These are elements of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that would seem to be related to either the Dumbledore or Snape mysteries, but they have loop-holes or unresovled bits of information, and we’re not sure about them and are still checking into them…
(Page numbers shown are for US Edition/UK Edition.)
There are three unanswered aspects to this question.
First, do unbreakable vows have a time limit? It’s unlikely they do, because you’d think it would have to be stated when the vow was made, and no such time limit was set.
But if they don’t have time limits, then it’s sort of hard to enforce an unbreakable vow, isn’t it?
“Hey! You didn’t fulfill your promise!” “No wait! I just haven’t gotten around to it, you can’t kill me yet!”
Second, I believe if you re-read all of chapter 2, you’ll see that the exact details of Draco’s task are never spoken outloud in that scene, we only learn of the details later.
If the exact nature of what Snape’s promising to do are not spoken exactly, but possibly only an understanding between the parties, what promise is he held to, exactly? Can he be held to details of a vow that weren’t expressly stated? Am I watching too many lawyer shows on TV?
One of Draco’s main tasks was to fix the vanishing cabinet so he could sneak his Death Eater pals into Hogwarts. Perhaps that’s what Snape vowed to help with, and in that case, Draco suceeeded, so Snape’s off the hook.
Third, this unanswerable question is based on the assumption that Dumbledore isn’t really dead, so Snape didn’t kill him, so he didn’t fulfill the vow.
But what if the person you made the vow with thinks you fulfilled it? The world, including Narcissa and Bellatrix (and you, possibly, up until you read this site! 🙂 thinks that Dumbledore is dead. So does that fulfill Snape’s vow?
This one is possibly unanswerable until we can either dig out some more clues buried elsewhere in the book, or possibly we won’t know until book 7.
Does it state anywhere in a Harry Potter book that you have to be dead to be on the wall in the headmaster’s office? I can’t prove this, but I think it’s just more likely the only requirement is you have to be a former headmaster, and it just so happens all of the former headmasters previous to Dumbledore are currently dead.
The book says:
…a new portrait had joined the ranks of the dead headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts: Dumbledore was slumbering in a golden frame above his desk, his half-moon spectacles perched upon his crooked nose, looking peaceful and untroubled.
HBP pg 626/584
Yes, we see it says Dumbledore joined the ranks of the dead headmasters. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he is dead, it just means the others of the ranks he was joining were dead.
2a. If Dumbledore Is Alive, Where Is Umbridge’s Portrait?
So, you may say, if all the portraits on the wall in the headmaster’s office aren’t necessarily dead, then where’s the portrait of Dolores Jane Umbridge? She was temporarily headmistress last year.
First of all, we don’t know there’s not a portrait of Umbridge. It’s never been mentioned, but it’s never been mentioned there isn’t one, either.
But, some have asked, the event of the death of the headmaster is surely what triggers the creation of the new portrait.
Unfortunately, we just don’t know enough about this. For example, it’s possible that you may have actually had to have worked in the office to be honored there. That would leave the toad-lady out, since she was locked out of the headmaster’s office during her tenure. Or, perhaps, it is a declaration by the Hogwarts board of governers which creates the portrait, in which case, Umbridge wouldn’t have one because the ministry appointed her.
Of course, it’s also possible that Dolores is so hated, that the other portraits got together and banned her portrait to a closet someplace…
And speaking of Umbridge…
Everyone who was everyone in the Wizarding world showed up for Dumbledore’s funeral, including Dolores! Weren’t you a bit shocked to see her there?
She could have been there out of respect, but we know she wouldn’t mean it, and as she must surely be way down on the Ministry ladder right now, who would she be trying to impress by the act?
I think it’s much more likely that it was arranged for her to be there, as a witness. If the plan was to have the world believe that Dumbledore is dead, then having the toad-lady there as a witness to his funeral would be pretty compelling proof for the Dumbledore haters who Umbridge represents that Dumbledore really is gone.
Potions come into play a lot in the course of Half-Blood Prince. In chapter 9, Professor Slughorn presents four already-made potions to his first class, three of which figure prominently in the story.
