Between the wars (1981–1995)

1984–1985

At the Start-of-Term Feast during the 1984–1985 school year, Professor Dumbledore was seated in the
magnificent golden chair at the centre of the High Table in the Great Hall, looking on with interest as
Professor McGonagall presides over the annual sorting ceremony and the most recent addition to the
student body, as they were placed in their allotted houses. Among the newcomers, he observed, was
the second oldest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley and the daughter of Andromeda Black and her
Muggle-borns husband Edward Tonks. The former, to no one's surprise, was placed in Gryffindor House,
whereas the latter defied her mother's long history of notoriously pro-pure-blood fanatics by being
sorted into Hufflepuff. The new patch also included Tulip Karasu, the young daughter of two members
of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at Ministry of Magic, whom Dumbledore presumably
would be familiar with given his ties to said institution and affiliation with the Wizengamot. Merula
Snyde and Barnaby Lee, both of whom had parents who had earned notoriety as Death Eaters during
the wizarding war and been sent to Azkaban for their many atrocities, found their way to Slytherin
House. Rowan Khanna, the next in line of a family that owned a rather well-known tree farm that
supplied high-quality wood for the manufacture of wands and broomsticks.

When a young student was found entering the room where the Cursed Ice was located, they were sent
to Dumbledore for their punishment. However, rather than punishing Jacob's sibling, Dumbledore
instead at first talked with them about their brother and the beauty and uses of stars before giving them
100 house points due to their display of courage, compassion, and resourcefulness. He also told them
that they will have a chat on the Cursed Vaults.

1985–1986

Dumbledore was later said to have left Hogwarts to search for information on the Cursed Vaults, as
Snape and McGonagall said and they could not ask him to help free Ben Cooper as Dumbledore is away
from the school. After Jacob's sibling broke the curse on the Vault of Ice, he was sent to meet
Dumbledore. Instead of punishing them, Dumbledore once again rewarded their efforts to save the
school with 50 house points and also revealed that the Cursed Vaults origins were rumoured to be
either created by one of the Founders or a paranoid Headmaster. However, Dumbledore still asked
them to leave the search of the Cursed Vaults and Jacob to him and said they would talk on something
important next year.

1986-1987

Indeed, next year, Dumbledore included a grim warning on those trying to find the Cursed Vaults and
even briefly rose his voice. He left school to search for Patricia Rakepick in hopes that her time
researching the Vaults will help the faculty deal with them. This made Hogwarts particularly vulnerable
to the Boggarts unleashed by the Vault of Fear, although it was once again thwarted by Jacob's sibling.
Going to Hogsmeade to confront them, easily recognising that they were the ones responsible for it,
Dumbledore scolded Hagrid for revealing the Boggarts‘ decreasement and summoned Jacob's sibling to
his office. After a discussion regarding Boggarts and the one he had been looking for while out of school,
Dumbledore berated Jacob's sibling for disobeying him and warned them he would not be able to save
them from serious punishment if they broke the rule again but still gave them 100 house points.

1987-1988

In the next year, Dumbledore welcomed Patricia Rakepick and confessed the faculty's lack of knowledge
regarding the Cursed Vaults. The end of the year saw Dumbledore finally punishing Jacob's sibling by
giving them detention under Pitts.

1991–1992

Dumbledore: "Harry, do you know why Professor Quirrell couldn't bear to have you touch him? It was
because of your mother. She sacrificed herself for you. And that kind of act leaves a mark... This kind of
mark cannot be seen. It lives in your very skin."

Harry Potter: "What is it?"

Dumbledore: "Love, Harry. Love."

— Professor Dumbledore regarding the power of love[src]

Ten years later, Harry Potter started attending Hogwarts, not as happy as Dumbledore might have
hoped, considering the neglect he had faced at the hands of his intolerant aunt and uncle, but alive and
well. That year, Lord Voldemort formulated a plan to regain human form. Dumbledore and his friend
Nicolas Flamel (the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone) began to suspect that the
disembodied Dark Lord was plotting to steal the invaluable object, which would be capable of restoring
him to full power. Dumbledore had the stone moved to a medium security vault at Gringotts Wizarding
Bank, but later had it moved to Hogwarts itself; coincidentally, on the same day that an attempted
break-in was made upon the vault. It was retrieved by Hagrid, who was also taking Harry to buy his
school supplies.

