No wizard in the history of the wizarding world was as well-loved as Dumbledore.
In fact, no matter what mistakes you made in the past…
Or where you came from…
Albus Dumbledore always saw the good in everyone.
And it’s about time we took a closer look at his life.
Continue reading to discover:
- Dumbledore’s tough battles growing up as a kid.
- What Albus did before becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts.
- 3 mind-blowing facts about Albus Dumbledore’s magical talents.
- 5 Dumbledore traits that made him the best character in Harry Potter.
- And so much more…
About Albus Dumbledore
Born | August 1881 |
Purity | Half-blood |
House | Gryffindor |
Character Traits | Wise, Intelligent, Playful, Powerful |
Patronus | Phoenix |
Wand | 38.1 cm (15 in.) long, Elder Wood, Thestral tail hair core |
Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
Albus Dumbledore background
Albus Dumbledore was born in late August 1881.
And he was the eldest son of Percival and Kendra Dumbledore.
Albus also had 2 siblings.
And they were Aberforth and Ariana Dumbledore.
But while the Albus we know today was always positive…
His childhood was of tragedy and heartbreak.
You see, it all started with his sister, Ariana.
She was a sweet and kind kid.
But when a group of Muggle boys saw her doing magic…
They attacked her out of fear.
Because they were non-magical people and were frightened by what she could do.
As a result, it left Ariana scarred.
And she could no longer control her magic…
Not to mention it became extremely dangerous too.
Albus’s father couldn’t accept what happened.
So Percival went out of his way to look for the Muggle boys…
And he attacked them as they did to his daughter.
Unfortunately, even if you might see this action as justice being served…
The wizarding world still has rules, and Percival’s decisions had grave consequences.
As a result, he was sent away to Azkaban. A maximum-security prison for the wizarding world’s most dangerous criminals.
What’s worse, Percival wouldn’t see the light of day again…
Because he died in prison while serving his sentence.
As a result, Albus Dumbledore grew up without a father.
And being the eldest son of the family…
The duty of taking care of everyone fell on his shoulders.
During his time at Hogwarts
Despite all the new responsibilities Albus Dumbledore had…
It didn’t stop him from learning more about magic.
So he attended Hogwarts in the autumn of 1892.
And he was sorted into Gryffindor House.
Unfortunately, tragedy would never leave him alone…
Because rumors about his father were already making waves.
In fact, some even labeled Albus as a secret Muggle hater.
Not to mention that some even praised what his father did…
All in the hopes of getting on Albus Dumbledore’s good side.
As a result, Albus became an outcast from the get-go.
But did any of these things stop Albus Dumbledore from achieving greatness?
Not in the slightest.
In fact, he was a prodigy.
And he even left his professors speechless.
For example, when he took his N.E.W.T exams. An extremely difficult test during your last year at Hogwarts.
Professor Marchbanks was in charge of Dumbledore.
But was she some ordinary witch?
No, she was the governor of the Wizarding Examinations Authority. The group that handled all of the exams in Britain.
And Professor Marchbanks commented:
“Albus Dumbledore did things with a wand that I had never seen before…”
On top of that, Albus also won many awards.
Like his Gold Medal for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference.
Which was a formal event held in Cairo that welcome wizards from across the globe.
And when Albus Dumbledore finally graduated…
Everybody recognized him as 1 of the most brilliant students of Hogwarts.
But tragedy still followed him
After Albus Dumbledore’s graduation.
He had plans to see the world with his buddy Elphias Doge.
However, right as they were about to go on their grand tour…
Tragedy struck again.
Ariana Dumbledore had an outburst.
And it killed her mother, Kendra.
So apart from reeling in the grief of loss…
Albus took over the role of head of the family.
And he had to say stay home…
Letting Elphias Doge go on the adventure all by himself.
However, things weren’t all bad.
Because during this time he would meet Gellert Grindelwald.
Nephew of Bathilda Bagshot who lived right next door to them
The 2 boys quickly became friends.
You see, both of them were extremely intelligent.
And they kept sharing ideas…
Talking about their aspirations in life.
However, despite how close they became…
Gellert Grindelwald’s goals in life were dangerous.
He wanted to establish a new world order.
Where witches and wizards would rule over Muggles.
In fact, he even convinced Albus Dumbledore to join him.
And if Aberforth hadn’t stepped in to stop them…
Albus may have never seen the error in his ways.
