WARNING, SPOILERS:
Full name Albus Percival Wolfric
Brian Dumbledore. Born around 1840-46, died 1997. Headmaster of Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the novels by
Jo Rowling. Named for the Latin for white, and an Anglo-Saxon term meaning "bumblebee", as Rowling imagined the old
man humming about the
school. Headed the Order of the Phoenix in both its incarnations. Campaigned for the truth about the evil Voldemort to be known, but was unimpressed by his power and pretensions; addressed Voldemort simply as "
Tom" (Marvolo Riddle) whenever they met. Killed for reasons Harry Potter does not at first comprehend, but as for the question of whether we see him again, hey, this is Hogwarts, remember? Recently outed by author Rowling as
gay (!!! go Jo !!!); his greatest mistake was to fall in love with Gellert Grindelwald. Wise old
man who has come by his wisdom in that hallowed academy, the School of Hard Knocks. Warm, friendly, fierce when necessary, had style, truly unforgettable. Played in the movies by the late great Richard Harris (years 1&2), and subsequently by Michael Gambon. At once among the finest wizards and finest
gay characters to
grace the pages of fiction.
Albus Dumbledore. The only wizard
Voldemort ever feared.
"Exactly", said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 245, Bloomsbury ed.
"You
mean he was weak!", screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what
will be mine!"
"No, he was cleverer than you", said Harry, "a better wizard, a better
man."
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, p. 592