Dumbledore speech

Dumbledore giving his customary school speech

Dumbledore and several teachers (McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Snape and, dubiously, Quirrell) at
Hogwarts planted magical security methods to protect the stone. Dumbledore was behind the final, and
most powerful protection placed upon the stone. He enchanted the Mirror of Erised to contain the
Philosopher's Stone, only to be removed by someone who did not intend to use or possess it, but only to
keep it from the hands of evil. Dumbledore suspected that the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor
Quirinus Quirrell was behind the plot to steal the Philosopher's Stone, while working for the weakened
Lord Voldemort, and as such he asked Snape to keep an eye on him. He also anonymously returned
James's Cloak of Invisibility to Harry as a Christmas present.[7]

Harry-potter1-disneyscreencaps.com-11919

Dumbledore advising Harry from seeking out the Mirror of Erised again

Over a series of nights, Harry Potter proceeded to visit the Mirror of Erised as often as he could to see
his parents' faces. Dumbledore found Harry visiting the mirror one night, and after explaining to Harry
what the mirror was all about, told him that the mirror was to be moved and requested that Harry not
go looking for it. Before heading back to bed, Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw when he looked
into the mirror. Dumbledore claimed to see himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks, telling Harry
that "one can never have enough socks."[7] However, Dumbledore was joking — the matter being a very
personal one. At first, still yearning for Grindelwald’s love, Albus saw himself with his former lover in the
Mirror. However, after Grindelwald’s defeat and having come to terms with his past guilt over his
sister’s death, later in his life Dumbledore would see his family whole and intact, free of any pain or
suffering.[20] It is unknown if Grindelwald, as a redeemed man, was included in these later reflections.

Harry potter 1 3 28126829

Dumbledore visits Harry Potter in the Hospital Wing after the latter protects the Philosopher's Stone
from Voldemort

In the end it was Harry who protected the Philosopher's Stone from Quirrell and Voldemort. Voldemort
failed for the same reasons he had failed to murder Harry previously: due to Lily Potter's love for Harry.
When Voldemort, who had possessed the body of Quirrell, ordered his servant to attack the young boy,
the sacrificial protection instilled within him at the point of his mother's death killed him and forced the
Dark Lord's spirit to flee. When Harry recovered from the ordeal in the hospital wing, he questioned
Dumbledore about why Voldemort had tried to murder him as a baby. Dumbledore did not believe that
Harry was ready to know the truth about the Prophecy Sybill Trelawney had made, and told him he
would know when he was older (although this would actually later turn out to be a mistake).

At the end-of-year feast, Dumbledore awarded an extra 170 house points to Gryffindor students, Harry
Potter (60), Ron Weasley (50), Hermione Granger (50) and Neville Longbottom (10), respectively for
bravery and logical skills, prompting Gryffindor to win the House Cup, ruining Slytherin’s chance of the
cup for the seventh year in a row. This may have shown an unprofessional amount of bias towards
Gryffindor to announce their win in such unusual circumstances.
Sometime before the next year began, Dumbledore, having never been fooled by Gilderoy Lockhart's tall
tales, figured out the truth soon when Lockhart erased the memories of two wizards that Dumbledore
personally knew. He realised that Lockhart had gone too far in his desire for fame and decided to track
him down and make him pay for his crimes. Having the position of the Professor of the Defence Against
the Dark Arts vacant proved to be useful for Dumbledore, as he offered Lockhart the job and altough
Lockhart was reluctant as his career as an author was progressing very well, successfully convinced him
by slyly hinting that Harry Potter was a second-year student in Hogwarts, causing Lockhart to accept.