They are Veritaserum (truth potion), Polyjuice Potion, which we find out later is being used by Crabbe and Goyle to disguise themselves as girls while they’re lookouts for Draco, Amortentia (love potion), which Ron accidentally injests from a candy meant for Harry, and Feilx Felicis, which aids the members of Dumbledore’s Army later in the climax of the story.
Then, in the same class, Harry, with the aid of the Half-Blood Prince, produces a perfect Draught of Living Death, which was introduced to us way back in Snape’s first lesson in the first book. Interestingly, in pratically the same breath, Snape also mentions the bezoar which also figures prominently in Half-Blood Prince, and also wolfsbane, which we know helps Lupin later in Prisoner of Azkaban:
“For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As far as monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant…
SS/PS pg 138/103
Some fans are speculating that the fifth potion in this scene is important too, that Dumbledore uses the Draught of Living Death to somehow fake his dead that night up on the tower. While this theory is possible, besides the mention of the Draught of Living Death here in chapter 9, to my knowledge there is no other evidence to support this theory.
Other fans speculate that whatever Dumbledore had to drink in the cave to get access to the locket/horcrux either is or is related to the Draught of Living Death. This is also possible, we’ll just have to wait until Book 7 to see for sure.
Another theory some fans have put forward involves a clue that has to do with Dumbledore’s pensieve.
When we first see the pensieve in Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore demonstates for Harry how memories are put into it:
Dumbledore drew his wand out of the inside of his robes and placed the tip into his own silvery hair, near his temple. When he took the wand away, hair seemed to be clinging to it — but then Harry saw that it was in fact a glistening strand of the same strange silvery-white substance that filled the Pensieve. Dumbledore added this fresh thought to the basin, and Harry, astonished, saw his own face swimming around the surface of the bowl.
GoF pg 597/519
We saw the pensieve in operation in Order of the Phoenix also:
Snape pulled out his wand from an inside pocket of his robes and Harry tensed in his chair, but Snape merely raised the wand to his temple and placed the tip into the greasy roots of his hair. When he withdrew it, some silvery substance came away, stretching from temple to wand like a thick gossamer strand, which broke as he pulled the wand away from it and fell gracefully into the Pensieve, where it swirled silvery white, neither gas nor liquid.
OotP pg 533/471
Both nearly identical descriptions of two different people putting a memory of their own into the pensieve.
But now, take a look at this from Half-Blood Prince:
“…I have two last memories that I would like to share with you.” Dumbledore indicated the two little crystal bottles gleaming beside the Pensieve.
HBP pg 430/402
“And now for the very last recollection I have to show you” … Harry got to his feet once more as Dumbledore emptied the last memory into the Pensieve. “Who’s memory is it?” he asked. “Mine,” said Dumbledore.
HBP pg 440/412
If this was his own memory, why would Dumbledore have stored this memory in a bottle rather than just pull it out his head the way he and Snape had done before?
Although I consider this unlikely, fans are pointing to this clue to theorize that Dumbledore hasn’t been Dumbledore for all of, or at least a great portion of, the book, and that the Dumbledore we see is someone using Polyjuice potion to pretend to be him, and therefore the real Dumbledore isn’t dead. Only a fake Dumbledore would have to have the memory in a bottle, because only the real Dumbledore could take it directly out of his head.
But it’s also just possible Dumbledore sealed the important memory in the bottle for safe-keeping…
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This is truely spectacular… I hope Rowling brings back Dumbledore.
Hi. Sorry to burst your bubble guys but in the program she did with Irving and King, she said explicitly “Dumbledore is dead.” But I totally agree that Snape is not a Death Eater. He was following orders so that he WOULD NOT be breaking his Unbreakable vow. Also, Umbridge was never a “rightful” headmistress, she was just wrongly allowed to usurp the position (that’s why the room sealed itself against her) so that explains why she does not have a portrait on the wall.
