Albus Dumbledore has been called the greatest headmaster in Hogwarts' history. Throughout seven books and eight movies, Professor Dumbledore has shown how great he can be.
The number of times Dumbledore helped Harry, Ron and Hermione were countless. Professor Dumbledore was the light and soul of Hogwarts throughout the Harry Potter series and has earned his own list of best moments.
Although there have been controversial opinions about him, Dumbledore's greatest moments outweigh the inferior ones. He truly was a mentor to Harry specifically and helped him through a lot of traumatic points in his life.
However, Dumbledore's past has been very secretive in the series with only small snippets of information mostly in the last book and movies. Luckily for us, the new movie Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will likely answer all the questions fans have had for years now.
You can stream all eight Harry Potter movies and both Fantastic Beasts movies on HBO Max.
Here's the scoop on the top 10 best moments from Albus Dumbledore!
1. Meeting Harry at Kings Cross after Voldemort "Killed" Him
Towards the end of the Harry Potter saga, there is a pivotal moment for Harry and Voldemort. On both sides, it seems as if the war has come to an end, Harry is about to die, and Voldemort is about to be victorious. What neither of them knows is that instead of killing Harry Voldemort, he kills the piece of soul that has been in Harry since the first night in Godrics Hollow.
After being struck by the killing curse, Harry is transported to his own purgatory that resembles Kings Cross station, seemingly alone at first. Dumbledore, who was killed earlier in the series, appears and gives Harry the advice he needs to truly finish off Voldemort.
Dumbledore's advice that he gives Harry fuels him to go back to the real world even though he could have died. Their conversation has proven to everyone how impactful Dumbledore was on Harry throughout his life. He will always be a guiding force whether he is physically there or not.
He's not only a mentor to Harry but a protector and a father figure since his preteen days. Despite the internal struggle Harry has about Dumbledore and his past, he will always lean on him for advice.
2. Instructing Harry and Hermione to use the Time Turner
Dumbledore has always been one to make sure innocent lives are spared. In Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore sends Harry and Hermione back in time with the time turner to reverse some events.
At this point, Harry has found out that Sirius Black was his godfather and wants to start his life with him. Unfortunately, Sirius has just been captured by the Ministry to be executed. Even though Sirius was innocent of his crimes, there was no proof of his innocence. Dumbledore knew all of this and was determined to save his life.
Before he sends them on their way, he says "more than one innocent life can be saved," meaning Sirius and Buckbeak. Dumbledore knew the importance of saving people and giving them second chances. By giving Harry and Hermione the instructions to save Buckbeak and Sirius, he shows his compassion for other people., which is no surprise that this one made our list for the best Dumbledore moments.
3. Sacrificing Himself for the Greater Good
The most memorable moment regarding Dumbledore in the entirety of Harry Potter was his death. In the sixth movie and book, Dumbledore was tragically killed by none other than Severus Snape.
At first, this seems like a huge betrayal to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, but it had actually been planned all along. Snape and Dumbledore had an understanding of how the rest of the war was supposed to go. This meant that Dumbledore knew years before his death that he was supposed to die and how.
Even though Draco Malfoy was the one that plotted his death, Dumbledore was more than ready to go. Although the thought of dying to most people is scary, he took it in stride. He even instructed Snape to kill him himself about a year before his death.
His sacrificing himself further proves his selfless nature and how he always puts others first. In his eyes, his one life would be worth the thousands of lives that potentially could be lost if he didn't make the ultimate sacrifice.
4. Showing Harry Voldemort's Childhood Memories
One key part of the sixth book and movie was Harry discovering Voldemort's past. At the time, the reason for revisiting his childhood wasn't mentioned until a key memory was salvaged. As it turns out, Dumbledore showing Harry these memories were the only way to finish him for good.
Dumbledore took the whole school year to show these memories to prepare Harry for the final task. By seeing these memories, Harry discovered the idea of Horcruxes. When explained to him, Harry learns that a part of Voldemort's soul was hidden in these items called Horcruxes. To kill Voldemort, you must destroy the objects.
Finding the Horcruxes was a journey of its own, but Dumbledore showing Harry Voldemort's memories gives clues as to where and what they are. Dumbledore was setting Harry up for the intense task ahead.
5. Leaving Harry a Golden Snitch in His Will
After the death of Dumbledore, Harry's world was turned upside down. He had lost his mentor and protector and was being bombarded with rumors surrounding Dumbledore's past. So, when the Minister of Magic shows up on behalf of Dumbledore it is a shock to everyone.
