Albus Dumbledore

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, (July orAugust, 1881–30 June, 1997) was the Transfiguration Professor, and later Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor Dumbledore also served as Supreme Mugwump of theInternational Confederation of Wizards (?–1995) and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (?–1995; 1996-1997). He was a half-blood wizard, the son of Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, and the elder brother ofAberforth and Ariana. His father died in Azkaban when Dumbledore was young, while his mother and sister were later accidentally killed. His early losses greatly affected him early on, even at his death, but in turn made him a better person. Albus Dumbledore was considered to be the most powerful wizard of his time. He was most famous for his defeat of Gellert Grindelwald, the discovery of the twelve uses ofdragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with Nicolas Flamel.

It was through Dumbledore that resistance to the rise of Lord Voldemort was formed, as it was he who founded and led both the first and second Order of the Phoenix. Due to the fact that he had a keen mind and legendary power, Dumbledore became the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared. He was the wielder and the master of the Elder Wand from 1945 until 1997 and considered by many as the greatest Headmaster to ever grace Hogwarts. As he was about to die by a cursed ring, he planned his own death with Severus Snape. Though he was no longer alive at the time, it was through Dumbledore's machinations that Voldemort was ultimately defeated and peace restored to the wizarding world. He is the onlyHeadmaster that was laid to rest at Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore's portrait still remains at Hogwarts.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was born to Kendra and Percival Dumbledore in the summer of 1881, in the mainly wizarding village of Mould-on-the-Wold. The early years of Dumbledore's life were marked by tragedy when his younger sister, Ariana Dumbledore, was attacked by a group of Muggle boys, who saw her performing magic and were frightened by what they saw.

Ariana was left mentally and emotionally scarred by the event and her magical powers were left severely altered and would manifest themselves on rare occasions usually in random or destructive ways. Albus' father, Percival Dumbledore, was heartbroken and set out in search of his own brand of justice. He located the Muggle boys and attacked them, as they had his daughter. It is unknown exactly what he did to them, but it might be assumed he probably used the Cruciatus Curse on them as he was sentenced to life in Azkaban for the crime, and would later die there.

To escape the accusing eyes of the wizarding world, Kendra Dumbledore moved her young family to the village ofGodric's Hollow which, like Mould-on-the-Wold, was a mainly wizarding village. Kendra rebuffed all her neighbours, with the eventual exception of Bathilda Bagshot, preferring to be left alone: and Albus learned not to mention his sister or father in public.

Hogwarts years

"By the end of his first year, he would never again be known as the son of a Muggle-hater, but as nothing more or less than the most brilliant student ever seen at the school."

—Elphias Doge

Dumbledore began attending Hogwarts in the autumn of 1892 and was Sorted into Gryffindor house. Dumbledore's first year was met with much whispering about his father's crime. Many of Albus' fellow students mistakenly believed that, like father like son, Albus too hated Muggles. Some praised his father's actions hoping to gain his trust, but they would not find favour with the young Dumbledore this way. Though later in his young life, under the influence of his love for Gellert Grindelwald, some anti-Muggle prejudice did develop, he soon saw the error of his intent.

He befriended a young Elphias Doge on his first day at Hogwarts; Doge was suffering from Dragon pox at the time, which discouraged most from approaching him. Dumbledore, however, demonstrated his uncommon kindness and willingness to look past the surface and find inner beauty in people. Dumbledore also became very well-connected during his Hogwarts years, making notable friends such as Nicolas Flamel, Bathilda Bagshot, and Griselda Marchbanks, who marked him in his N.E.W.T.s for Charms and Transfiguration and later recalled that he did things with a wand that she had never seen before. He also had several of his papers published during his studies.

During his school years, Dumbledore won the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting, became the British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, and received the gold medal for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo.

In his third year, Dumbledore presumably took Study of Ancient Runes and at least one other subject, which is known not to be Divination.

During his fourth year, Dumbledore "accidentally" set the bed-curtains in his dormitory on fire (although he admitted that he had never liked them anyway).

Albus was made a prefect during his fifth year and was made Head Boy in his seventh year. He was considered the most brilliant student to have attended the school.

Tragedy and friendship

"So that, when my mother died, and I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother, I returned to my village in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought! And then, of course, he came."

—Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter

After graduating from Hogwarts, Dumbledore planned to take the traditional "Grand Tour" of the world with his friend Doge. However tragedy ensued on the eve of the departure when Kendra Dumbledore was killed by an outburst of Ariana's uncontrollable magic, leaving Albus the head of his own broken family.