The site is wonderful! I must admit that when I read the last few chapters of HBP I was devistated. I too came up with alot of these same theories when I first read the book. Having said that;
This is my theory why Snape switched sides. I have maintained all along that Snape for all his loathmness is still a good guy. I think the reason that he became a member of the Order is because he felt love for someone. In GOF (the movie) Prof. Lupin tells Harry that he recognised him the first time he saw him because he had his “mothers eyes”, and “Not only was she a singularily gifted witch, but she had a way of seeing the best in people, even when they couldn’t see it in themselves”. I think that Snape disspite how he had treated her in the memory from the pensive, loved her, as did Lupin and Sirius. It’s my opinion that when he found out which baby Voldamort had decided to kill he couldn’t bare the thought of anything happening to Lilly or her child, so he went to AD and joined the Order. I think everything else for him is a ruse, I don’t believe he hates harry, although I am sure he doesn’t love him he wants to protect him because his mother was so kind to him, and saw the good in him even when no one else did. I also believe that the “awful boy” that Aunt Petunia refers to in HBP was Snape rather then James.
I still don’t want to believe that AB is actually dead, but after reading the book again last week I think that he is, I think that the reason the spell seemed to be different is because of the feelings of the person casting it. I think that Snape admired AB and couldn’t stand the idea of hurting him any more then he had to so although verbally he cast the killing curse, non-verbally he may have cast another that would cushion his fall from the tower so as to not cause any more trauma to him then necessary, out of respect if you know what I mean.
I believe that the locket that Harry found while cleaning the cabinet at the Black house is indeed the Horcruxe that he and Dumbledore were going after, and I am also sure he will find it again and realize what it is now that he has seen it in the pensive, and destroy it. And I have one more theory about the Black house. I actually thought of it after reading the HBP again this time. You know how AB’s portrait showed up behind the headmasters desk, well wouldn’t that be a great way for Harry to be able to speak to Sirius? He was the last Black family member to own the house, what if his portrait shows up there where Mrs Blacks portrait was and hers moves somewhere else because that is part of the houses magic. I know it’s far fetched but I liked it. JKR has said that the mirror that Sirius gave Harry would resurface in the 7th book, maybe they will repair the one that he gave harry and that is how he and Ron and Hermione will be able to talk to each other if Harry doesn’t go back to school. Ok, now I am just rambling. That’s all my theories for now. Let me know what you think.
Simplify your comment on the portrait:
Dumbledore’s picture is in the chocolate frog boxes, and he also moves out of it. There are many moving pictures of living people in the newspaper and Moody’s old photo of the Order. So you don’t need to be dead for an active picture.
How about speaking?
Well, suppose the Sorting Hat, who was created by bits of minds of the four Founders, spoke already, when they were alive. This is believable, because all four had to cooperate to create the Hat, but later Salazar stopped cooperation and hated the others so much he installed a monster for his heir. So after their break they didn’t create the Hat. So the Hat was doing his job when at least some of the four Founders were still alive.
So you can put a copy of yome of your thoughts to an object to make it talk like you.
So it is possible to have Albus’ portrait talking and moving which he is not yet dead.
Greetings
Andre Ay
I think Albus Dumbledore can have a portrait whether his body is dead or whether his body and soul are both dead. I suspect the truth of the matter is that his body is dead. His soul, or at least a part of it, is maintained in Fawkes as a Horcrux. So, Dumbledore can be brought back to a living body just as Voldemort was at the graveyard. Whther this actually happens or not is yet to be seen.
I just developed a theory, based on the Pensieve question: Snape and Dumbledore switched places! Snape would be killed (in Dumbledore’s place) and Dumbledore would infiltrate in Voldemorts army. It’s crazy, and I don’t have evidence besides that, but who knows?
snape really can’t be that bad. when the girls were outside his office and he ran out and told them to help flitwick, they did. they had taken the lucky potion, so it must have been the better thing not to stop snape, but to help flitwick, so snape couldnt have been doing something that bad
This is an amazing website,and I really do hope Dumbledore is alive. But..
As Harry said, just as Snape was about to kill him, he had never heard Dumbledore act like this before, he had never heard Dumbledore beg, he was begging for his life. (“oh, god when i read that sentence i cryed”) BUT!
Remember in the GOF, when Harry saw His parents and Cedirc Diggory and the old man Frank.. And Dumbledore said it wasnt possible for the dead to become living once again.
I think this will play a big part in the 7th book
As to the Unbreakable Vow and Death issue, I think that it is up to the third person to determine whether or not the vow has been broken. This would explain why Bellatrix was needed to seal the vow and her surprise at being picked, after all, Snape would be giving her a lot of power over his life.
