I am so happy. There is a gay - Triumph & Tragedy

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 178218

susanmcgee48176 wrote:
<snip> 
> I wonder why it disturbs some people SO much to think that
Dumbledore might have made love with Gellert Grindelvald....when it
doesn't seem to disturb anyone about Tonks and Lupin? Hmmmmmm...
>

Carol responds:

Lupin and Tonks were adults. Gellert Grindelwald was still sixteen
years old (maybe close to seventeen)--underage even by WW standards,
and Albus was not yet eighteen. JKR stated that she didn't want
Hermione pregnant at fourteen (or some such thing)--it seems that she
was trying to avoid encouraging promiscuity among her young readers
(many of them are still at the "Kissing! Ewwww!" stage, in any case).
(IIRC, the age of consent in England is sixteen, but that does not
make teenageers adults in my view.)

More important, and more in keeping with my view that what's important
is what's in the books, not what JKR says in interviews (DD is both
"Machiavellian" and "the epitome of goodness"?), what we see on the
page is largely an intellectual attraction between two brilliant boys
who want to change the world (and think that their mental and magical
superiority qualifies them to run it). To bring in a romantic
attraction would, IMO, take away from DD's true desire or true
temptation--power. His sexuality has no bearing on his relationship
with Harry (or with Snape) or on his actions as headmaster or leader
of the Order. Aberforth neither knows nor cares about it. We should
not, IMO, let JKR's statements about it interfere with our assessment
of events, themes, and characters in the books, including DD and the
golden-haired, mischievous spirit of evil that was Grindelwald.
(Friendship, BTW, is a form of love, and I see no difference between
DD's friendship with Grindelwald and James's for Sirius except that
the basis of the latter friendship was not primarily intellectual.) On
a sidenote, DD sending his friend an owl in the middle of the night
made me think of texting. Only, of course, most text messages don't
involve ruling the Muggles and the Muggle-borns "for the greater good.")

At any rate, I think this whole thread is taking us away from the key
elements of DD's relationship with Grindelwald, including his failure
to meet his responsibilities as the guardian of his younger brother
and sister, his enormous regret and guilt for his part in Arizna's
death, his temptation to power, the perversion of the concept of "the
greater good," his initial view of wizards as superior to Muggles (so
similar to "Magic Is Might"), his unwillingness to see his friend's
failings, and probably others that I've forgotten to list.

I doubt very much that DD ever kissed GG or expressed his feelings for
him. Certainly, he doesn't do so in the books. It was all about the
ideas, all about their future as co-rulers of the WW (and the world?).
And, in the end, he's glad that GG, unlike LV, felt and expressed
remorse (which leads me to wonder how GG, who murdered so many people,
spent eternity). 

Carol, no doubt showing her age but relieved that there was so little
teenage sexuality (aside from some rather too-public snogging) in the
HP books