Albus returned to Godric's Hollow full of bitter resentment at his situation, feeling trapped and wasted. Fortune finally shone on Dumbledore in the form of Gellert Grindelwald, who was in Godric's Hollow to research the Deathly Hallows. Grindelwald was as talented and brilliant as Albus was. Dumbledore quickly became fascinated by Grindelwald's ideas of wizarding domination, obviously considering Grindelwald an unexpected new chance to show his own brilliance and come out of the local misery. Albus also harboured romantic feelings for the other boy, but regretted his relationship with Grindelwaldlater in life.

However, after two months, Albus' brother Aberforth confronted him over his neglect of Ariana over the past few weeks, telling him he couldn't carry out his plans with Grindelwald, as he would have to take her with him.Grindelwald then used the Cruciatus Curse on him. A violent duel erupted between the three teenage boys. Arianaherself tried to intervene in the fight, but couldn't due to her erratic abilities, and in the ensuing chaos was hit by a stray curse and died. No one knew whose curse it was that killed her, but Grindelwald fled immediately, as he already had a bad record back home, leaving the devastated Albus behind.

Career at Hogwarts

Dumbledore: "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."

Harry: "You were the best."

— Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter

After Grindelwald's flight, Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Professor of Transfiguration. He was offered the position of Minister for Magic several times, but he turned each chance down since he had learned that his desire for power was his weakness. He also served in recruiting students for the school. Most prominent among the students he recruited wasTom Riddle, who would eventually take on the name Lord Voldemort.

However, as Dumbledore was educating young wizards and witches, Gellert Grindelwald was still at large in Europe, building up an army, and had already found one of the Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand, which he used to terrorise the continent. Dumbledore was afraid to face Grindelwald, not because he thought he couldn't defeat him, but because he was afraid that Grindelwald could reveal to him who had truly killed Ariana. However, by 1945 Dumbledore could no longer turn a blind eye to Grindelwald's deeds, and tracked his old friend down. He duelled Grindelwald in what later became known as the most legendary duel ever fought between wizards. Dumbledore defeated Grindelwalddespite his possession of the Elder Wand. Grindelwald was imprisoned in Nurmengard and Dumbledore kept theElder Wand for himself.

Alone of all the professors at Hogwarts, Dumbledore was not charmed by the natural charisma and cunning of Tom Riddle. In their first encounter, Dumbledore became immediately suspicious of his "obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination" and resolved to keep a close eye on him during his studies at the school. As Dumbledore was not so easily taken in by his charming façade, Riddle came to despise and fear him.

In 1943, several Muggle-born students were mysteriously petrified by a beast rumoured to have been released by the Heir of Slytherin from the mythical Chamber of Secrets. Indeed, the final victim of the beast, Myrtle, was actually killed; this act seemed likely to ensure the permanent closure of the school, forcing Riddle to go back to the orphanage. While Dumbledore rightly suspected Riddle was behind the attacks, the aspiring Dark Wizard expertly framed Gryffindor student Rubeus Hagrid as the perpetrator. Riddle was able to pass off Hagrid's tamed Acromantula, Aragog, as the beast attacking students, resulting in Hagrid's expulsion and ensuring that Hogwarts remained open. Dumbledore was never able to uncover hard evidence implicating Riddle, however, he convinced the Headmaster to allow Hagrid to remain at the school as the grounds-keeper-in-training.

Dumbledore was appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts in approximately 1956, after Armando Dippet left the post. During this time, he was offered the position of Minister for Magic several times, but he turned down the offer every time, remembering how his quest for power had been his weakness in the past.

Shortly after Dumbledore became Headmaster, Tom Riddle, now known exclusively as Lord Voldemort, approached Dumbledore with the same request he had proposed to Armando Dippet before him: to be allowed to return to Hogwarts as a teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore, who knew of Voldemort's illicit activities since he left Hogwarts, denied his application. This led to Voldemort cursing the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, preventing anyone from holding the position for more than a single school year.