But this also means that as long as Bellatrix BELIEVES that Snape fulfilled the vow, he is safe. If fact, there may be a spell to lift the vow now that it is no longer needed.
“I suspect the truth of the matter is that his body is dead. His soul, or at least a part of it, is maintained in Fawkes as a Horcrux.”
Dumbledore has a horcrux?! Whom did he murder in order to split his soul?
People say that Dumbledore’s portrait means he is dead, since he has joined the ranks of the other dead headmasters and mistresses. Well, if the only people who know he’s not dead are Snape and Dumbledore himself, how would whatever person making these portraits know he wasn’t dead? As far as anyone one dealing with the portraits is concernd, Dumbledore is dead, so it’s time to add him to the wall.
This would also explain why Umbridge’s portrait wasn’t there, since she was still alive, though personally I believe the theory that Headmasters and Mistresses are added once not serving there anymore, and Umbridge doesn’t count because she was appointed by the ministry.
However, what I have explained here would support both theories as entirely possible.
Also, which I didn’t mention above, I believe I found a bigger loophole in the Unbreakable Vow theory.
As Narcissa was making the vow, she said-
“And, should it prove necessary… if it seems Draco will fail…” whispered Narcissa (Snape’s had twitched withen hers, but he did not draw away), “will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?”
Emphasis on ‘should it prove necessary’.
If Snape was the one who was to carry out Draco’s deed if he failed, then he would decide when and if it was necessary to carry it out. If he never found it necessary, then he could cheat the vow.
I also thought of another unanswerable question and a possible explanation: Why would Dumbledore plan his death in the first place? He was the only person the wizarding community could look up to, he was the most powerful wizard besides Voldemort.
Well obviously, if he stayed at Hogqarts, his loyal follower would also stay. Yes, that is Harry. If he hadn’t faked his death, Harry wouldn’t’ve left Hogwarts for his Horcrux quest.
you are so right dumbledore can not be dead.1 why wuold snape kill dumbledore he has put up with him for lots of years if snape really hated dumbledore he would have killed dubledore ages ago.
this is a wonderful site…
i hav a question.. mundungus was banned from d hogs head, as it has been said in the 5th book, and the barman havin a good memeory… but in the 6th book, harry spots dung with someone in hogsmeade and reconises him as the barman from hogs head(aberforth, dumbuldore’s bro)… if he was banned, how com it is tat he’s frnds wdt the barman?
i think there’s one more possibility you should consider regarding the bottled pensieve memories. last time i read half blood prince was when it newly came out, so im not so sure of the exact details, but i remember that the first time harry saw one of slughorn’s memories, and it was modified, with parts erased. when harry had to get the original memory, he got it from slughorn in a bottle. i think it may be possible that the memories dumbledore showed harry were modified, like slughorn’s. again, i dont remember the exact details of the book, so i’ll leave it to you to theorize as to why he’d use modified memories, other than that he might be a fake dumbledore.
Here’s a question that’s been bugging me since I first saw this site. There is a theory that Dumbledore had Snape kill him to fulfill some unknown purpose.
Why in the world does Dumbledore think he would be more useful in the battle with Voldemort dead than alive?!
I think that Dumbledore is expecting Voldemort to be overconfident…knowing that He is not around, and that Harry will be confronting him alone. Overconfidence ususally makes for sloppy work
I think this is all really good, but there’s just one place where I have something to say…
The theory that Dumbledore is not Dumbledore for most of the book doesnt really fit. I dont think Dumbledore would be that irresponsible to actually hand himself to someone else, especially not at a time where he has so much to teach Harry. To explain the whole memory-in-a-bottle situation, here’s my theory:
We all know that Snape stored his memories in the Pensieve before he and Harry practiced Occlumency because (even though Harry was horrible at it) there was a chance that Harry could get an insight into Snape’s mind (which he does later, seeing flashes from Snape’s childhood). And memories aren’t even safe in the Pensieve. Didnt Harry view Snape’s worst memory in OotP by simply going into the Pensieve? So isnt there atleast a small possibility that Dumbledore put his memory in a bottle to make sure nobody would ever see it?
