Just like Slughorn, Albus Dumbledore collects people. Only, instead of focusing on those with influence, he looks to the outcasts.
The expelled half-giant. The young werewolf. The repentant Death Eater.
He protects them and gives them a second chance. All he asks in return is their loyalty.
And, if on occasion he requests that they undertake a certain task, invoking their debt of gratitude - well, that is no more than he is owed.
He once thought to add a certain disowned Black to his collection, but quickly realised his mistake.
Sirius is not an outcast, but a rebel. He knowingly chose his path, and chooses what price he is willing to pay for it. He refuses to be used.
So Albus Dumbledore abandons him.
Who gave you the RIGHT?
Dumbledore knows Sirius’s loyalty lies with Harry instead of him, and he has no use for someone who is not willing to follow his orders without question.
Ooooohoo if there’s ever a post that fits my aesthetic…
okay but then where does Harry himself fit into this collection? Is he an outcast because he is “the Boy Who Lived”?
Nooonono, my friend, that’s what makes this post so beautiful. Because it fits the meta I’ve been trying to get people to accept for years.
Harry was an outcast due to a childhood filled with abuse and neglect.
Vernon made him an outcast by dismissing his claims of magic, berating him, locking him in a CLOSET and putting bars on his window, and let’s face it, even though her editor made her cut it out, Jo intended for there to be physical abuse.
Petunia made him an outcast by enabling and contributing to this abuse, as well as making Harry do dozens of chores while doting on Dudley.
Dudley made him an outcast by bullying him and threatening any students at school who wanted to be his friends.
And the rest of the wizarding world made him an outcast when they bullied him for being an outsider.
Harry James Potter became an outcast the moment he was placed with The Dursleys.
And who put him there in the first place?
THIS IS FUCKING BRILLIANT
This all fits into why he didn’t collect Tom. He wanted to. He tried to groom Tom the way he groomed Harry. He left him in his abusive situation so he could continue to allow him to become an outcast. But when the incident with the chamber happened, he knew he would never be loyal to him!
HE allowed Hagrid to be expelled knowing full well he wasn’t the culprit and could have easily attempted to catch Tom.
Snape was his doing. He decided not to be the Potters secret keeper, but agreed to “protect” them so Snape owed him. He let the use wormtail who was not a good choice. When they died, he used Snape’s own guilt t being a death eater and having a hand in this as well as the very small part he played in his attempt to help the potters.
I’m not as deep into Lupin and I don’t think he got lupin bit. I think that was sheer luck…
Albus Perceval Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a great man.
But a great man isn’t always a good one.
I think he doesn’t ‘collect people’. He just used to think he was very clever, above everyone else, and Ariana’s death woke him from that childish dream.
He wants power, but not the one given because he was very smart, or a genius. He wants the power one gives you when they love you.
So here he goes, teaching brats how to change a matchstick into a needle when teenager Dumbledore wanted to become some king of the Wizarding World.
Same goal, different mean. These kids will love him and he will influence the future of the Wizarding World.
But yes, his ‘followers’ are outcasts, these people who need to be contained otherwise they’d be dangerous. Give them a hand, be kind to them and they’ll give you their undying loyalty. Cost you little, and still better than Death Eaters. And better, you deserve it.
Excellent for your ego when you’re being buried under tons of guilt because you may have killed your sister.
A great man, that Dumbledore. Took him years to face his ex but who cares about WWII? Who cares about him telling the authorities he knew Grindelwald was seeking some terrifying artifact called the Elder Wand?
He has tests to correct, you know! It’s hard!
He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. But he always defends those who are outcasts, even Scamander belongs to his collection. But if you’re rather liked, and don’t have some flaws the Wizarding World rejects, well it’s a pity because he’s not going to do a thing.
And when you have to save the Wizarding World, when you have to save a Draco Malfoy, you can sacrifice Severus Snape. He’ll do it, you know he will do anything to protect Lily’s son.
But Dumbledore hates chaos, he needs to know how everyone will react, how he can contain them.
Sirius Black was a rebel, his loyalties went to his friends first and who cares about the headmaster?
Because of the strong friendship between the Marauders and his refusal to disappoint Dumbledore, Remus never told him the Marauders became animagi for him.
Perhaps he knows, perhaps he doesn’t, but many of these outcasts hid things from him.
- Remus hid what the Marauders did for him.
- Snape tried to hide the fact that he cared about Harry. His loyalties went to Lily, and all Dumbledore managed to do was to insure he’d protect her son.
- Sirius’ only priority was Harry. Dumbledore could have his mother’s house, he’s not going to follow what his old teacher wants him to do. He’s an adult, and he’s not his teacher anymore! Who fucking insured he was going to escape the Dementor’s kiss? Who came when the Dementors were coming on a Hypogriif and broke him out? Who stopped him from killing Peter and becoming a murderer?
- Hagrid had Dumbledore’s help, but really, who was the reason he left Azkaban in The Chamber of Secrets? Who else came to see him after Skeeter told the world about his mother? Dumbledore wanted him to risk his skin to get an alliance with giants, who was waiting for him?
- Who did Hagrid trust to look after his half-brother?
- Who gave Fred and George a fucking thousand Galleons for a joke shop which will create artifacts damn useful to protect people and give a smile to those who were about to be very hurt?
- Who trained the DA and gave his generation a fucking chance to survive that war? How many died during the Final battle? How many should have died if the DA had never existed because nobody had a decent DADA teacher in their whole life?
- Who kicked Remus Lupin’s ass when he tried to abandon his wife and his unborn child? Who stopped him from making the biggest mistake in his entire life?
- Who freed Dobby?
- Who saved Ginny, and Arthur, and Ron?
- Who killed that gigantic snake and went to the Chamber of Secret for a girl he barely knew at the time?
- Who saved Hermione Granger from that troll?
- Who saved Draco fucking Malfoy?
It was never Dumbledore.
Who saved the Wizarding World?
It was always Harry fucking Potter. Harry fucking Potter and his two best friends.
Dumbledore’s plans were shit. By the Deathly Hallows, Harry still didn’t know what to do or where to look. But with Hermione’s help on Horcruxes and Ron’s understanding of the Wizarding world, they made do.
Dobby saved them because Harry was the one asking for help, the resistance was working because the DA existed first. Draco lied to protect him because he wasn’t a murderer, Narcissa lied to Voldemort’s face because he saved her son and he had reason to, no hidden agenda. He just did, and she knew she couldn’t allow Voldemort to win if she wanted to save her family.
Snape gave him Gryffindor’s sword? Ginny broke into the Headmaster’s office to get it first. It’s just her luck she didn’t quite suceed.
Maybe Dumbledore tried to control people, it’s most certainly what happened. He wanted power, and he got it thanks to people he’d use when needed.
But, make no mistake, hadn’t Dumbledore been there, Harry would have still defeated Lord Voldemort. Maybe it would have taken him a lot more time to find out about Horcruxes, but by the time he’d have realized he was one, he was always going to face Voldemort and let him kill him.
It’s a pity people believe Dumbledore was some genius mastermind and advanced his pawns until all was alright.
The only reason that war was won was because Harry bloody Potter was a good man, had friends and trusted them, saved whoever he could for no goddamn reason and they were so thankful they helped him.
There was no genius plan, Voldemort was defeated because Harry Potter was there and he loved too much. The power of love literally was the reason he was defeated.
There was only one great wizard in that story. One everyone was willing to follow to the end of the earth. Between him and Dumbledore, everyone chose him in the end.
And his name was Harry James Potter.