Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
In today’s video, we’re going to be discussing Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
More specifically- we’re going to discuss his fame in a pre-Harry Potter era- a time
when Albus Dumbledore wasn’t yet Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation
of Wizards, or Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
I’m talking PRE 1945- that is, BEFORE Dumbledore’s FAMOUS defeat of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald-
as that event undeniably launched Dumbledore in to considerable fame.
Dumbledore touched the lives of many people during his LONG LONG life, and by the time
he passed away at the staggering age of 150, his network was immense- as was his celebrated
status in the wizarding world.
But in the first Fantastic Beasts film- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them- we see Dumbledore
in quite a different light.
Much younger, devoid of his signature white beard, wearing a totally different outfit
than what we’re accustomed to, and just- different overall (different actor aside).
And it’s THIS Dumbledore that intrigues me more than ever, this 1926 version of Dumbledore-
because we know so little about him and his place in the wizarding world.
Was this Dumbledore FAMOUS?
Starting from the very beginning, I want to break down the timeline of Dumbledore’s
life- looking at it specifically from the perspective of his fame, or in some cases-
notoriety.
Let’s jump in.
1881 - Birth
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was born in the year 1881 in a town called Mould-On-The-Would-
a mainly wizarding town in the UK.
It was here that Albus lived with his family- comprised of his father- Percival Dumbledore,
mother- Kendra Dumbledore, sister- Ariana Dumbledore, and brother- Aberforth Dumbledore.
At this stage- though the family possessed some powerful wizards- the Dumbledore’s
were not particularly famous or noteworthy.
1890-1891 - Muggle-Haters / Notoriety
Described in his younger years as “a good-looking man with eyes that seemed to twinkle,” - Percival
Dumbledore was a pure-blood wizard, husband to Kendra, and father to Aberforth, Ariana
& Albus.
In 1890 or perhaps 1891, when Percival’s daughter and Albus’s sister Ariana was 6,
she was brutally assaulted by 3 muggle boys.
An incident which left Ariana with an inability to control her magical abilities.
When Percival first got the news about what had happened to his daughter, he went and
furiously attacked the 3 muggle boys in a bout of rage.
For this, he was sentenced to Azkaban, however Percival never explained the reason for attacking
the muggles to the ministry, as he feared that if they knew of her condition she would
be locked away in st.mungos hospital due to her existence being a hazard to the statute
of secrecy.
This lead to much speculation about Percival’s crime, and many believed that the attack was
driven by a radicalized perspective on blood-purity, which couldn’t have been further from the
truth.
From this point onward the Dumbledore name was tarnished- at least for a time.
From Rita Skeeter's book The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore:
“Proud and haughty, Kendra Dumbledore could not bear to remain in Mould-on-the-Wold after
her husband Percival’s well-publicised arrest and imprisonment in Azkaban.
She therefore decided to uproot the family and relocate to Godric’s Hollow, the village
that was later to gain fame as the scene of Harry Potter’s strange escape from You-Know-Who.
Like Mould-on-the-Wold, Godric’s Hollow was home to a number of wizarding families,
but as Kendra knew none of them, she would be spared the curiosity about her husband’s
crime she had faced in her former village.”
1892 - First Year At Hogwarts
In the autumn of 1892, at the age of 11, Albus began attending Hogwarts.
However, when he first started attending the school he had a bit of a hard time,as there
was still a lot of stigma surrounding his father, Percival, who was sent to Azkaban
for attacking the children.
Because of his father’s actions, people were under the impression that the Dumbledore
family hated muggles, Albus included, and this made his formative year at Hogwarts difficult.
Albus at this stage was CERTAINLY not famous- and perhaps just a little infamous for his
connection to his father.
Elphias Doge said the following about this:
​​“For his part, Albus had arrived at Hogwarts under the burden of unwanted notoriety.
Scarcely a year previously, his father, Percival, had been convicted of a savage and well-publicised
attack upon three young Muggles.”
1892-1893 - Redemption
After Dumbledore’s formative year at Hogwarts, where he was viewed in quite a negative light,
Dumbledore was able to overcome this negative perception of himself by excelling in school
and showcasing his generally positive demeanour.
In fact, Dumbledore quickly showcased what looked like prodigious magical ability, which
allowed him to shine among his peers.
Elphias Doge discussed this as well:
“In a matter of months, however, Albus’s own fame had begun to eclipse that of his
father.
By the end of his first year, he would never again be known as the son of a Muggle-hater,
but as nothing more or less than the most brilliant student ever seen at the school.”
1893 - 1899
For the remainder of Dumbledore’s studies, with his negative associations now a thing
of the past, Dumbledore continued to excel- achieving every award and accolade imaginable.
In his seventh year at Hogwarts, Albus took his N.E.W.T.S for both charms and transfiguration.
N.E.W.T.S are a test that 7th year witches and wizards take to prepare themselves for
careers after graduation.
A wizard can only take the NEWT exams after completing all of their Owls and receiving
a score of ‘exceeds expectations’.
How you do on your N.E.W.T.S will dictate what sort of career path you follow in the
wizarding world.
Albus did exceptionally well on his N.E.W.T.S and Griselda Marchbanks, a professor working
for the Wizarding Examinations Authority once remarked that Albus was able to do things
with a wand that she had never seen before.