To the comment related to Snape and Dumbledore switching places with polyjuice potion…
The last memory that particular Dumbledore(or disguised Snape) shows Harry is of the prophecy of Trelawney. When Harry asks whose memory it is, Dumbledore/possibly Snape says, “Mine.” If it is Snape, then he too can truly say “mine,” because he was at the Hogshead that evening…also…I think ( I really ought to read it for the 7th time ) that the memory is cut off and Dumbledore/Snape says “unfortunately there was an interruption” or something to that effect and since the memory is NOT completely seen, it is not clear whose memory it is! If the memory had been fully lived as Dumbledore’s, he would have stayed in the room with Trelawney. Were it Snape’s, then the memory would logically follow Snape’s uncermonious ejection from the Inn.
Regardless, the theory of Snape and Dumbledore switching places, while farfetched, can be logically explained, and do fit in with the bottled memory theory.
Of course…it could just be for safekeeping…
I agree with Phablo that Dumbledore (wanted to) die because then Harry would continue with the Horcrux hunt. And that he went with Harry to get the (fake) horcrux to secretly communicate to Harry that that’s what he (Dumbledore) would’ve wanted him to do: find the other horcruxes.
…RIP Albus Dumbledore…
Interesting article. Unfortunately, the fact is that he is “dead,” and very few of these “Unanswered Questions” are in fact unanswered, or at least unanswerable.
Question 1.
The idea of a time limit is an intriguing one, and something which occurred to me around my second reading of the book. I agree that it’s unlikely, and would suggest that the ‘time frame’ has to do with a.) the situation at hand and b.) opportunity. I think that, with Draco obviously unable to commit murder, and given the opportunity to kill Dumbledore, had Snape not done so, then the Vow would have been considered broken.
Also, Draco’s task was never to fix the vanishing cabinet. I don’t have the book with me so I can’t specifically reference it, but I believe the cabinet was an innovation entirely his own, certainly meant to help in his task of killing Dumbledore, but not the task itself.
Question 2. (including 2a)
If you didn’t have to be dead to get your picture on the wall, why has Dumbledore’s picture only now joined the ranks?
Umbridge presents a bit of a sticky problem… I think it is because she isn’t daed, but it could conceivably have to do with official recognition by the Board of Governors, etc. I don’t think that has a lot to do with anything, though.
Question 3.
She showed up at the funeral “wearing an unconvincing look of grief” (I hope I remembered that right…?) because pretty much everyone was there – including the Minister of Magic, Scrimgeour, aka her boss. Also, going along for a moment with your claim that it was unusual for her to be there, how would that make her any more convincing as a ‘witness?’ Personally, I’m convinced that she was there because it was the death of an important person, and, as disgraced as she might be, there was no way she could justify missing it.
Question 4.
Interesting conjecture regarding the potions. I must admit, I hadn’t realized that all but one of the potions mentioned figured so prominently. Unfortunately, the face remains that Dumbledore was not only shot with a deadly spell, but also knocked off a tower; if the spell didn’t kill him, the fall certainly would have.
Question 5.
Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support any conclusion here. I don’t think anyone was impersonating Dumbledore, but that’s something I would need access to the books to back up. (Why, oh why did I leave the set at home when I left for college…) Personally, I’m inclined to believe that the bottles were used for safekeeping, perhaps to prevent any unwelcome intruders from stumbling upon them… or to keep them separate from the vast amount of memories contained within the Pensieve. (Or, maybe just for dramatic purposes.:D)
Anyway, especially in light of Rowling’s more recent comments, and considering all the evidence available to us in the books, I don’t really find any good reason to believe Dumbledore is still alive, whereas I find plenty of good reasons to believe he is dead.
(Specifically: He had to die so that Harry could fully realize and begin to work towards his task of killing Voldemort, instead of looking to Dumbledore for guidance; also, I fully subscribe to the belief that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him, to spare Draco from having to become a murderer, and that the seventh book will necessarily deal with Snape’s redemption/Harry’s realization of why Snape has done what he has done.)
I’ve said enough for today. Curtis, out.
Curtis:
Question 2: His picture wouldn’t have shown up before now because he wasn’t a former headmaster before now. (There are other ways to become former headmaster than dying, people do retire.)