Unfortunately, when a fight between the 3 broke out…
Ariana got caught in the crossfire of spells.
And both Albus and Aberforth held their sister’s dead body…
Crying at what they’ve done.
What’s worse, research says losing a loved one is the worst pain.
So for Albus to lose so many people at such a young age…
I can only imagine what kind of pain he had to endure.
Albus Dumbledore occupation
Albus Dumbledore started out as a professor at Hogwarts.
And he taught Defence Against the Dark Arts.
A course he believed to be very useful…
Especially since Gellert Grindelwald was still out there.
In fact, it’s even featured in the Fantastic Beasts movie series.
Afterward, Albus Dumbledore switched to teaching Transfiguration. A branch of magic that could change the form and appearance of an object.
“Why did he make the switch? Isn’t Defence Against the Dark Arts a much cooler subject?”
Well, while it doesn’t sound as appealing…
It’s actually the most difficult form of magic.
Because it was a lot more scientific than any other branch…
And it required a lot of hard work to perfect.
So it’s only fitting that Albus Dumbledore taught the course.
Since there was no other wizard more competent and intelligent than him at the time.
Turning down bigger responsibilities
The Global Wizarding War reached its climax in 1945.
A conflict led by Gellert Grindelwald for over 20 years…
With the plans of removing Muggles in power and for wizards to take the spot.
And it would end in an epic duel with Albus Dumbledore defeating his old friend.
Unfortunately, we have yet to see the grand battle on the big screens.
But to give you a taste of what it would look like…
This confrontation from the Fantastic Beasts movie series is the closest we have now:
As a result, Albus Dumbledore’s fame and influence grew.
And he was offered the position of Minister for Magic. The political leader of the entire wizarding community in Britain.
But did he take the job? No, Albus turned it down.
In fact, the government pressed him several times…
With each one failing just like the previous attempt.
Eventually, Albus Dumbledore became the Headmaster of Hogwarts by the mid-1960s.
The most famous position we’d see him take in the Harry Potter series.
And while Dumbledore could’ve aimed for a higher position of power…
He said it himself best:
“I had proven, as a very young man, that power was my weakness and temptation. I was safer at Hogwarts. I think I was a good teacher.”
Plus, if he went anywhere else…
We wouldn’t have gotten the chance to hear Dumbledore’s thought-provoking quotes.
Albus Dumbledore character
The Harry Potter series had many rich and inspiring characters.
But in terms of raw magical strength…
Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard out there.
In fact, he was the only one Voldemort feared.
And when the 2 fought in a magical duel…
Albus Dumbledore barely broke a sweat.
So the Dark Lord had to run away.
Plus, if we didn’t have Albus Dumbledore on our side…
Who knows what kind of tragedies the wizarding world would face?
For example, Gellert Grindelwald was an extremely powerful dark wizard.
And the Ministry threw everything it could to stop his influence.
But did they make any progress at all? Not in any way.
Even Torquil Travers admitted that only Albus could face Grindelwald.
And Torquil was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement…
Not to mention he despised Albus Dumbledore too.
Sure, Harry Potter’s the protagonist.
But if we’re talking about the man that carried the wizarding world on his back…
That title goes to Albus Dumbledore.
More than his powers
With all of the abilities Albus Dumbledore had…
You’d expect him to be arrogant about them, right?
Well, he was a wizard so much more than his powers.
He never let them get to his head.
Or even cloud his judgment.
In fact, he was the kindest and most loving wizard of them all.
And Albus always gave everyone second chances…
Even those that nobody would side with.
For instance, can you remember when Newt Scamander got expelled?
Well, Albus Dumbledore argued tooth and nail to keep him at Hogwarts.
Not just recognizing Newt’s talents…
But understanding that Newt was innocent.
On top of that, we also have the case of Rubeus Hagrid.
Tom Riddle framed him for the death of a student.
And Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts.
But can you guess who argued in Hagrid’s favor?
Again, it was Albus Dumbledore.
And he managed to convince everyone to let Hagrid stay.
Lastly, we can’t forget about Remus Lupin.
Albus Dumbledore knew he was a werewolf.
But did he reveal this dangerous secret?
No, he knew Lupin’s true nature.
And that he would never hurt a soul.
So he let him stay and continue his studies.
In fact, even research agrees with Dumbledore’s methods.
Because being kind can, in turn, help others grow.