The meaning behind the Minister's visit regards the Will and Testament of Dumbledore. As it turns out, he had left the trio items that would help them on their journey to find Horcruxes. To Harry, he left the golden snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match. The reasoning behind this was unclear until the very end of the seventh book.
Snitches have flesh memories, meaning you can store items in them and only you can open it. In Harry's, he put the Resurrection Stone, the item that brings back people from the dead. When Harry realizes this, he can speak to the people who mean the most to him right before facing Voldemort in the forest.
6. Letting Harry Visit the Mirror of Erised Multiple Times
In the first book and movie, after Harry receives his invisibility cloak, he discovers a magical mirror in the castle. The mirror gave the viewer the chance to see what they most desired in the world, for Harry, it was his parents and having them by his side.
Until the end of the book and movie, the audience thought Harry was able to sneak out every night to see the mirror unscathed. But it is revealed that Dumbledore knew, every time he went in there to see it. Dumbledore had been there in the shadows the first night Harry discovered it and saw how attached he became. After a few nights, the mirror was moved to the third floor with the Philosopher's Stone.
After successfully saving the stone and defeating Voldemort for the first time, Dumbledore tells Harry why he moved it. He didn't want Harry to become obsessed with being with his parents when it wasn't physically possible. But he wanted him to have the chance to feel the love and support his parents had for him, even for a short time. This Dumbledore moment gives us all the feels.
7. "Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
The third movie and book are when things turn dark. The idea of soul-sucking cloaked figures and murderers on the loose has everyone on edge at the beginning of dinner.
Dumbledore knew how nervous and scared his students felt so he wanted to remind them of what really matters. His famous quote has been quoted by millions of people and has been regarded as one of the best quotes from the franchise.
The true meaning behind it has been argued over time but most have come to one consensus. Although times may be dark and scary, you are the one who is in control of your happiness. Do not dwell on the bad and remember what is good in your life to make yourself happy.
Dumbledore was a huge advocate of love and friendships, and this quote is a testament to that. Primarily he wanted his students to remember what causes their happiness, meaning their friends and loved ones, and surround themselves with them.
8. Taking Harry to Meet Professor Slughorn
As mentioned earlier, Voldemort's memories play a huge part in his downfall. There is one key memory that Dumbledore and Harry needed to complete this task, Slughorn's memory. The only problem is that Professor Slughorn was in denial about what truly happened.
Harry spends almost the entirety of the sixth book trying to get the memory from him on Dumbledore's orders. When he took Harry to meet Slughorn he knew that Harry was the only way Slughorn would return to his post at Hogwarts. Professor Slughorn was close to Harry's mom and thus wanted Harry in his collection of powerful witches and wizards.
9. Explaining the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry
In the second movie and book, Harry is troubled with the Chamber of Secrets. The Sword of Gryffindor appeared to him when he needed it most when he was fighting the Basilisk in the Chamber.
After the fight with the Basilisk, Dumbledore tells Harry why the sword is so special. He explains it will show up for a true Gryffindor when they need it most. Meaning Harry showed true bravery down in the Chamber. This reasoning for the sword appearing relaxes Harry from his fears of not belonging.
Harry feels this safety throughout his time at Hogwarts and this carries over into his quest for Horcruxes. Dumbledore's message rings in Harry's head and he realizes the sword is the key to killing Horcruxes. This Dumbledore moment lets us know that he will forever be Harry's ally.
10. Giving Harry his Invisibility Cloak
During Harry's first Christmas at the castle, he received a surprise gift of an invisibility cloak. Although in the movies it is never fully explained, Dumbledore was the one who gave it to him.
Dumbledore saw the cloak as the last gift Harry's parents would give him in his lifetime. This invisibility cloak would give Harry the chance to do multiple important things in the books and movies. The cloak also links Harry to the three brothers from the Deathly Hallows story.
Harry getting the cloak set up his future for defeating Voldemort and all of the mischiefs he gets into at Hogwarts.
Dumbledore is one of the most memorable characters within the Harry Potter franchise. Through his subtle wittiness and endless knowledge, he led Harry through the hardest years of his life.
There are a lot of things we still don't really know about Dumbledore after all these years later. But the newest movie in the Harry Potter world focuses on the famous headmaster. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore premieres on April 6th and will answer all of our burning questions.
Which Dumbledore moment was your favorite? Comment below!
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