The idea that Dumbledore would have switched places with Snape is simply far-fetched. Why? Because Dumbledore, being Dumbledore, would never have killed Snape like that. It’s entirely out of character for him. Dumbledore is all about self-sacrifice – who took the blame for the ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ situation? Who insisted that his own blood be used to open the portal? (Yes, I know there is other significance to that act, but the point is it shows his spirit of self-sacrifice.)
I would add also in response to (what I would perceive to be the timbre of) certain comments, that I’m pretty sure Dumbledore didn’t know it was a fake Horcrux, for the simple reason that there is no logical way he could have known.
Next – Dumbledore does NOT have a Horcrux. Absolutely not. There is no possible way to emphasize this enough. Remember that the Horcrux is considered the “most wicked of magical inventions” (again, working without the text, so I hope that quote’s accurate), and its very creation involves a “supreme act of evil.” I hope nobody is suggesting that Dumbledore would be (morally) capable of such a terrible thing.
And finally, to end on a light note, Saint Cad said:
“Here’s a question that’s been bugging me since I first saw this site. There is a theory that Dumbledore had Snape kill him to fulfill some unknown purpose. Why in the world does Dumbledore think he would be more useful in the battle with Voldemort dead than alive?!”
Perhaps Rowling had simply been watching too much Star Wars.:D
Dave said: His picture wouldn’t have shown up before now because he wasn’t a former headmaster before now.
That’s true, I should have thought of that. But I still don’t think that shows that he’s still alive, because as you said, we can now consider him a former headmaster rather than a current, and he certainly didn’t have a chance to formally retire.
Very true. But the two possiblities we’re discussing are (a) Dumbledore’s dead or (b) Dumbledore’s pretending he’s dead. Same outcome, either cause. Involuntary retirement.
I think my point in the original article still stands. The picture is just not a definitive indication of Dumbledore’s current health, one way or the other.
What a neat site. Can someone help me out because my memory is a bit dusty and I don’t have the books available at the moment…in the grand scheme of things what reasoning is given for the unshakable trust that has been built between Dumbledore and Snape? It seems that JK took every opportunity to make not only the heros in her story but also the readers despise and disapprove of Snape. I can recall comments (not accurately) that Dumbledore had his reasons for trusting him when no one, main characters and fans, did not. I suppose I am having trouble understanding why she went to such lengths to build this faith (in the eyes of such a wise and powerful wizard) just to abate it so easily. Am I really supposed to buy into the fact that Dumbledore, so wise and true, was that naive? Also, it seemed liked Dumbledore’s death was a bit meritless and he certainly demanded more respect than the wimpy demise he met by someone he alone trusted for reasons that weren’t fully explained. Or maybe they were and I don’t remember.
I found only one place where the Headmasters are referred to as Dead and that is ONLY after DD is “Killed” and Harry is the one that “thinks” it. I just reread the whole series, (that was one of the things I was looking out for) only one mention of dead headmasters. I have no idea what this means, but it is very interesting.
I believe that the memories are in vials because they were not his own. It may not be possible to pull someone else�s memories from your own mind.
If he has a portait it does mean he’s dead. I just found this interview at Quick Quotes:
“All the paintings we have seen at Hogwarts are of dead people. They seem to be living through their portraits. How is this so? If there was a painting of Harry�s parents, would he be able to obtain advice from them?”
“That is a very good question. They are all of dead people; they are not as fully realised as ghosts, as you have probably noticed. The place where you see them really talk is in Dumbledore�s office, primarily; the idea is that the previous headmasters and headmistresses leave behind a faint imprint of themselves. They leave their aura, almost, in the office and they can give some counsel to the present occupant, but it is not like being a ghost. They repeat catchphrases, almost. The portrait of Sirius� mother is not a very 3D personality; she is not very fully realised. She repeats catchphrases that she had when she was alive. If Harry had a portrait of his parents it would not help him a great deal. If he could meet them as ghosts, that would be a much more meaningful interaction, but as Nick explained at the end of Phoenix�I am straying into dangerous territory, but I think you probably know what he explained�there are some people who would not come back as ghosts because they are unafraid, or less afraid, of death.”
