#dumbledore headcanons

[inthemoodforblastt]

the fact that Dumbledore took the cloak from James, then later gave it to Harry in his first year, so... through all that time it was with him, and... do you think Dumbledore ever mentioned it to Severus? or did he only find out about it at the end of PoA?

because it was kind of a pretty significant thing for him, since, well, 100% during his time at school there must have been a million moments when he thought that... he felt some kind of presence somewhere but just couldn’t see anyone. when the Marauders knew things they shouldn’t have known. possibly when he was hexed from some random spot and had no idea where it came from or who did it.... well, he probably guessed Who, he just didn’t understand how or where from.

i think if this knowledge had come out at the end of PoA, it would have been very, very stressful for him.

Well, honestly, I think he had absolutely no idea, because if he had known, he would’ve caught on to Harry using the Cloak way earlier in Philosopher’s Stone. I don’t think he knew. I don’t think he had a fucking clue. Dumbledore didn’t tell him.

And maybe he didn’t tell him because he didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire, thinking that if he explained it, Severus would resent the kid even more. Like: “Oh, right, so this was the reason? And on top of being cowards who were incapable of attacking me one by one, who had to gang up on me when I was alone because they knew they couldn’t take me otherwise, they were hiding too?”

I mean, honestly, I find it incredible that J.K. Rowling genuinely tries to convince us that those four were Gryffindors because people who are incapable of doing their shitty things alone and need to hide under a magical object that makes them invisible so they can attack people and play pranks… I mean, to me they’re the absolute peak of having no balls. I swear someone should’ve smacked each of them round the head and said: “You’re all idiots. And your balls never dropped as babies, apparently.”

But anyway, I don’t think he told him. I think maybe consciously he didn’t tell him for the reasons I mentioned at the start, not wanting to stir things up further or reopen wounds. But I also don’t think he gave much of a shit in another sense. And I’m not saying that to defend Dumbledore. I think because he never really saw that bullying as serious, never truly considered it bullying at all, he probably just saw it as kids being kids, and his golden boys couldn’t possibly be actual abusers.

Because in the end we have to understand that admitting his precious boys were bullies would’ve meant admitting that he himself had been negligent, that he had been prejudiced, and that he’d failed not only Severus but a whole group of children he’d essentially abandoned and left to fend for themselves, thinking: whatever happens to them happens, I’m not dealing with it. If they have problems, I’ll wash my hands of it. He would’ve had to admit that to himself.

And Dumbledore is someone with a huge ego. His whole self-image is built around the idea of having sacrificed what he wanted most for the greater good, right? He suppresses and represses everything he feels in favour of what’s supposedly right. So I think his entire image of himself is built around that idea: I did this, therefore this ideal stands above me. So admitting that he’s still prejudiced, still negligent, and that he contributed to the abuse, marginalisation and radicalisation of a lot of children would crack that spotless image he has of himself. So he would never do it.

But genuinely, I don’t think he did tell him. Consciously, because of the reasons I mentioned at the beginning, not wanting to make things worse. And unconsciously, because underneath it all, telling him would mean admitting a mistake, admitting a mistake would mean admitting he’s a piece of shit, and admitting that would mean accepting that all the things he believes he sacrificed and abandoned for some greater purpose didn’t magically make him a better person, because he’d still have a lot to unpack and confront within himself.

And an ego like his —especially in a man, and especially in an older man— can’t handle that, because that’s just how men are.

[maxdibert]

Do you think dumbledore forced Snape to switch sides? Wouldn’t Snape be facing a trial and be sent to azkaban if he’d refused Dumbledore?

In my opinion, he manipulated him into believing that doing everything he said was the only way to save Lily, and Severus was desperate because of that, so he clearly did everything he wanted. Then I imagine that Dumbledore basically took advantage of Severus’s guilt and grief to fully instill the idea that he owed something not just to Lily but to society, and that only through him could he atone for his sins. Dumbledore didn’t need to threaten him; he used something much more dangerous—paternalism. Under that image of a disappointed but understanding father with his son who had strayed from the path, he got Severus to do whatever he wanted and, in the process, turned him into his most loyal dog.

[coffee-ig]

Yandere Platonic Dumbledore with a sister like darling

TW: Yandere themes (also I got a little carried away)

We all know how much he loved his sister and how guilty he felt for her.

...and it was overbearing-

So, when he met you at Hogwarts a student who was different, almost as if they were related. But according to records or anything or such things they weren't.

But that didn't stop him from taking them under his wing and teach them, slowly and slowly he grew much more obsessed with them, and that was bad.

It really didn't matter how much or what you reminded him of his sister, it mattered that you were similar. He never though that he might get out of the guilt of her killing her but here you were helping him! He is also not in his right mind to know what he is doing at this point.

He promised that he won't fail you unlike his sister.

He always knows what is happening with you inside the school and outside the school too, he always watches you.

Someone will always be with you no matter what, they just follow his orders most of the time.