And if all it takes is being friendly to change someone’s life…
We should all take a page from Dumbledore’s book.
A great sense of humor
While Albus may have been powerful and kind…
Don’t let his wise and calm presence fool you.
He’s also quite the joker too.
For example, can you remember how he welcomed the new Hogwarts students?
Well, he said:
“Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!”
And these are the least expected things you could hear from an intelligent person…
Let alone someone of Albus Dumbledore’s influence.
On top of that, he could also make light of any situation.
Like when he was cornered by John Dawlish and Kingsley Shacklbolt…
With Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius ready to fight as well.
Did Dumbledore feel any fear at all?
No, he even answered with the best comeback possible…
When the 4 of them asked if Dumbledore could take them on:
“Merlin’s beard, no…Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to.”
Plus, a study shows a good joke can solve a lot of problems.
And it can even help someone recover from stress and anxiety.
So Albus Dumbledore wasn’t just being funny…
He was also being very healthy and helpful too.
3 most famous Albus Dumbledore quotes
#1: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
You can be the smartest person in the room.
But what matters most isn’t the things you can do…
It’s the things you decide to do.
#2: “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”
We must always be careful of the stuff we say.
Because the same words that can cheer someone up…
Can also be just as harmful too.
#3: “While we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one.”
Everybody may look different.
Or even have entirely different perspectives in life.
But at the end of the day…
We’re all still people.
And nothing should stop us from coming together.
More facts about Albus Dumbledore
#1: A love life that never had a chance
He may have been single in his later years…
But does that mean Albus never fell in love?
Well, quite the opposite.
He was head over heels for Gellert Grindelwald.
And it’s 1 of the reasons why Albus ended up following the dark wizard in the first place.
In fact, even J.K. Rowling admitted that the 2 had an intense and passionate romance.
So if you’ve been wondering why Albus was always so eccentric…
Not to mention always held Grindelwald in high favor despite his crimes.
That’s because Albus Dumbledore was gay.
And he fell in love with 1 of the most powerful dark wizards.
#2: The master of death
It might sound like a scary title.
And it doesn’t seem like something Albus Dumbledore would do.
But it’s actually true.
Albus Dumbledore was the master of death.
Because he used to own all 3 Deathly Hallows. 3 powerful magical artifacts that made the owner extremely powerful.
Of course, all 3 of these items would end up with Harry Potter by the conclusion of the story.
But it doesn’t take away from the fact that Albus had them first.
Which only made the most powerful wizard in the world even stronger.
#3: Multilingual
Albus Dumbledore may come off as weird sometimes.
But he’s very intelligent.
In fact, he could speak many different languages too.
For example, Dumbledore could understand Parseltongue.
Which was the language of serpents…
And something believed to be unique to the heirs of Slytherin alone.
On top of that, Dumbledore could also understand Gobbledegook. The native language of goblins.
So it’s safe to say Albus could connect with almost anyone in the wizarding world.
#4: Wandless magic
Learning magic in the wizarding world was difficult.
In fact, you started out by reciting the words of a spell.
And by the time you mastered them…
You could do it with just a flick of your wand.
But what about Albus Dumbledore?
Well, he took things a step further.
Dumbledore could cast powerful magic without even using a wand.
And that’s a testament to why he’s ranked as the strongest wizard ever.
#5: Knitting
If you thought Dumbledore would be into highly intelligent hobbies…
Like playing wizarding chess or maybe even creating new spells.
It’s actually the exact opposite.
Albus Dumbledore was very eccentric.
And he wasn’t afraid to be different and put himself out there.
For example, did you know he loved knitting?
It’s actually Dumbledore’s favorite pastime.
And he even took some of Professor Slughorn’s knitting patterns for himself.
#6: He was already dying
Although the death of Dumbledore at hands of Snape was shocking.
Did you know that Dumbledore was already dying at that point?
You see, he accidentally put on a Horcrux ring.
But it wasn’t some ordinary accessory.
It would curse the wearer and make them die a painful death.
Fortunately, Severus Snape was there to reduce the effects of the curse.
However, Albus Dumbledore’s life was already on a clock.
And he had little over a year left to live.
Bonus: Lived for more than a century
Albus Dumbledore may look old…
But can you guess his real age?
Well, he was born in 1881…
And he passed away in 1997.
Which made him 116 years old.
So if you thought Albus Dumbledore was an old man…
He’s actually quite healthy and active for someone who’s lived for more than a century.