Once again, it’s a very fine point. This interview is PRE-Half-Blood Prince. JK confirms all of the people we’ve seen in portraits, particularly in Dumbledore’s office, and that of Sirius’ mum in Sirius’ house, are of dead people.
That still does not prove that you HAVE to be dead to be on a portrait in the headmaster’s office. It only means that all of the subjects of portraits currently in Dumbledore’s office (before the addition of Dumbledore’s portrait) are currently dead.
See the difference?
okay, ive been waiting to be able to post a comment here forever!
concerning umbridge: she wasn’t actually the headmaster of hogwarts! if you remeber she wasn’t even able to get into the headmasters office because macgonnagal is the next in line for the job.
concerning portraits: exactly right. all the headmasters are former headmasters that go back over at least a thousand years. of course THEY’RE all dead!
Why can’t someone use a timeturner to go back and prevent Dumbledore from being killed so that another “innocent life can be spared?”
1. I beleive that Snape did fulfill his vow and Dumbledore is dead.
2. Even if you don’t have to be dead for your portrait to be in the headmaster’s office, Dumbledore is dead even JKR said that he was. Also Umbridge was the ministry’s headmistress not Hogwart’s.
3. I also beleive this is the reason Umbridge was at the funeral.
4. I think the Draught of the Living Dead will play into the plot somehow but not to prove that Dumbledore is alive. I think that it will be used to keep from dying from a curse that is hidden around a Horcrux.
5. I don’t that just because the memory was in a bottle that it wasn’t Dumbledore’s. I think that when Dumbledore was trying to remember some kind of clue that he might have missed about Voldemort, he thought of this memory. But when he thought o fit he wasn’t in his office so he put it in a bottle so he wouldn’t forget to do it.
I beleive that Hermione mentioned in POA that the Ministry provides the time-turner to students. (I might have to recheck this but I think it’s right.) But if this is true then this possibility would be unlikely. Not many people in the ministry agreed with Dumbledore so I don’t think they would want him alive again.
“It’s called a time turner and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I’ve been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn’t tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one.” — Hermione, POA, Chapter 21
But the unbreakable vow thing, snape is not dead cause he DID it, he protected Draco Malfoy! Voldemort would have killed draco if draco didn’t kill Dumbledore, but Snape did it for him! He protected Draco Malfoy!
Question; why is it that Dumbledore more than ones, even better: most private-lessons with Harry, states that he is more brighter, more intelligent and much quicker in his thinking-process than most if not all other (common) wizards. Maybe Rowling is trying to say, between sentences, that everything Dumbledore does is thought about. So when I’m right, it would mean that on the astronomytower Dumbledore acted from his ratio and that would mean that evertything stated on this site is all but gossip. Or am I being neurotic? Probably not, for in the last books Dumbledore has never said, read: not without apologizing in a humble way, he is better than most, again, if not all wizards.
ok, i do not know if anyone else has posted this but someone said qoute
“I believe if you re-read all of chapter 2, you’ll see that the exact details of Draco’s task are never spoken outloud in that scene, we only learn of the details later.
If the exact nature of what Snape’s promising to do are not spoken exactly, but possibly only an understanding between the parties, what promise is he held to, exactly?”
The task that Draco was given was to kill Dumbledore. not fix the cabinets, not to get the death eaters in. therefore by killing Dumbly himself, did he not fufill his part of the vow thus releasing himself from death?
I have been harboring this theory for awhile but never really put it into words. After the scene on the astronomy tower I couldnt help but go back to the first lesson of snapes in the 6th book. There is much emphasis on the power of doing spells without words and having the other person repel them with equal concentration. Could this possibly be what happened between snape and dumbledore on the tower!?!
I believe she (Umbridge) was only headmistress beacuse the Ministery wanted it and if you remember she couldn’t get into the Head’s office, but when Dumbledore “died” Professor McGonagall was able to get in as headmistress. There had to be some kind of magical connection to it somehow. Since Umbridge was chosen on a different view then I don’t think that the school itself counts that.
OK, about the horcrux thing-
#1. Dumbledore couldn’t have a horcrux, because they are evil.
