Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re going to be discussing
Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and trying to unravel one of his dirtiest darkest secrets.
As early as the Philosopher’s Stone (in the first chapter, no less), we hear Dumbledore
mention a certain scar in a conversation with McGonagall. But it’s not the scar that you
probably thought of, Harry’s scar of legend, it’s actually one of Dumbledore’s OWN scars.
If the first place your mind went to was emotional scars then that would make perfect
sense, as Dumbledore, who lived quite the tumultuous life, would be riddled with them.
But in this instance we’re talking about a real bonafide scar.
The following is Dumbledore’s response to McGonagall’s query
about whether or not he could remove Harry’s scar:
“Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above
my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground."
For those unaware, the London Underground is a public transport network of underground railways
in London, also called The Tube. In this case, Dumbledore is referring to the Tube Map, which
is a map used by travellers on the underground. However, it’s not simply an overlay of the railway
lines onto a map of London; it’s a simplified version of lines to make it easier to follow.
Some may have interpreted this little quip as some sort of joke, but as it happens,
JK Rowling has since confirmed that this scar on Dumbledore’s left knee
was very much real. The problem, however, is that she has never revealed HOW he got it,
even avoiding the answer at a public Q&A 7 years after the first book’s release.
“How did Dumbledore get his scar of the London Underground?”
“You may find out one day. I am very fond of that scar.”
And now, 25 years after the release of the first book,
this question, like so many others, remains UNANSWERED.
Today, we’re going to be diving in and figuring out the cause of Dumbledore’s famous scar.
I’ve got 2 very different theories.
My first theory is that Dumbledore got the scar while trying to protect his sister,
Ariana. When Ariana Dumbledore was just 6 years old, she was brutally attacked by 3 muggle boys.
It was this incident that led to a permanent inability to control her magical abilities,
as well as the imprisonment of the Dumbledore family’s patriarch- Percival Dumbledore.
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 his crimes, he was sentenced to Azkaban,
and after he got locked up, the family moved from Mould-on-the-Wold to Godric’s Hollow.
“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.”
With Dumbledore’s father out of the picture,
Albus knew that he would have to step up and be strong for his family.
With Percival locked away, who would protect Ariana?
My theory is that after moving to Godric’s Hollow, bullying of Ariana persisted.
But with no Percival around to step in, Albus had to do it. It was now his responsibility.
And on one occasion, while protecting Ariana, Albus sustained some injuries- specifically,
a scar that oddly looked like a map of the London Underground.
And even though Albus wanted to defeat these bullies..to punish them. He couldn’t.
Because you see- Albus, one of the most powerful wizards of his time,
couldn’t use his vast magical arsenal. If he did, he would have secured the same fate as his father-
a sentence to Azkaban. Instead, Albus simply took the beating and allowed his sister to escape.
From that moment on it became entirely clear that Ariana was too vulnerable to be out on her own,
and the family tried their best to accommodate an interesting,
but certainly more sheltered life for her.
But now you may be asking yourself- wasn’t Dumbledore supposed to be FOND of this
scar? Why would he be fond of a memory that involved him getting beaten up?
The truth is, Albus did very little for his sister in his early years, and her death- which
came almost as a direct result of him putting her in harm’s way- was one of his greatest regrets.
Her death was the reason Dumbledore put on
Marvolo Gaunt’s ring. It’s the reason he had no fear of death.
Dying just meant that he might be presented with
another opportunity to see his sister and make amends.
Dumbledore was fond of the scar on his knee because it represented protecting
his little sister while not letting his emotions get the better of him.
He was fond of it because it symbolized one profoundly kind act towards the sister
that he otherwise let down again and again. It was the one time he
truly stepped up and allowed himself to be the big brother that she needed.
In death, we can only hope that they were reunited.
My second theory is that Dumbledore got this scar during his final duel
with Grindelwald in 1945. A personal reminder to Dumbleodre of the famous
duel that many would describe as the most epic in wizarding history.
“They say, still, that no Wizarding duel ever matched that between Dumbledore and Grindelwald
in 1945. Those who witnessed it have written of the terror and the awe they felt as they
watched these two extraordinary wizards do battle. Dumbledore’s triumph, and its consequences for the
Wizarding world, are considered a turning point in magical history to match the introduction of the
International Statute of Secrecy or the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Albus Dumbledore was
never proud or vain; he could find something to value in anyone, however apparently insignificant
or wretched, and I believe that his early losses endowed him with great humanity and sympathy.”
What IF- Dumbledore got a scar of the London Underground because he duelled Grindelwald
inside of the London Underground? With spells blasting all over the place,
it doesn’t sound entirely outside the realm of possibility for a spell to have bounced
off of a wall map-becoming somewhat infused with the pattern- and subsequently permeating
itself in to Dumbledore’s skin. Spells in Harry Potter have historically exhibited
all sorts of strange properties, and this seems like just the kind of strange- but
oddly significant- thing that could happen to someone like Dumbledore.
The only problem with this theory is that the latest Fantastic Beasts films seem to
predominantly take place in countries beside Britain, and I’ve always been of
the impression that their final duel took place on Grindelwald’s home turf. This is reinforced
by the fact that Grindelwald ended up being imprisoned in Nurmengard RATHER than Azkaban.
Furthermore, if this was indeed how he got the scar, why would this scenario
cause Dumbledore to be ‘fond’ of it? Given how close Grindelwald and Dumbledore were,
you’d imagine that a scar reminding him of their battle would elicit BAD memories.
But here’s the thing- defeating Grindelwald wasn’t all bad.
By defeating Grindelwald Albus Dumbledore helped save the wizarding world and many many lives. He
put others first and himself second. Yes, he had to fight the man that he once loved,
but in one fell swoop he was able to both save the day AND keep Grindelwald alive.
Grindelwald’s defeat also represented a shift in his perspective. After being
finally defeated by Dumbledore he inevitably came to the realization that he had always been wrong,
and this is reflected by the fact that he never even tried to escape Nurmengard. He
knew that he got what he deserved and that he would need to pay his penance.
Seeing Grindelwald like that must have brought Dumbledore great joy,
despite the lengths that he had to go to prompt this realization.
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Until next time
Remember
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live