). But to make her a member of the Order would place her
in danger, and I can't see her infiltrating a group or being a spy.

At any rate, her two real Prophecies are no grounds for trust in
themselves because she doesn't even know that she's made them. They
are, however, a very good reason to protect her from Voldemort.

vexingconfection:
> And, just because, I want you to explain something else to me:  why
did every prediction made by Ron and Harry in GOF come true? Is it a
testament to friendship or something that will be used in this coming
book or just something thrown in to make it interesting?
> 
> Thanks for your patience.

Carol:

Oh, my! That's a tall order since I'd have to check every single
prediction that Ron and Harry make in GoF before I could give my
opinion on the question. Do you have any specific predictions in mind?
My general impression is that some of the comic predictions
unexpectedly come true, and I recall George predicting that Ron would
become a Prefect, an idea that he vehemently rejected at the time, but
I don't recall any others offhand except the silly ones that Ron and
Harry made up for Trelawney's class, most of which obviously didn't
come true.

Anyway, I'm afraid that I can't provide an intelligent answer without
more information.

Carol, who would welcome other views on whether DD trusted Trelawney
and why or why not