Albus Dumbledore

[Pinkcess of the Abyss]

Thank you so much!

Mercury will be perfect! I haven't written Albus all that friverlous, well, in all fairness I've only written a letter from him, so it sounds like any other early 19th century letter. But I like the three-dimentional reasons for naming him Mercury. It seems like something he would do, especially at that age, when, like you said, later on he experiments with alchemy so it is possible he would have had an interest in it when he was younger. Plus, he'd have named his owl when he was around 11 or 12, when he first went to Hogwarts... being the brain child that he is I'd expect him to want to name his owl something intellegent, that has a meaning...

I can now stop naming the owl, ****. It really messes up the flow of your writing, you know? *laughs*

Thanks again! (this has been one of the best mornings ever! My first story approved and a name for the owl! the name has been REALLY bugging me)

(This is more likey just a me thing, but just in case, do you know when you try to imagine Albus Dumbledore as a young child, 11/12? Do you come up with an eleven year old with a ginger beard? It's like, I know he had aurborn hair when he was younger, but that is as young as my mind will let him go.)

[cmwinters]

Thank you so much!

Glad to help. Percy's owl was Hermes, so you couldn't use *that* name.

(This is more likey just a me thing, but just in case, do you know when you try to imagine Albus Dumbledore as a young child, 11/12? Do you come up with an eleven year old with a ginger beard? It's like, I know he had aurborn hair when he was younger, but that is as young as my mind will let him go.)

Hahahaha oh my god yes. Only, with kind of a rounder face, and smaller! *dies* But in the purple velvet cloak with gold and silver stars and moons on it!!! Hahaha! (And looking like a Richard Harris with a ginger beard and no wrinkes, but not Michael Gambon!)

*ahem*

/me hopes mods don't think that was horrifically off-topic *cough*

>.>

<.<

[MabelJT]

Admittedly, it is too difficult for me to imagine Albus Dumbledore as a normal adult. Let alone as a teenager, or as an eleven year old.

I don't even wish to attempt it.

And I'm not sure if it's just me, but another person I find hard to picture as 'young' is McGonagall. Seriously.

[Equinox Chick]

In POA Sirius tells us that Dumbledore knew there was a spy in the Order. Do you think he suspected anyone in particular?

I'm thinking that he'd narrowed it down to one of The Marauders because they didn't seem to suspect anyone else in the Order. (Sirius suspected Remus and vice versa.) I wondered if anyone had any insights into this.

[mudbloodproud]

In POA Sirius tells us that Dumbledore knew there was a spy in the Order. Do you think he suspected anyone in particular?

I'm thinking that he'd narrowed it down to one of The Marauders because they didn't seem to suspect anyone else in the Order. (Sirius suspected Remus and vice versa.) I wondered if anyone had any insights into this.

Okay, in PoA chapter seventeen, towards the end, Remus realizes James and Lily switched Secret Keepers. In chapter nineteen, Lupin states he thought Sirius was the spy and Sirius states he thought Remus was the spy.

As far as whom Dumbledore thought it was, I am thinking he didn't suspect Sirius as he would have tried to convince James and Lily not to use him. Perhaps he suspected Remus. Which when he needed a DA teacher, he may have thought of Remus to atone for suspecting him of being the traitor since at that point, everyone thought it was Sirius.

No one ever suspected Peter. Only Sirius knew the truth and his word meant nothing.
I don't believe Dumbledore ever spoke to Sirius in Azkaban about what happened. Otherwise, I think Sirius would have told him about Peter even though he had no proof.

[Pendraegona]

You guys know how Hermione said Harry sort of had a "saving people thing"? I was thinking the other day that Dumbledore sort of had a protecting-people-thing, given his complicated history with Ariana and Aberforth, the way he reacted when Umbridge was shaking Marietta, how he tried so hard to do what was best for Harry. The weird thing is, maybe Dumbledore was a lot more insecure with his complex than Harry was, like he feared that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't protect anyone anyway, and it all came to nothing (whereas Harry doesn't ever seem to consider the possibility that he can't save anyone, or that the cost to himself might be too great).

[Vault713]

In my story I have an OC that goes by nickname to all her friends and family, but she does not necessarily dislike her real first name. Do you think Dumbledore would refer to her by her nickname or her full first name. Everywhere I can find in the books the people he is talking to go by there first name. So do you think he would use her nickname, first name, or something else?

[Equinox Chick]

I don't think he'd call her by her nickname. He calls Tonks 'Nymphadora' and I think he's the only person who can get away with that (McGonagall possibly).

At school I believe he'd call her Miss ... and then her surname (He says Miss Granger and Mr Weasley). Out of school when she's older he'd use first names and invite her to call him Albus. Whether she does or not is largely down to how comfortable she feels doing so.

Carole

[Sapphire at Dawn]

Okay, so I was thinking about what Dumbledore would do after he had heard the prophecy. Would he tell Lily and James and Frank and Alice as soon as he heard it, or would he wait and leave it a bit? Would he tell both of them together, or apart? I was thinking that he probably would, but I'm actually not so sure. Dumbledore is a difficult character for me to figure out. Would he wait until he had concrete proof that it was the Potter's son Voldemort had marked out and save one set of parents from fear and worry, or tell them both as soon as he found out?

Also, what are people's thoughts on the timescale of the prophecy and Snape's message to Dumbledore? I've got it as the prophecy being made to Dumbledore in December, and Snape coming to him in late February.

Sarah x

[Northumbrian]

The Prophecy:

"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...."

(It’s not against the rues to print it in full, is it? Obviously these are JKR’s words, no infringement etc.)

…approaches… this implies that the prophecy was made before Harry or Neville were born.

Dumbledore would not (in my view) have told them before the births, because “as the seventh month dies” might easily have slipped into “when the eighth month dawns (unless wizards are a lot better with expected delivery dates than we are).

Snape didn’t start working at Hogwarts until after Harry was born (according to his interview with Umbridge).

Here is one possibility:
The prophecy is made while the school was closed for the summer (July 1980). Snape overhears part of the prophecy.
Snape tells Voldemort.
Dumbledore says nothing until after the boys are born (August).
He tells them separately that he believes that Voldemort may target them, probably telling them that it’s because they have defied him three times, but he would not mention the prophecy. He would, however, help both families to hide
Voldemort has a decision to make. I can see Snape desperately trying to persuade his master that it must “obviously” be the Longbottom boy.
Voldemort decides that it’s Potter and Snape changes sides. He speaks to Dumbledore again. This could take place any time from August 1980 to August 1981 (if that’s when Snape starts working at Hogwarts). I suggest that it's earlier, rather than later, to allow Snape to spend a year as Dumbledore's spy before the murders.

This only leaves us with the secret-keeper, problem. Perhaps Pettigrew knew for an entire year before he finally cracked and changed sides.

Neil