With the release of Fantastic Beasts upon us, I thought I'd talk some Harry Potter.
I firmly believe Albus Dumbledore is one of the biggest causes of death and destruction in the Harry Potter franchise. I find it hilarious that Rowling felt the need to give Dumbledore a complicated backstory in order to make readers question Dumbledore’s morals in book 7. It’s funny, because she really didn’t even need to do that in order to showcase Dumbledore as an imperfect figure. He is not an effective headmaster and he is a questionable human being.
To start off with book one, he hires Qurriell and hides a dangerous stone within his school. He knew Voldemort was going to be coming for that magical object and was willing to risk the lives of his students to stroke his ego. He even tells Snape to keep an eye on Qurriell, which means he was suspicious. Yet, he did not act on it. Dumbledore would have been held responsible for the death Harry Potter and other students for insane reasons.
In book 2, kids are being petrified and he carries on like business as usual. He is risking more lives of students in order to watch what happens. Far be it for him to get off his ass and look for the Chamber of Secrets, which isn’t all that hard to find. No, that would require him to actually do his job.
With Book 4, he has an imposter Moody roaming the halls of Hogwarts. It is no secret that Dumbledore is supposed to be wise. The real Alastor Moody was in the Order of The Phoenix. Are you going to tell me that Barty Crouch Jr was just such a phenomenal actor that he nailed Mad-Eye Moody completely and fooled Dumbledore? I don’t buy it. Even Draco Malfoy, a second year student who had no clue what Polyjuice Potion was, questioned the identity of Crabbe and Goyle when Ron and Harry played them. It could be argued Harry and Ron were around Crabbe and Goyle more than Barty Crouch Jr was around Mad-Eye. Dumbledore not acting on this makes him partially responsible for the return of Voldemort. All because of his obsession with watching things play out for his own sick amusement and laziness.
Book 5, he refuses to act rational when talking to Fudge about the return of Voldemort. He speaks in a matter of fact fashion and acts all high and mighty about it. He did not sit down and have a proper chat with him saying his stance as headmaster and why Fudge should listen to him. No wonder an idiot like Fudge was paranoid about Dumbledore. Dumbledore was on a massive ego trip and on a self-righteous kick.
Finally, in book 6, he pretends to care about the innocence of Draco Malfoy, when in all actuality he is only playing a mental mind game with Voldemort. You see, Dumbledore, high on his own ego, put on a Horcrux which made his days numbered. Realizing he can’t let Voldemort know that Voldemort was the actual cause for his death, he devised this elaborate scheme to get Snape to kill him. That way Voldemort would never be viewed as responsible for his death. Either via Draco or by Horcrux. Otherwise, he would have acted when Draco was accidentally harming students.
Dumbledore is not a good headmaster. He is on the same ego trip and is high on his own power as Voldemort. Difference is, Voldemort is not as subtle in his treachery. Dumbledore is also in-directly the cause for Voldemort’s madness. Dumbledore plays favorites, does not act when he should and he is in all around fustilarian.