Dumbledore's Past?

Jen Reese stevejjen at earthlink.net
Tue May 15 05:17:44 UTC 2007


No: HPFGUIDX 168743

Celia:
> I am extremely curious about the nature of the potion in the cave, 
> especially since I became an adherent to Pippin's theory that Snape
> was the person who made the potion originally, and all that might
> imply.
<snip>
> What if the potion itself is imprinted with the memories or 
> feelings of its creator? Therefore, the words spoken by Dumbledore 
> might be memories, feelings, or experiences placed into it by Snape 
> as he made the potion. <snipping> So if this is Snape's memory, 
> what is it of?
> 
> Possibly the memory that DD is reliving is Snape's internal 
> dialogue as he realizes he has condemned the Potters by revealing
> the prophesy to LV. (Notice I said internal, as I cannot imagine 
> Snape ever pleading in this way out loud.)<snip>

> Whatever is going on with the potion, I think the wording of DD's 
> screams is so strangely and specifically about a particular 
> incident that we will find out more about it in DH. 


Jen:  I didn't get a chance to read Pippin's theory the first time 
around and it offers an explanation for several unanswered 
questions.  That seems critical at this stage of the game!  I agree 
DD's words will prove to fit a specific incident and had some 
thoughts about other possibilites.  

I was struck by the phrasing Dumbledore used and the way he obeyed 
Harry very compliantly while drinking the potion.  The entire 
sequence came across as very child-like to me.  After someone 
proposed a theory that young Riddle was practicing a rudimentary form 
of possession on the kids in the cave, I wondered if it might be 
their memories in the potion?  The words *could* make sense as a 
child's memory of the events if Riddle was forcing the kids to do 
something awful, like killing or torturing animals.  That's the sort 
of event Voldemort would commemorate in the cave for his own twisted 
reasons.

The problem is, what answers would it provide for the story?  Unless 
R.A.B. happens to be one of those kids and is a familiar character 
living under an alias in the current day (and also happens to be 
magical <g>), that idea fits better in HBP than DH.  I used to really 
like this idea until realizing Regulus is a better fit as R.A.B. when 
it comes to concluding the story.

My second thought was whether the potion caused Dumbledore to relive 
his worst memories and his worst happened during childhood.  We have 
no explanation for what motivated his lifetime quest to end the 
respective reigns of the two great Dark Wizards.  JKR's characters 
tend to be motivated by very personal moments and while Dumbledore's 
passion for making the WW a better place is great in theory, how did 
he grow to undertake such a goal and more important, will the idea 
serve the story?  I'm thinking about Grindelwald here and wondering 
whether one or both of Dumbledore's parents were tortured and killed 
by Grindelwald.

It would fill the bill for getting the Grindelwald story in there and 
Dumbledore's family, both things JKR mentioned will be explored in 
the last book (or in the case of Grindelwald it was more of a 'no 
comment' situation).  Also, since GW seems the likely suspect for the 
person Riddle knew who had one Horcrux, there could be a revelation 
about how Dumbledore destroyed the Horcrux and/or defeated 
Grindelwald without killing him *if* that was the case.  Such 
information could help Harry in his own quest.  The latter could be 
connected to the potion memory if there's some element of Dumbledore 
overcoming a need for revenge in order to defeat GW.

Plus there are some more minor points the theory could address, like 
Dumbledore's personal interest in Harry and part of the reason he was 
motivated to determine Harry's future.  It could also explain why 
Dumbledore implied understanding of Harry's loss in OOTP.  I'm sure a 
guy his age has lost many people in his life but there might be 
something deeper to DD saying, "You care so much you feel as though 
you will bleed to death with the pain of it...You have now lost your 
mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever 
known.  Of course you care."  (Chap. 37)  His detachment there is 
almost unnerving if he doesn't know how Harry feels.  Another thought-
-did losing his own parents contribute to his compassion for Hagrid 
and the offer to stay on at Hogwarts?  Maybe Dumbledore was like 
Riddle and Harry in feeling like Hogwarts was his real home and saw 
Hagrid as having the same attachment.

Just throwing these in the mix. :)

Jen





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