He for the most of the part isn't delusional, he knows what he is doing is wrong but can't help it. It feels like he has got a second chance to finally redeem himself and now he can't let go of that.

He is also one of the most powerful wizard of all time and can be terrifying to the core. No one really knows what he is planning half of the times and what his plan his.

He is very attentive and observant of details, he will also comfort you whenever he can but don't expect him to be very affectionate.

The time when his death finally comes to him, he will tell everything he had done for you and why. He would tell that you were his sister although you weren't and he knew it was unhealthy but he can't help himself. Which had led to so many things. But chances are that you might never find them as we had seen in the movie and book that half of the things were hidden or gave when he believed they were old enough.

Also he does love giving you gifts, he would love to send you chocolates.

If you by chance have a portrait of him with yourself he would speak to you almost everyday.

[inthemoodforblastt]

How do you personally make sense of the more questionable canon moments in Harry Potter? Like, how the hell did Sirius end up in Azkaban with basically no proper investigation—no wand check, nothing? Do you have your own explanation for that, or do you think it was just a lazy way for J. K. Rowling to sideline him for twelve years?

What do you think about the whole “Grand Plan” theory around Albus Dumbledore?

And what’s your take on Severus Snape’s death scene? Didn’t it feel like a total deus ex machina—kind of illogical, forced, and relying on absurd levels of luck just because the author needed it to happen?

The Sirius thing used to piss me off badly when I was younger, because it seemed absolutely absurd to me. We can speculate that maybe a lot of people saw it as something to be expected since not only was he a Black, but he had also shown sadistic and violent behaviour as a teenager, because it’s canon that he used to torment people for fun and committed attempted murder. But I think that’s an incredibly weak excuse; I don’t buy that theory at all, and not because of what his fanboys say about “no one would’ve doubted he was the person most loyal to the Potters,” because honestly, Remus doubted him, and Remus knew better than anyone what kind of relationship he and James had, yet he still found it plausible. It’s because it’s utterly stupid to imprison someone without evidence and then try to sell the idea that it makes sense. I mean, sometimes people are jailed without evidence because they then go looking for incriminating evidence afterwards, but in this case not even that.

AndDumbledore not lifting a finger for him? This is something I’ve thought ever since I read the fifth book (and we’re talking nearly twenty years ago xD): that it suited Dumbledore just fine that Sirius was imprisoned. He may or may not have had suspicions, but he did nothing because Sirius was an element that interfered with his plans for Harry, because he wouldn’t have just stood there while Harry was taken to the Dursleys, nor would he have accepted it. And even if Dumbledore had explained the importance of Harry staying with Petunia, the moment Sirius saw how they treated the boy, he would’ve tried to get him out of there. Besides, Sirius had a very strong anti-authoritarian personality, which is a problem. James could keep him in check, but with James out of the picture, Dumbledore risked having an unpredictable element, and that wouldn’t have suited him either. Let’s remember that Dumbledore, above all else, is a general, and he has to think on a global scale. So I think he didn’t even bother intervening on Sirius’s behalf because it was convenient for him, and by not intervening he directly enabled Sirius’s imprisonment, because if Dumbledore wasn’t defending him, then there must have been a reason.

But I’ve always thought Dumbledore was, in a way, bothered by Sirius, because later in Order of the Phoenix he leaves him shut up in his house knowing the man is a walking time bomb, and does nothing to ease his situation. And I think he keeps him confined because he thinks Sirius is more controllable there than outside, and that outside he’d be a problem not only because he was wanted by everyone, but in general for the Order. Sirius was a pawn, not even an important piece to him. He wasn’t much use for Dumbledore’s plans except as trench meat in direct confrontations with Death Eaters; beyond that, strategically he was useless to him. So he was one of the most expendable. He couldn’t infiltrate the Ministry, have contact with Aurors, or do anything Dumbledore would actually find useful. So there you go. But that’s been my humble theory since I was thirteen, lads.

I think Dumbledore had a plan, because he imagined Tom would return, so to me it’s not a theory but a fact xD.

Now, Severus had all the makings of dying because he’s one of those characters you narratively expect to be killed off: as an antihero and antagonist to the protagonist, he has to die in order to restore his honour. It’s quite a common cliché when we’re talking about characters seen as negative who need a redemption arc (personally I’m not very fond of doing this unless it genuinely makes sense for the character to die, don’t feel compelled to kill off my most problematic characters). So from that angle it was expected. But I think everything happens far too abruptly, very deus ex machina, and very much like an easy plot device on Rowling’s part. But honestly, the deaths in Harry Potter are complete rubbish. Sirius’s was ridiculous, same with Fred, Remus, Tonks... they’re genuinely infuriating whether you like the characters or not, they’re just narratively awful. Same goes for the death of Bellatrix, which is a mess, because having Molly kill her for plot convenience when Bellatrix would wipe the floor with Molly with her eyes closed... So really, with Severus we couldn’t have expected much better, what can I tell you.