Having intended for Lockhart to show his inappitude and fraudlence to the students and thus expose
him to the public secretly, Dumbledore's decision was shocking to take by the other staff members as
they never forgot Lockhart as the obnoxious attention seeker back then despite his achievements, with
McGonagall saying what the students could possibly learn under a man as vain and celebrity-hungry
man as Lockhart. Dumbledore, however, skillfully talked himself out by pointing out that Lockhart was
the only one who was willing to take it and also saying that there was a lot to learn from even a bad
teacher: what not to do, how not to be.

1992–1993

"It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

—Dumbledore's advice to Harry Potter[src]

Harry-potter2-professors

Albus Dumbledore and colleagues discovering a blood-written message on the wall

Shortly into the school year of 1992, students again fell under attack from a beast allegedly released
from the Chamber of Secrets. Under the influence of Lucius Malfoy, the Hogwarts board of governors
voted to remove Dumbledore from his position as Headmaster when he proved unable to uncover the
culprit; Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge also had the groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid taken to
Azkaban, acting under the theory that it had been he who opened the Chamber in 1943.[33]

It was later revealed that first year student, Ginny Weasley, had come into possession of Tom Riddle's
Diary, a bewitched object capable of interacting with whoever wrote in it. The diary slowly drained the
life force from Ginny, and when the memory it contained was nearly strong enough to take physical
form, it had her journey into the heart of the Chamber. However, Harry Potter was able to find the
Chamber himself, and there, defeated the beast that dwelt within; Salazar Slytherin's basilisk. He also
destroyed the diary with one of the basilisk's fangs, saving Ginny and defeating the nearly fully formed
memory of Riddle. Harry was only able to achieve these feats by displaying an extreme amount of
loyalty to Dumbledore; for only someone truly loyal to the Headmaster would be capable of summoning
his pet phoenix Fawkes, who provided the tools needed for Potter to defeat Riddle and the basilisk.[33]
B2C18M1 Sword of Gryffindor engraving

Harry and Dumbledore talk after Harry slayed the Basilisk in the chamber

Dumbledore mysteriously returned to his position as Headmaster after the memory of Riddle was
revealed as being behind the attacks. He commended both Harry and Ron for solving the mystery with
the Special Award for Services to the School and two hundred points each for them. This secured
Gryffindor for the House Cup for the second year running and again ruining Slytherin's chances, fuelling
the hatred and rivalry between the two houses. He also secured Hagrid's release from Azkaban by
having Ron deliver his release papers via owl and cancelled exams as a special treat,.[33] much to the
delight of the students and the dismay of Hermione Granger. Lucius Malfoy was also sacked from his
position as a governor of Hogwarts, much to Draco's dismay and Harry's glee.

Dumbledore diary

Dumbledore contemplating Tom Riddle's diary

However, Dumbledore was privately concerned by the phenomena that Harry described; a mere
memory capable of taking physical form was unheard of. Dumbledore then began to suspect that
Riddle's diary was in fact a Horcrux, and furthermore, considering the lack of care the Dark Lord had
taken in protecting the diary, that he had created more than one.[33]

During his final talk with Harry in his office, Dumbledore came close to telling Harry about his connection
with Voldemort but refrained from doing so as he felt that twelve years old was still too young to learn
the truth and he wanted Harry to enjoy this night of triumph.[32]

1993–1994

"Now, pay attention. Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth
window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one
innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know
the law — you know what is at stake... I am going to lock you in. It is — five minutes to midnight. Miss
Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

—Dumbledore giving instructions to save Sirius[src]

The year after, the Ministry of Magic took it upon itself to increase security around Hogwarts. Sirius
Black, who had been sentenced to life in Azkaban for murdering Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles
with a single curse, had escaped from the wizarding prison. The Ministry, afraid that he was going after
Harry Potter, placed a large number of Dementors at Hogwarts to try to recapture him. Dumbledore
reluctantly tolerated the Dementors on school grounds, but refused to allow them within the school
itself.[34]

However, the Dementors violated Dumbledore's decree when they entered the Quidditch match
between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, causing Harry to fall unconscious and fall from the sky. Dumbledore
was able to prevent Harry from hitting the ground and repelled the Dementors with a Patronus.[34]

Dumbledore Bedside Manner POA

Dumbledore hinting that Harry and Hermione should travel back in time

As the school year drew to its close, it became clear to Harry and his friends that Sirius Black had been
framed for his crimes, commited by Pettigrew, who has been disguised as Scabbers for twelve years. But
Sirius was captured, locked in the highest tower, and sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. Dumbledore
instantly believed Harry and his friends about Sirius's innocence, but the Minister did not. Dumbledore
was incapable of over-ruling the Ministry's decision despite him being Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.