Albus also went on to win the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell Casting, an award
presented for showcasing excellent spell-casting techniques.
He also went on to win other wizarding accolades such as a Gold Medal for Ground-Breaking Contributions
to the International Alchemical Conference.
At this time, Albus was a shining star in the halls of Hogwarts- and his fame, though
not yet widespread- began to grow.
Elphias Doge said the following about these years in Dumbledore’s life:
“He not only won every prize of note that the school offered, he was soon in regular
correspondence with the most notable magical names of the day, including Nicolas Flamel,
the celebrated alchemist, Bathilda Bagshot, the noted historian, and Adalbert Waffling,
the magical theoretician.
Several of his papers found their way into learned publications such as Transfiguration
Today, Challenges in Charming and The Practical Potioneer.”
And Rita Skeeter had something to say about it as well, in her book ‘The Life and Lies
of Albus Dumbledore’:
“Now approaching his eighteenth birthday, Dumbledore left Hogwarts in a blaze of glory
– Head Boy, Prefect, Winner of the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting,
British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, Gold Medal-Winner for Ground-Breaking Contribution
to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo.
Dumbledore intended, next, to take a Grand Tour with Elphias ‘Dogbreath’ Doge, the
dim-witted but devoted sidekick he had picked up at school.”
1899-1900
The year between 1899 and 1900 was a big one for Dumbledore.
Not only was it his graduation year from Hogwarts, but it was also the year that both Dumbledore’s
mother and sister died, as well as the year that he met and later departed from Gellert
Grindelwald.
Though Dumbledore had plans to travel with Elphias Doge upon graduation- his plans were
thwarted when he got news that his mother had died in a tragic accident stemming from
his sister’s uncontrolled magical ability.
This forced him to return home to take care of his siblings, and- briefly- stunted the
achievements of a man that could have done anything with his life.
Dumbledore met Grindelwald shortly after returning to Godric’s Hollow, and this was where the
pair had come up with grandiose plans surrounding the fabled Deathly Hallows.
However this all came slamming to a halt when Dumbledore’s sister Ariana became a casualty
in a three way duel involving Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald.
At this stage, Dumbledore was highly respected and reasonably well-known- but famous?
Not yet.
1900-1910 - The Grey Years
The years following the death of Albus’s sister are a little unclear- particularly
between the years 1900 and 1910, as we have very little concrete information that provides
us with dates or details.
However, we do know that after the death of his sister- and his departure from both Grindelwald
and his brother Aberforth, Dumbledore was free to go about his business as he pleased.
However, with exact dates aside, we do know that he did a few things.
One of the first major events in Dumbledore’s life after departing Godric’s Hollow was
his trip to France- where he visited his old friend Nicolas Flamel.
Flamel was a famed alchemist, and it was in France that Dumbledore studied the ancient
art and science of alchemy under his tutelage.
After an unknown period of time, Dumbledore returned back to Britain- and it just so happened
that in this time period Dumbledore became infatuated with the study of dragon’s blood-
specifically it’s uses.
Dumbledore’s eventual discovery and publication of the 12 uses of dragon’s blood led to
his first taste of real, undeniable fame- earning him widespread recognition, and the
offer of a teaching position at Hogwarts.
I know for a fact that Dumbledore was teaching at Hogwarts by the time 1910 rolled around,
so I suspect that Dumbledore had his first real taste of fame around 1908 or 1909.
1910-1926
Between 1910 and 1926 Dumbledore worked away at Hogwarts vigilantly, happy to give back
and serve as a pinnacle of the knowledge to the younger generations of the wizarding population.
During this time period he was even offered the position for Minister of Magic several
times- an offer that he would go on to reject each and every time.
Dumbledore discusses this with Harry Later in life:
“Years passed.
There were rumours about [Grindelwald].
They said he had procured a wand of immense power.
I, meanwhile, was offered the post of Minister for Magic, not once, but several times.
Naturally, I refused.
I had learned that I was not to be trusted with power.’
‘I was safer at Hogwarts.
I think I was a good teacher –’”
1926-1945 - The Wizarding Conflict
I’m not going to cover these years much, because these are the years covered in the
upcoming Fantastic Beasts films, but I want to mention a few important things:
Grindelwald’s rise to power became prominent The Global Wizarding War truly began
and Dumbledore became involved in the war effort
When 1945 rolled around, Dumbledore decided that he could no longer turn a blind eye to
the atrocities that Grindelwald and his followers were committing, which led to him tracking
him down.
After finding Grindelwald, Dumbledore ends up defeating him in a duel of epic proportions,
a duel that- according to Elphias Doge- “no wizarding duel ever matched”.
Dumbledore’s defeat of Grindelwald was the single greatest thing he ever accomplished
in the eyes of the wizarding community- and it cemented him in history as the most powerful
wizard to have ever lived.
For his defeat of Grindelwald and effectively ending the ‘For the Greater Good’ revolution,
Dumbledore was awarded an Order of Merlin First Class.
Though Dumbledore remained famous for the rest of his days, I would argue that this
was perhaps the height of Dumbledore’s fame in the wizarding world.
And that concludes this video on the early years of Albus Dumbledore and his fame.
Did you learn something about his past?
Comment WHAT down below.
Until next time,
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live