Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re going to be discussing
Voldemort, Dumbledore, and one rather large question that I’m sure has crossed the minds
of every Harry Potter fan at one point or another: Why didn’t Dumbledore just HUNT
Voldemort down?
I know I know, it’s not that simple. Logistically this subject is..Precarious to say the least.
But, just for a moment let’s pretend that Dumbledore decided to set off in search of
Voldemort and simply killed the tyrannical dark wizard- effectively stopping him in his
tracks. And if not KILL him, couldn’t he have imprisoned him in the same way that he
imprisoned Grindelwald?
In the event of EITHER of these situations, what would have happened next? Would this
have been any kind of a permanent solution? And of course the big one: is this situation
even a feasible one? Join me as we unpack the question of why on earth Dumbledore FAILED
to defeat Voldemort all by himself- instead relying on the fabled ‘Boy who lived’.
Let’s dive in.
The first thing that I want to reinforce is that Dumbledore was, unquestionably, one of
the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe.
From an extremely young age Dumbledore’s magical abilities consistently turned heads,
particularly his skills surrounding charms and transfiguration. He also did exceptionally
well on his N.E.W.T.S and Griselda Marchbanks, a professor working for the Wizarding Examinations
Authority, remarked that Albus was able to do things with a wand that ‘she had never
seen before’.
In his youth, Dumbledore also spent much of his time with Gellert Grindelwald, another
one of the wizarding world’s most powerful wizards. By association, it’s likely that
the two boys skillsets merged to some extent- resulting in each wizard achieving a greater
level of power than what would have been independently possible.
As Dumbledore grew older, he left no stone unturned when it came to magical abilities-
becoming a master of transfiguration, charms, potions, elemental magic, occlumency, and
more.
Dumbledore is truly the exception to the phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ - as
he was a master of all.
So if Dumbledore was SO powerful, what was stopping him from tracking Voldemort down
and overpowering him, putting an end to the dark lord’s reign?
Well, there are a number of reasons.
The first reason is that Dumbledore, though exceedingly powerful, was equally as modest.
This is exemplified in the following conversation between him and McGonagall:
“But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort,
was frightened of."
"You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."
To which Mcgonagall replies: "Only because you're too - well - noble to use them."
Though Dumbledore possessed power that was potentially unmatched by every other wizard,
he believed that Voldemort had achieved a level of power akin to his own. With the belief
that Voldemort was just as strong (if not stronger than him), why would the wise tactician
that is Dumbledore embark on such a risky mission?
Furthermore, Dumbledore knew all about Voldemort’s Horcruxes- horrific dark relics that tied
Voldemort to the mortal realm. So long as Voldemort possessed all of his Horcruxes,
Voldemort would be able to return back to the land of the living over and over. Dumbledore,
on the other hand, did not have this luxury. While Dumbledore was incredibly powerful,
he was also very much MORTAL- as shown during the events atop the Astronomy Tower in the
Half-Blood Prince. Even if Dumbledore was entirely confident
that he was 10, 20- even 30% stronger than Voldemort, there was still a chance that he
could be defeated by Voldemort, and if he lost then it would be game over. Sure, with
the knowledge of Voldemort’s Horcruxes Dumbledore may have just tried to overpower and imprison
Voldemort, but I imagine that task would have been even more difficult. Even with an existing
power gap, Voldemort would not have been easily subdued with power and power alone.
This brings me to my next point…
Instead of actively pursuing Voldemort, Dumbledore instead made it his mission to look after
others and ensure that those under his care were well-protected.
Dumbledore recognized the importance of preserving the wizarding world's cultural heritage, and
he took his role as headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry very seriously.
As headmaster, he was responsible for preserving the school's traditions and ensuring that
future generations of wizards would be able to learn and grow in a safe and supportive
environment. Had Dumbledore gone off on some dangerous mission and fallen at the hands
of Voldemort, the wizarding world would’ve been that much more open to attacks.
Voldemort was a powerful and ruthless wizard that feared no one…EXCEPT for Dumbledore.
As long as Dumbledore was around, Voldemort would be forced to lurk in the shadows (at
least somewhat) and slowly rebuild. Without Dumbledore, Voldemort would have been able
to launch an attack on the wizarding world much sooner.
There are several instances in the series where Voldemort expresses fear or concern
about Dumbledore. For example, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort is shown
to be worried about the fact that Dumbledore has been studying him and gathering information
about his past.
Voldemort is also known to have avoided direct confrontation with Dumbledore whenever possible.
Overall, while Voldemort was a powerful and intimidating wizard, he did fear Dumbledore's
strength and intelligence, and recognized him as a formidable opponent. Regardless of
how Voldemort sought to portray himself- a fearless bloodthirsty warlord- most witches
and wizards knew that deep down he feared Dumbledore, and Voldemort KNEW that Dumbledore
had more than enough talent to defeat him.
In order to protect his students and preserve other aspects of the wizarding world, Dumbledore
decided NOT to try and hunt down Voldemort himself. Instead, he focused his efforts on
teaching, protecting and empowering others.
The next reason that Dumbledore avoided confronting Voldemort was the fabled Prophecy, which foretold
the birth of a child with the power to vanquish Voldemort:
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have
thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as
his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the
hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."
The prophecy essentially predicted that Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort were destined to
face each other in a final confrontation, with one ultimately defeating the other.
Dumbledore believed that this prophecy referred to young Harry, and that it was Harry’s
destiny to defeat Voldemort and not his own. For this reason he chose to support Harry
and give him aid where possible rather than face Voldemort himself. What good could come
from facing Voldemort if HE wasn’t the one destined to defeat him.
The final reason that Dumbledore may have avoided hunting Voldemort comes down to his
character. For most of his youth, Dumbledore was a man of dubious morality- often making
the wrong choices in the pursuit of power. However, following the death of his sister,
and his parting of ways from Grindelwald, Dumbledore no longer glorified ‘power’
in the way that he once did. The immense trauma that he had endured forced Dumbledore to sit
down and reevaluate what was important to him. In this period of reevaluation, he realized
that it was no longer his ambition to seek power or assert dominance over others. Hunting
down Voldemort and having the dark lord grovel at his feet for freedom would have been against
the new way of life that he had paved for himself.
Dumbledore’s sheer desire to avoid any form of power is well demonstrated in the following
passage:
“Years passed. There were rumors about him. They said he had procured a wand of immense
power. I, meanwhile, was offered the post of Minister of Magic, not once, but several
times. Naturally, I refused. I had learned that I was not to be trusted with power.”
“But you’d have been better, much better, than Fudge or Scrimgeour!” burst out Harry.
“Would I?” asked Dumbledore heavily. “I am not so sure. I had proven, as a very young
man, that power was my weakness and my temptation. It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps
those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like
you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and
ﬁnd to their own surprise that they wear it well.
"I was safer at Hogwarts. I think I was a good teacher—"
And that’s it for this video! What do you think? Did this thought ever occur to you?
Leave a comment down below!
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Until next time
Remember
There is plenty to be learned even from a bad teacher: what not to do, how not to be