#2. Nothing is said about a good version of a horcrux. However, I think it could be possible that there is one. One time AD told Harry that love is the best weapon of all. If you love someone (or thing) too much, you feel as if a part of you is missing when they die. Maybe it is this that can create a good version of a horcrux-loving someone so much. No killing involved at all. So maybe Fawkes is Dumbledore’s horcrux, in a way.
#3 Does anyone know latin and can translate horcrux?
It seems to me that portraits and pictures capture the subject’s state of existance at the time. For example, when Colin took that picture of Harry and Lockhart in the second book, Harry was reluctant to have his picture taken. So, Harry was also reluctant to show himself in the picture. If this is true, then the state of Dumbledore is significant.
Amy:
You’re theory is one to remember. I have been taught Latin at school but I am not able to translate ‘horcrux’ as one word. I can, however, decipher the word as a word that was put together by combining two other words, namely ‘horreo’ and ‘crux’. ‘Horreo’ means horrible, duh, and ‘crux’ is equal to cross. By killing others you can walk the path of immortality, which is possible in HP that is filled with Christian morals.
However, I personally think that horcrux is a combination of the two french words ‘hors’, outside, and ‘crux’, essence or being. J.K. has taught French, so this would be more logical. So if we use this French translation, a horcrux would be a device to keep your essence: your being would be outside of your body insted of within. But mostly: if we use this translation your second theory is not only one to remember, but very plausible too.
I think that the task Draco was set went some thing along the lines of…
“get dumbledore out the way so i can fufil the prophecy”…
i dont know why i am posting on this one but if snape really is a good guy then does he really hate harry? and if he does…why? and if he doesnt than why is he pretending?
I have a question for Dave. Don�t you find it strange that Dumbledore did not inform Professor McGonagall about his search for the Horcruxes? He wants Harry to tell Ron and Hermione about the prophecy. Saying, I quote from HBP Chapter four:� I think they ought to know. You do them a disservice by not confiding something this important to them.�This tells us that Dumbledore knew that Harry shared his secrets with his best friends.
IF he really planned his death together with Snape, would it not of been extremely important to tell his deputy headmistress, in this case Minerva McGonagall what he was up to? In no way do I want to discredit McGonagall, my blood runs cold just to THINK about it, but��.why did he not trust her with that? We know from reading *The Phoenix lament* in HBP that she wanted to know from Harry where he and Dumbledore had gone that evening!
Hey, these theories are great. Personally i believe Dumbledore is dead, but Snape is good and acted on orders (from Dumbledore) to kill him.
Anyway there was only really one theory i had a problem with which was the “Will The Real Dumbledore Please Stand Up?” one. I dont believe this simply on the basis of good story telling… we have already seen the whole ‘person taking other person’s appearence with polyjuice potion’ thing (Barty Crouch JR and Moody) mainly, i just believe that JK is more creative than to reuse part of the plot.
I think Dumbledore is an Animagus and can turn into a phoenix.
ok i think he is alive but that his bird is the hortex and that he killed tom riddle to have made it because who killed him to bring back to life when harry watched it i believe it was him so then it tore his soul apart and there for he can come back to life and he will live ok
I haven�t read all the replies so if some one has brought this up then I apologise for not reading them fully. It is astonishing to me that one of the key discrepancies I have in the text is not payed more attention to. As we all know from back in book one the card of Dumbledore in the chocolate frog states that he is recognised for his work with his partner Nicolas Flamel in alchemy. And we also know that AD is around 150 years old at time of death but Nicolas Flamel is 650 odd years old. Now I’m shore a lot of you have seen the point that I�m trying to make now. For AD to help NF produce a philosophers stone in the first place then they must both have been living mortal lives upon til the point of discovery. To me this leaves many questions, it may be a simple hole in J.K.R.’s impeccably detailed and thought out plot or it could be a very important indeed. Personally some of my thoughts are along the lines of AD being able to reincarnate just like Fawkes is reborn from the ashes each time he dies. Also it could point toward his decendancy from Gordric Gryfindore.
Anyway as it does raise many questions such was he around 500-650 years ago to help NF with his discovery. But if he was why is he only listed as being 150 yeas old or if he is now someone different then why is work from a previous life listed under his current body. To me it seems like a more plausible search into words for some deeper meaning than some of the wild things people are throwing out there.
too roo