New Daniel Radcliffe Quote Stirs up Dumbledore Controversy

In July, 2005, J.K. Rowling stunned the world of Harry Potter fans when Professor Albus Dumbledore died at the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. At the time, fans turned to a new site named Dumbledore Is Not Dead (www.dumbledoreisnotdead.com). This site offered fans hope and solace, via clues in the Harry Potter books that lead to the possibility that Dumbledore is not really dead, or at the very least, he is dead, but Snape killed him on Dumbledore’s orders, as part of a grand, as of yet not fully known, plan.

Then, in August of last year, in her live appearance at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, J.K. stunned fans with the declaration that Dumbledore was indeed dead. At this time she actually mentioned dumbledoreisnotdead.com, saying the people on that site wouldn’t like what she had to say, that Dumbledore was dead, and that fans should get past their denial.

However, in a new interview published last Friday in The Guardian, Daniel Radcliffe is quoted as saying:

‘Jo came down to the set at one point and I said, “Oh hello, why are you here today?” And she said, “Oh I just needed a break from the book – Dumbledore’s giving me a lot of trouble.” And I said, “But isn’t he dead?” And she said, “Well, yeah, but it’s more complex …” I was like, [briskly] “OK, I’m not gonna ask anything else!”‘

Many fans have been saying all along that Dumbledore could communicate with Harry via his portrait in the Headmaster’s office at Hogwarts, but what about this would give J.K. a lot of writing trouble, and cause her to explain to Daniel that the situation was “complex”?

No, it appears now quite likely that Dumbledore is not quite as dead as J.K. was insisting he was last August. Or if he is dead, he makes much more of an appearance in the story than you would normally think a “dead” guy could.

Never to be deterred, this continues to be an open subject with Harry Potter fans, still being hotly discussed on the Dumbledore Is Not Dead site, which was rechristened “Beyond Hogwarts” last fall.