After Dumbledore passed away…
He left his possessions to Harry and his friends to help them on their journey.
One of those items was the Resurrection Stone.
But the Stone was actually hidden inside a snitch.
So why would Dumbledore give Harry the Stone in such an obscure manner?
Read on to learn:
- How this artifact would help defeat the Dark Lord.
- Why Dumbledore didn’t show up when Harry used the Stone.
- 5 reasons why Dumbledore gave Harry the Resurrection Stone.
- And more…
Why did Dumbledore give Harry the resurrection stone? 5 reasons
Dumbledore gave Harry the Resurrection Stone to help him defeat Lord Voldemort. It showed him his parents and other departed people he cared about. They would give Harry the necessary courage and closure to sacrifice himself.
#1: The Stone would provide him with courage
The fear of death is something that haunts us all.
Maybe it’s the unknown that we’re scared of…
Or perhaps it’s something else.
But according to this study, death is something we’re all afraid of in some capacity.
So you see, when Harry figured he was the last Horcrux, he knew he needed to die.
Like all of us, he was afraid of death as well.
Dumbledore instilled a bit of courage in Harry by giving him the Resurrection Stone.
See, this artifact doesn’t actually resurrect people. But it can call back their spirits.
This allowed Harry to see the people he cared about the most one more time.
Among them are his parents, who offered him advice, comfort, and courage.
They told him they would be there with him until the very end. Something we’d all like to hear as we face death.
#2: Harry was pure in his heart
The Resurrection Stone is 1 of the 3 Deathly Hallows.
These are items said to be created by Death itself.
All 3 artifacts are incredibly powerful. But power can corrupt people over time.
However, Harry has often shown that he doesn’t let it get the better of him.
After all, he already owned one of the Deathly Hallows:
The Invisibility Cloak which he possessed for over 6 years. And that never corrupted him.
Dumbledore knew that. So he had no problem giving Harry the Resurrection Stone.
It would help him during his most difficult moment. But would never abuse its powers.
Just to be certain, Dumbledore enchanted the item.
See, he didn’t just leave Harry the Stone. He hid it within a snitch. This is the golden ball Harry needed to catch during his Quidditch games.
In fact, this was the one Harry caught during his very first game.
Dumbledore left a hidden message, which said: ‘’I open at the close’’.
The snitch would never open for Harry. Not until he says he’s about to die.
This was what the message meant with ‘’the close’’.
By only giving Harry the Stone when he accepted his Death, Dumbledore ensured he wouldn’t use it for his own gain.
#3: He needed it to defeat Voldemort
Dumbledore was an intelligent man. And he planned every move perfectly.
See, he knew Harry was one of the last remaining Horcruxes. And he also told Snape.
They discussed that when the time comes, Harry had to die.
This will happen after most of the Horcruxes were destroyed.
And an easy way to figure that out was to look at Voldemort’s snake, Nagini. Which was also a Horcrux.
So when the Dark Lord kept her close, most were destroyed.
And that’s the time when Harry needed to sacrifice himself.
But before doing so, he must become the Master of Death.
And for that to happen, he has to own all 3 Deathly Hallows.
Harry already had The Elder Wand and The Invisibility Cloak.
By giving him the Resurrection Stone, he would become the Master of Death.
And that would allow him to come back and fight Voldemort one last time.
Read next: Why did Voldemort want to kill Harry?
#4: It would give Harry closure
Harry has lived his whole life angry about never knowing his parents.
After all, it’s a difficult thing to endure.
The 2 people that should be with you the most were never there.
This study talks about how big of an impact it is to lose your parents at an early age.
Dumbledore knew that the Stone would allow Harry to talk to them one last time.
Now, if you may recall from the first Harry Potter book or movie, Harry did see his parents.
This was in the Mirror of Erised.
The mirror would show you your deepest desires. And Harry saw his parents.
He would spend hours in front of the mirror. But he couldn’t talk to them.
This was also why Dumbledore didn’t give Harry the Stone earlier.
It was clear from the Mirror of Erised that he would be sucked into it.
But in Harry’s final moments, there would be no harm in him seeing his parents one more time.
On top of that, he would also be able to actually speak with them…
Giving him his much-needed closure.
And in this video, you can see the entire scene play out:
#5: The stone would allow Harry to cheat death
As mentioned earlier, possessing all 3 Deathly Hallows would make you the Master of Death…
But only if you don’t run away from it.
Harry faced Death head-on.
He went into the forest alone. Ready to sacrifice himself.
And that’s when the Stone revealed itself to him.
Shortly after that, Voldemort tried to kill Harry.
But in reality, he only killed the Horcrux inside him.
Afterward, Harry’s now in King’s Cross station.
And Dumbledore was there.
Here, the 2 talk about what happened. And what will happen next.
See, Harry had a choice.
He could either stay dead or come back.
If he chooses to stay alive, he’d be able to face Voldemort once and for all.
But he could also pick death.
It’s up to him. And the Resurrection Stone made it all possible.
Why didn’t Harry use the resurrection stone on Dumbledore?
While it’s called the Resurrection Stone, it does not bring people back.
It would only do so partially.
The spirit would be called back. But the person would not exist.
We can see this happen when Harry resurrects his parents.
While they’re there, and he can talk to them, he’s the only one to do so.
His parents told him they would be next to him till the very end.
But only Harry was able to see them.
He thought, bringing Dumbledore back won’t t do anything. It won’t make him alive again.
And in his final moments, Harry felt he didn’t need him.
He knew what he had to do. And he wanted to be surrounded by those that showed him absolute love.
Dumbledore definitely loved Harry. But he also had his own agenda.
As Snape put it best: ‘’You raised him like a pig for slaughter’’.
His parents, though, loved him unconditionally.
What did Harry do with the Resurrection Stone afterward?
Since the Stone was 1 of the 3 Deathly Hallows, the object was powerful. But also dangerous.
If Voldemort got his hands on all 3, he’d be unstoppable.
So Harry did the only right thing:
He dropped the Stone in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.
The odds of someone finding a small stone in the middle of a forest riddled with stones are slim.
Also, the Stone’s main purpose was to give Harry courage in his final moments.
It did precisely that, so Harry had no more use for it.
Either way, dropping the Stone in the forest was the best way to go.
It ensures no one will find it and can abuse its powers in the future.