Trusting Dumbledore

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows my faith in Dumbledore and his integrity in my mind had weaned. That is until Harry meets him in his afterlife experience, which a find to be a very poignant. It was this scene that I feel the content of Dumbledore’s character was revealed to me and to all readers. He did not make excuses for himself for the atrocities he had committed or the actions he had taken or failed to because of his corrupt character. In this scene it made me feel that Dumbledore was more human than ever but also more noble and holy (for lack of a better word). I feel that Dumbledore leaves no doubt in Harry’s mind that he showed the remorse so incapable of Voldemort to mend his broken soul (though it is worth noting that Harry already knew this through scene in the cave in HBP and Mirror of Erised in SS) (hearing Dumbledore verbalize it redeemed him in my eyes). Within the conversation about Ariana I believe that Harry acknowledges and understands Dumbledore on a level that he has never before achieved because throughout the whole conversation he leads him like a teacher he treats and acknowledges him as his equal if not better. This is because as Dumbledore states Harry is selfless, courageous, and the true master of death. I believe when Dumbledore explains why Harry is the true master of death he is paying Harry the highest compliment he can possible give because he says that Harry is much wiser than he is, braver due to the fact that he could walk into death at peace through a selfless act, and that he understood the wand was not the best hallow. Dumbledore in this scene shows why he is the best Headmaster that Hogwarts ever had and he is worthy of having a child named after him.

            Also in this scene he acknowledges a weakness of his (power) that dispels a myth created throughout the series, which is he would have made a good minister of magic. He has a great quote about leadership, “those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who…have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” This was in my opinion a very humble thing to say because clearly even though Dumbledore may not agree he was in multiple positions of power as the head of Hogwarts, order of the Phoniex, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, to name a few. In every one of those positions he was beloved, trusted, and extremely well suited. He may have considered the old muggle saying when he turned down Minister of Magic though, “absolute power, absolutely corrupts” and he is absolutely redeemed in this muggle’s eyes.