Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing Harry Potter, the Forbidden Forest, the Resurrection stone, and Albus Dumbledore.
The resurrection is of course one of the fabled Deathly Hallows, stemming from the tale of
the three brothers- Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus. The brothers were all members of the famous
Peverell family. The plot surrounds the three wizard brothers and their ability to cheat
death for a short period of time. After conquering death, a personification of death, under the
guise of congratulating them, awarded them with 3 gifts: The elder wand, the resurrection
stone, and the invisibility cloak. Long story short, each brother chose one of the gifts
that death had presented them. Ignotus (the youngest) chose the invisibility cloak, Cadmus
(the middle brother) chose the resurrection stone, and Antioch (the eldest) chose the
elder wand. From the tale of the three brothers:
"Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death
still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked
up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the
stone would have the power to bring back the dead."
So, naturally, When Harry eventually comes in to possession of the stone, he uses it
to see the shades of loved ones that he has since lost:
"They were neither ghost nor truly flesh, he could see that. They resembled most closely
the Riddle that had escaped from the diary so long ago, and he had been memory made nearly
solid. Less substantial than living bodies, but much more than ghosts, they moved toward
him. And on each face, there was the same loving smile. James was exactly the same height
as Harry. He was wearing the clothes in which he had died, and his hair was untidy and ruffled,
and his glasses were a little lopsided, like Mr. Weasley's.”
“Sirius was tall and handsome, and younger by far than Harry had seen him in life. He
loped with an easy grace, his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face. Lupin was
younger too, and much less shabby, and his hair was thicker and darker. He looked happy
to be back in this familiar place, scene of so many adolescent wanderings. Lily's smile
was widest of all. She pushed her long hair back as she drew closer to him, and her green
eyes, so like his, searched his face hungrily, as though she would never be able to look
at him enough."
James, Sirius, Lupin and Lily were all massively important in Harry’s life, so it’s no
surprise that they showed up. However, to me it always felt a little bit like one person
was missing- a certain Hogwarts Headmaster. Why wasn’t Dumbledore there? He was hugely
influential in Harry’s life- since childhood- and the two shared a unique connection. So,
what’s the deal?
The truth is that, though Dumbledore was once a paternal figure for Harry- a source of comfort
and what Harry perceived as love- things changed during Voldemort’s resurgence to power.
When Harry learned of Dumbledore’s true motivations, their relationship suffered as
a result. Dumbledore’s number one priority was never to save Harry’s life, and it never
would have been, his primary goal was to protect the greater wizarding world. And second to
that goal, Dumbledore’s objective was to defeat Lord Voldemort. Yes, Dumbledore had
affection for Harry, but he wasn’t top priority, and that meant that saving his life wasn’t
top priority either- especially if it meant that he could more effectively achieve his
other goals.
The following passage from The Deathly Hallows perfectly depicts Harry’s attitude toward
Dumbledore after the truth is revealed about the deceased headmaster:
"I don't know who he loved, Hermione, but it was never me. This isn't love, the mess
he's left me in. He shared a damn sight more of what he was really thinking with Gellert
Grindelwald than he ever shared with me."
Harry felt insignificant, and it wasn’t until Harry had the opportunity to meet Dumbledore
at Kings Cross Station, that his feelings toward Dumbledore shifted once more. However,
while they were able to pick up the pieces somewhat- their connection definitely wasn’t
what it once was. Dumbledore had hidden so much from Harry, and had used him like a puppet.
Even if his motivations were pure, he used Harry, plain and simple- he left him in the
dark, and this meant that their relationship suffered as a consequence.
The resurrection stone only presents you with the shades of those that represent selfless,
unconditional love, and despite Dumbledore’s affection for Harry-their relationship was
never anywhere near this level. James, Lily, Remus and Sirius all cared for Harry more
than anything-and would easily prioritize his life over any other objective or goal,
and this is where Dumbledore differed. Dumbledore was a great man with huge goals-but it would
be silly to say that his love for Harry was entirely selfless-because it wasn’t. And
that’s why Dumbledore never showed up in the forbidden forest.
That’s it for this video! If you enjoy the content, please like the video and subscribe
to the channel. Until next time, YER A WIZARD ARRY.