Dumbledore's Boggart

[felicitys_mind]

What is Dumbledore’s Boggart?

In a July 2006 Leaky Cauldron/Mugglenet interview, Rowling suggested we’d be able to develop theories about Dumbledore’s boggart from reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

A boggart takes the form of what a person fears most, and I believe HBP reveals that Dumbledore’s greatest fear is harm coming to

Comments

[letmypidgeonsgo]

Hmm, very interesting. I definitely agree on the issue of DD's boggart. I had never thought of what he drank in the cave as making him experience the torture of the kids, but I think it does make sense on many levels. I'm still not sure, though, on the matter of his suddenly switching over to his own POV after drinking the 7th goblet of potion. It just comes out of nowhere, and there's nothing to indicate why he'd make that change, only to change right back again.

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[tamlane]

*shags the delicious meta*

This is a fascinating idea: that Dumbledore was forced to relive the tortured childrens' suffering. I think it's fairly obvious from the text that Dumbledore's greatest fear is leaving children unprotected or somehow being responsible for their harm. However, I'd never tied this in with Amy Benson or Dennis Bishop, so thanks for the material to ponder!

In one place, Dumbledore was even described as drinking “like a child dying of thirst,” and that is a curious thing for Rowling to have written.
I don't know about you, but JKR drives me CRAZY with these odd phrasings. But that's what makes her books so interesting, and that's why they're fun to read over and over again. I'd never thought about this particular analogy, though, and you've got a point! It's curious, indeed.

Moreover, he always leaves enough evidence to establish what he did in those places.
It fits the diary pattern in that he couldn’t resist leaving evidence of evil he was proud of committing and had managed to cover up.Ahhh! I wish I

[annearchy]

Yet another wonderfully expounded theory. I just re-read chapter 26 two days ago, and the question I asked myself at the end was "What the heck was Dumbledore 'seeing' when he drank the potion?" I think your explanation works very well and fits seamlessly with your idea about Dumbledore's boggart. Nicely done yet again. I'll put this in my memories too.

[sylvanawood]

What an outstanding essay, thank you for that! It all makes so much sense! A Voldemort doesn't care if the authorities find out about his crimes, he's 'above that'. He wants everyone to see that he is the most powerful wizard in the world (or so he thinks

[snorkackcatcher]

Very good theory. I'd hope JKR explains what this potion was doing at some point, although I'm not sure it will be in Book 7 (maybe in a later interview).