Instead, Dumbledore told Hermione Granger to use her Time-Turner to save Sirius and in the process
Buckbeak as well. Harry and Hermione's rescue mission was a success, Sirius escaped on Buckbeak. The
Dementors were removed from the grounds for their attack on Harry and the attempted removal of his
soul.[34] During the rescue Harry also conjured a powerful corporal Patronus , that Dumbledore later
commented on.

B3C22M1 Lupin leaving his office and teaching post

Harry Potter and Dumbledore seeing Remus Lupin off

Dumbledore saw Remus Lupin (the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher) off after Snape leaked
his identity as a werewolf to the school. Harry was also seeing Lupin off too and Dumbledore could tell
that Harry was troubled. Harry explained how guilty he felt allowing Pettigrew, the real culprit who had
framed Sirius, to escape, which coincides with a prediction Trelawney made. Therefore, he feared that
he may have indirectly given Voldemort a servant to return him to power. Dumbledore assured Harry
that he did a noble thing in saving Pettigrew's life, forging a deep, magical bond between them, and he
promised Harry that one day he'd be glad he spared Pettigrew.
At the end of the year Dumbledore began to feel uneasy about concealing the truth of Sybill Trelawney's
prophecy because even though Harry was still young, he had proven himself to be exceptional, and he
would have to be told soon.[32]

1994–1995

"It is my belief — and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken — that we are all facing dark and
difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort... A
week ago, a student was taken from our midst. Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come
when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a
boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort.
Remember Cedric Diggory."

—Dumbledore giving respect to Cedric Diggory[src]

Before the beginning of the new school year, the first Death Eater activity in years broke out at the
Quidditch World Cup, causing Dumbledore to suspect that the second rise of Lord Voldemort was near.
Later, Hogwarts played host to the first Triwizard Tournament since 1792. It was decided that only
students of age would be allowed to enter their names to the Goblet of Fire, because of the dangers the
tournament represented and its high death toll. Dumbledore personally drew an Age Line around the
magical artefact to ensure that this rule would be impossible to break. During this year, Dumbledore
employed his old friend, Alastor Moody, an ex-Auror, as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts
Professor. Moody took this position only as a personal favour to Dumbledore.

B4C16M1 Champions chosen v1

Albus Dumbledore withdrawing Harry's name from the Goblet of Fire

However, unknown to anybody, a day before Moody was set to arrive at Hogwarts, he was overpowered
by Death Eaters Barty Crouch, Jr and Peter Pettigrew. On the orders of Voldemort, Crouch brewed
Polyjuice Potion, which he used to impersonate Moody and take his place at Hogwarts. Crouch, in the
guise of Moody, successfully fooled the Goblet of Fire and ensured that Harry Potter was chosen as the
fourth champion of the Triwizard Tournament. Crouch secretly aided Potter throughout the
tournament, so that in the final task it would be him to touch the Triwizard trophy first; which he had
bewitched to become a Portkey.

When Harry and fellow champion Cedric Diggory touched the trophy at the same time they were
transported to the graveyard of Little Hangleton. There, Diggory was killed on the orders of Lord
Voldemort, and Harry's blood was taken as the final ingredient in a potion the Dark Lord used to return
to full power. Using the Portkey, Harry was able to escape Voldemort and return to Hogwarts.
BartyCrouchJr PM

Dumbledore and Harry discover the location of the real Alastor Moody

It was when Crouch, still in the guise of Moody, took Harry from out of Dumbledore's presence
(something the real Moody never would have done in such a traumatic situation) that the headmaster
realised that it was not Moody who had been at the school the whole year. Dumbledore, Snape and
Minerva McGonagall quickly overpowered the Death Eater. It was in that moment that Harry realised
exactly why Dumbledore was the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared. Barty then truthfully revealed
the entirety of Voldemort's plot and his participation in it under the influence of Veritaserum.