When Remus Lupin became of age to attend Hogwarts, he was afraid that he would be unable to due to being infected by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. However, Dumbledore, being fair, believed that as long as special precautions were taken, there was no reason why Remus should be deprived of his education. As such, Dumbledore prepared the Shrieking Shack as a place for Remus' monthly transformation, with the Whomping Willow as guard. This would forever earn Dumbledore Remus' gratitude, as many other headmasters would simply forbid the boy from even setting foot into the school. When Severus Snape found out Remus' secret, Dumbledore forbade him from repeating it to anyone.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Harry James Potter (31 July 1980) was a half-blood wizard, the only child and son of James Potter and Lily Potter (née Evans), and one of the most famous wizards of modern times. In what proved to be a vain attempt to circumvent a prophecy that a boy born at the end of July of 1980 would be able to defeat him, Voldemort tried to murder him when he was a year and three months exactly after murdering Harry's parents as they tried to protect him. This early, unsuccessful attempt to vanquish Harry led to Voldemort's first defeat and the end of the First Wizarding War. One consequence of Lily's protection is that her orphaned son had to be raised by her only remaining blood relative, with her Muggle sister Petunia's family, where he was neither welcomed nor nurtured, but would stay alive, at least until he was seventeen years old. As the only known survivor of the Killing Curse up to that point, Harry was already famous before he arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Early on his eleventh birthday, Harry learned from Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, that he was a wizard. He began attending Hogwarts in 1991 and was Sorted into Gryffindor house. While at school, Harry became best friends with Ronald Weasley andHermione Granger. He became the youngest Quidditch Seeker in over a century and eventually captain of his house's team, winning two Quidditch Cups. He became even better known in his early years for protecting the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort and saving Ron's sister Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets. Inhis fourth year, Harry won the Triwizard Tournament, although the competition ended in tragedy with the death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Voldemort. The next school year, Harry reluctantly founded Dumbledore's Army and fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, during which he lost his godfather, Sirius Black, who was a father figure to him.

Harry played a significant role in many other battles of the Second Wizarding War and hunted down and destroyed Voldemort'sHorcruxes with Ron and Hermione. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he personally witnessed the deaths of Severus Snape (the "Half-Blood Prince") and Fred Weasley, and learned that Remus Lupin,Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, and many others had fallen as well. He encountered Voldemort and sacrificed himself, knowing that his doing so was the only way to destroy the fragment of Voldemort's soul that was inside him. In Harry's near-death experience after Voldemort cursed him in the forest clearing, Dumbledore gave Harry advice and background information on Voldemort. When told he could choose to live or to "move on," Harry chose to live, and after he awoke he confronted Voldemort, and defeated him.

Harry is also notable for being the only known Master of Death, having united the three Deathly Hallows.

After the war, Harry became an Auror and married Ginny, with whom he had three children: James Sirius who he named after his father and godfather, Albus Severus, named after Snape and Dumbledore, and Lily Luna, named after his mother and good friend Luna Lovegood. Harry was also named the godfather of Ted Lupin. He became Head of the Auror Office in 2007, and occasionally travelled to Hogwarts to deliver Defence Against the Dark Arts lectures.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head Boy an' Head Girl at Hogwarts in their day!"

—Rubeus Hagrid talking about Harry's parents

The Potters were an old, very wealthy pure-blood family, and Harry inherited much of his wealth from his parents. The Potters descended from thePeverell family, an ancientwizarding line, through Ignotus Peverell, who passed the Cloak of Invisibility on to his descendants. The Gaunts, descendants of Salazar Slytherin, also descend from the Peverells, through Ignotus' brother Cadmus, who passed on the Resurrection Stone as a family heirloom in a signet ring which turned out to be one of the seven Hocruxes of Voldemort, making Harry and Tom Riddlevery distant relatives.

It is also probable that Harry was distantly related, on his father's side, to the Blacks, Malfoys, Weasleys, and the Longbottoms, and almost all other pure-blood families, making him distantly related to various other wizards and witches, including Bellatrix Lestrange,Sirius Black, Nymphadora Tonks, and even his wife Ginny Weasley, though the degree of consanguinity is not known.

Harry's maternal relatives were the Muggle Evans and Dursleyfamilies.

Childhood

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up inthe village where you was all living, on Hallowe'en ten years ago. You was just a year old."

— Hagrid on James and Lily's deaths

Harry Potter was born on 31 July1980, to Lily and James Potter, members of the first Order of the Phoenix at the height of the First Wizarding War. From birth, he lived in hiding with his parents after Voldemort marked them for death. They lived in the village ofGodric's Hollow in a home put under the Fidelius Charm to keep them hidden. As part of the charm, they had planned to make Sirius their Secret-Keeper, but acting on his advice, they changed this designation to Peter Pettigrew, as they thought he would be less suspicious. In a terrible turn of fate, it happened that Pettigrew was a spy for Voldemort. He betrayed James and Lily, faked his own death, and framed Sirius for both.

At an unknown time, James and Lily held a Christening for Harry. It was quiet and quick, and only James, Lily, Harry and Sirius were there. For Harry's first birthday Sirius bought him a toy broomstick. The Potters owned a cat but it is unknown what happened to it after Voldemort's attack.

