Albus Dumbledore is one of the most important characters in the Harry Potter series. Dumbledore is the greatest wizard of the age and his presence as headmaster of Hogwarts helped to both inspire and protect Harry against the Dark Lord until the headmaster’s heartbreaking death in the sixth installment of the franchise. Despite Dumbledore’s strong presence across the books and the movies (even after the character died, he still featured heavily), there are several mysteries about large swathes of his long life.
Why Did Dumbledore Start Wearing Robes?
When we are first introduced to Dumbledore in the Sorcerer’s Stone, he is seen wearing elaborate and extravagant robes. Throughout the Harry Potter series, this is how we would see him. While his style became slightly more bohemian when Michael Gambon took over the role from Richard Harris, Dumbledore still dressed in robes.
However, in the Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore is seen wearing a refined suit. So, there must be some reason as to why Dumbledore suddenly switched from tailored suits to robes. Hopefully, we will discover this reason during the Fantastic Beasts series.
Why Was Dumbledore teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts In The Crimes Of Grindelwald?
One of the strangest things about the Crimes of Grindelwald was the fact that Dumbledore was teaching defense against the dark arts. This is odd because, famously, Dumbledore was the transfiguration professor for many years prior to becoming headmaster of Hogwarts.
So, why was Dumbledore teaching the class? Perhaps another teacher was ill at the time, as was the case when Snape took over Lupin’s class. This may just be a small quibble, but it is certainly curious.
Is Credence Actually Dumbledore’s Brother?
At the end of the second Fantastic Beasts movie, Grindelwald reveals to Credence that he is Dumbledore’s brother. However, was Grindelwald telling the truth?
There was no mention of a mystery brother in Dumbledore’s family before this movie and, to make things even stranger, Albus’ father died in 1890 and his mother died in 1899. What makes this information particularly intriguing is that Credence was not born until 1901.
It seems from this that Grindelwald may have just been lying about Credence’s ancestry in order to manipulate him into fighting Dumbledore. Although, it will certainly unanswered until the next Fantastic Beasts movie is released.
Who Fired The Curse That Killed Ariana?
One of the biggest mysteries in Dumbledore’s past surrounds the three-way duel between Albus Dumbledore, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Gellert Grindelwald. During the duel, a ricocheting curse strikes the Dumbledores’ sister, Ariana, killing her.
Ever since this moment, Dumbledore has been fraught with guilt. The three-way duel almost becomes a Schrödinger’s curse kind of situation. None of the participants know whether or not they killed Ariana, but until it is discovered who fired that curse, all participants both killed and did not kill her.
This was a moment that defined Dumbledore’s life and we may never know the truth of what happened that day.
How Does Dumbledore Predict Peoples’ Behaviors So Well?
In the final book and movie, Dumbledore predicts that Ron will leave and want to come back, so he gave him the deluminator. This is not a random occurrence either, throughout the story, Dumbledore predicts how people will act, from Harry Potter to Snape, and even Voldemort.
Will we ever find out how he could do this? Maybe he has some kind of deep, Sherlock Holmes-esque knowledge of psychology, or perhaps he can just predict the future? Hopefully, we will find out in a Fantastic Beasts movie!
How Did He Defeat Grindelwald?
In 1945, Dumbledore and Grindelwald had a duel that resulted in the defeat of Grindelwald and the dark wizard’s incarceration in Nurmengard prison. What is strange about this event, however, is that Grindelwald possessed the elder wand during this duel. The elder wand is the strongest wand ever made and is supposed to make the wielder unbeatable. So, how did Dumbledore defeat the holder of the elder wand in a duel?
There is almost certainly more to this legendary duel than there appears so far. Fortunately, we may receive an answer with the final Fantastic Beasts movie, as the fifth in the series will be set in 1945 and must feature this duel!
How Was His Relationship With Aberforth?
While we are told that Albus and Aberforth had their disagreements in their youth, with Aberforth even breaking Albus’ nose at Ariana’s funeral; but how was their relationship in later life? It appears strange that Aberforth lives and works in the Hog’s Head, as it is so close to Dumbledore.
We know that the brothers had some communication, as Albus told Aberforth about the two-way mirror that Aberforth would later use to keep an eye on Harry. But to what extent they communicated is still a mystery.
How did Dumbledore Find Fawkes?
One of the most recognizable aspects of Dumbledore’s office was the presence of Fawkes the phoenix. It was revealed in the Crimes of Grindelwald that a phoenix will come to any Dumbledore in need. So, perhaps Fawkes came to Dumbledore when he needed him most. This has happened before as, during the duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore at the Ministry of Magic, Fawkes helped Dumbledore by blocking some of Voldemort’s curses.
While no one currently knows how Dumbledore came to find Fawkes and gain his trust, it is expected that we will find the answer to this question in one of the remaining Fantastic Beasts movies.
Why Did He Lie To Harry Before The Mirror Of Erised?
In the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter discovers the Mirror of Erised; a mirror that reveals your deepest desires in the reflection. For instance, Harry sees his parents in the mirror’s reflection because he has never experienced what it was like to be in a loving family due to their death. On the other hand, Ron sees himself as head boy and holding the quidditch cup. Harry’s deepest desire is to have a family, Ron’s deepest desire is to have some kind of reputation and success.
However, when Dumbledore finds Harry staring into the mirror’s reflection one day, Dumbledore reveals that he sees himself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks. Although, Dumbledore was not telling the truth about this. JK Rowling confirmed that he saw his family reunited, like Harry. Why did Dumbledore lie to Harry? It may have made Harry feel better to know that Dumbledore also experiences the same pain.
It is also not in Dumbledore’s character to lie outright, so perhaps the socks raise another unanswered mystery.
How Did Dumbledore Learn Parseltongue?
During Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter is plagued by voices in the walls. This is later revealed to be the Basilisk, slithering through the pipes and speaking in parseltongue, which Harry could understand due to his connection to Lord Voldemort. The reason no one else could hear the giant snake was because parseltongue is an incredibly rare ability.
However, in an interview, JK Rowling revealed that Dumbledore could speak or understand mermish, gobbledegook, and parseltongue. This is also shown in the Half-Blood Prince novel, as Dumbledore could understand the Gaunts speaking parseltongue while watching Bob Ogden’s memory in the pensieve. Yet, Dumbledore did not hear the basilisk during the events of Chamber of Secrets. This implies that he did not know parseltongue before the Chamber of Secrets, but understood the language by the Half-blood Prince.
As parseltongue is an innate ability, passed on through the Slytherin bloodline it is a mystery how Dumbledore learned the skill. What is more impressive is that Dumbledore appeared to learn to understand the language between Chamber of Secrets and the Half-Blood Prince, although we’ll never know how he did this.