B4C36M1 Snape Dark Mark reveal

Dumbledore telling a disbelieving Fudge of Voldemort's return

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge refused to believe that Lord
Voldemort had returned to power and had Crouch subjected to the Dementor's Kiss before he could be
forced to stand trial before the Wizengamot. Despite this, Dumbledore knew that Voldemort's return
was real and, in response to Fudge's failure to act, reformed the Order of the Phoenix, an alliance
brought together during the First Wizarding War to fight against Voldemort and his followers.
Dumbledore chose to reform the Order as he feared that the start of the Second Wizarding War was
lingering and inevitable to happen.

Again, Dumbledore was reminded of Harry's exceptional skill and knew that he would surely have to be
told of the prophecy soon, but again he chose not to, out of a desire to spare Harry an additional
burden.[32]

Second Wizarding War (1995–1997)

Evading Cornelius Fudge

Main article: Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter

"They're trying to discredit him. Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week? They reported that he'd
been voted out of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his
grip, but it's not true; he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing
Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot, and they're thinking
of removing his Order of Merlin, First Class too."

—Dumbledore's discredit at the hands of the Ministry[src]

Dp dumbledore daft or dangerous

Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter

The Ministry immediately began to deny Dumbledore and Harry's claims that the Dark Lord had
returned, starting a smear campaign designed to slander and vilify them; in particular, Dumbledore was
removed from his positions as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the
International Confederation of Wizards as punishment for his refusal to stay in line with Ministry
propaganda. However, Dumbledore professed not to care, so long as the Ministry did not eliminate him
from Chocolate Frog Cards. He confessed that he believed that Fudge's persecution of him was of his
own free will and not due to the Imperius Curse, though this was small comfort.

Before the beginning of the school year, Dumbledore was made Secret-Keeper of the headquarters of
the Order of the Phoenix, and ensured that Harry Potter's friends did not divulge any information about
the Order to him, as he did not want the Order to be compromised in anyway.

Dumbledore attended Harry's trial at the ministry, arriving three hours early at five a.m by a handy
mistake. He presented Arabella Figg for Harry's defence and offered to call Dobby to testify that Harry
had not used a Hover Charm in 1992, and reminded Fudge that he himself had pardoned Harry's
accidental inflation of Marjorie Dursley. He also commented the unusual behaviour of the court holding
a full criminal hearing for a simple case of underage magic. After the Wizengamot had ruled in Harry's
favour Dumbledore left without having so much as spoken to Harry or looked at him.

When the time came to choose the Prefects from the fifth year Dumbledore considered Harry, but out
of sympathy for the ordeals he had faced and the ones still to come, he chose to spare him the added
responsibility and passed it on to Ron Weasley. This decision confused some people who had assumed
Harry would naturally receive it, and would have shown solidarity with the young wizard.

Umbridge speech

Dolores Umbridge, the new DADA professor interrupting Dumbledore

Dumbledore had come to fear the connection that existed between the Dark Lord and Harry, and
purposely avoided him throughout the school year. When signs of this connection became increasingly
obvious, Dumbledore had Severus Snape attempt to teach Harry the art of Occlumency, rather than
himself, as he feared that Voldemort may have been able to peer into his mind through his connection
to Harry. The Ministry also began to interfere heavily at Hogwarts. They appointed Fudge's Senior
Undersecretary (Dolores Umbridge) to the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor
Umbridge started her reign at Hogwarts by rudely interrupting Dumbldore's Start-of-Term Feast. Things
got progressively worse from there. Umbridge and Fudge slowly passed rules and regulations that
syphoned the powers of the Headmaster, while increasing those of Umbridge herself. Until finally
Umbridge was granted the new position of High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. In response to Umbridge and
the Ministry's refusal to teach practical defensive magic, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron
Weasley created a group of students that met secretly to learn defence against the Dark Arts. With
Harry acting as the leader and teacher, this organisation was known as Dumbledore's Army, in order to
frighten the Ministry.