On the evening of Hallowe'en, Voldemort arrived at Godric's Hollow and killed James and Lily; he started with James, who tried to stand up to him; unfortunately he did not have his wand with him and was killed immediately. Lord Voldemort then advanced on Lily, who died protecting Harry. Hersacrifice prevented the Killing Curse from working on Harry. Herlove for Harry became a barrier protecting her son; when Voldemort attempted the curse on Harry, it backfired, and instead of killing Harry, Voldemort lost all his powers and his physical form was obliterated, but was saved from death by the five Horcruxes he had made up to that point. These included his diary, Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, Salazar Slytherin's Locket, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, and Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, (Nagini was not made a Horcrux until Voldemort's return, when he killed the old Muggle caretaker of the Riddle home just prior to the Triwizard Tournement, and Harry himself did not contain part of Voldemort's soul until the time of the failed Killing Curse.) This event made Harry the only person to have survived the Killing Curse. The failed curse left a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. The scar would be a bane and a blessing to Harry in the years to come, as it opened a telepathic link between Voldemort and himself.

The house at Godric's Hollow was destroyed in the attack, and Hagrid rescued Harry from the ruined house. Hagrid was given specific orders to take him to hisAunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, but he was intercepted by Sirius, who pleaded for Hagrid to give the baby to him. Hagrid refused, saying that he was under orders from Dumbledore to get Harry toPrivet Drive as quickly as possible.

"This boy will be famous, a legend. I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in future. There will be books written about Harry, every child in our world will know his name."

—Minerva McGonagall

Sirius, though reluctant, relented and gave Hagrid his flying motorcycle to take Harry to Privet Drive. Dumbledore left a letter of explanation to the Dursleys, but they never relayed it to Harry. Instead, Harry spent the next decade of his life in their strict and miserable home without knowing he was a wizard.

Life at Privet Drive

"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"

—Vernon Dursley refusing that Harry was a wizard

Living with the Dursleys, Harry thought, was the worst thing in the world. As they were Muggles, they had no understanding of magic, and even though his aunt and uncle knew about his lineage, they wanted nothing to do with it. The Dursleys considered themselves a "normal" family and hated anything out of the ordinary. They lied to Harry about his parents, claiming they had died in a car crash and that James was an unemployed drunk. When he tried to remember them, all he saw was a green flash. He tried to understand what it was, or if it was from the car crash, but he simply could not. Petunia and Vernon forbade Harry from asking questions, particularly those regarding his parents. They resented Harry for his magic, which was sporadic, but evident. They discouraged any sort of imagination insisting upon "stamping that rubbish out" and screamed at or punished Harry--sometimes by depriving him of meals--whenever something "unusual" occurred. In his youth, Harry could make strange things happen without understanding why he could, as no one had told him that he was a wizard. For instance, after Petunia sheared off all his messy hair in fury that it would not lay flat, leaving him almost completely bald with only the fringe at the front, it had grown all the way back, and to its previous messy state at that, by the next morning. Harry was punished, even though he had not done anything on purpose. Another time, Dedalus Diggle bowed to him in a shop, and Petunia ferociously interrogated Harry as to how he knew the man before leaving the shop very quickly.

The Dursleys spoiled and pampered their son Dudley Dursley and paid almost no attention to Harry; indeed, what little attention they did pay to him was entirely negative. All his clothes were hand-me-downs from Dudley and were far too large for Harry. He was forced to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, while his cousin got two bedrooms to himself. They ordered Harry around like a slave for most of his childhood. In time, Dudley started bullying Harry. The Dursleys took Dudley and a friend to spectacular places every year for his birthday, but the only thing Harry got for his birthday was one of Vernon's old socks. The Dursleys also hid evidence of Harry's existence by not having pictures of him in the house.

Harry's hardship, however, was necessary as by returning to live with his mother's only living blood relative, the protection that Lily gave Harry would continue. While Harry could call that place home, he could not be harmed. However, this charm would be broken when Harry turned 17 years old, or when he no longer called 4 Privet Drive his home. Furthermore, Harry's neighbour,Arabella Figg, was a Squib working undercover for the Order of the Phoenix to keep tabs on Harry's well-being. Unfortunately for Harry, to maintain favour with the Dursleys, she was forced to give him a lousy time whenever she had to look after him, as the Dursleys would never have let him go if they knew Harry was enjoying himself, a possibility that infuriated them.

On Dudley's eleventh birthday, the Dursleys went to the Zoo with Dudley's best friend Piers Polkiss. Unfortunately for the Dursleys, they had to take Harry with them, as Mrs. Figg had broken her leg and there was no one to take Harry, and they refused to leave him alone in their house. At the Zoo, Harry unintentionally made the glass of an enclosure containing a boa constrictor disappear. This allowed the snake to slither out of his cage which scared Dudley into thinking it was after him. Harry was able to communicate with the freed boa in Parseltongue, which thanked Harry briefly, then slithered out of the reptile house calmly. After this incident, the enraged Dursleys sentenced Harry to his cupboard until the beginning of the summer holidays.