When the Harry Potter books first came out, most fans loved Dumbledore for his wisdom, wit, and kind nature. However, while he might have seemed at first like a powerful old mentor type, he was revealed to be a lot more complicated than he originally seemed.
While there are many problematic things and characters from the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore is one of the most problematic of them all. Here are the most problematic things he ever did.
Being extremely arrogant
Given that Dumbledore was an extremely powerful wizard, it makes sense that he knew this about himself and didn’t fake being humble. However, there was definitely something about him that was too arrogant.
He clearly saw himself as above other people, and especially in his youth, this innate feeling is partially what led him to work with Grindelwald.
Not stopping horrible things from happening at Hogwarts
Aa Heaster, and also as an extremely powerful wizard, Dumbledore had a responsibility to keep the students at Hogwarts safe.
However, despite the fact he likely knew most of what went on at the school, he didn’t really stop anything from happening. He especially let Harry and his friends put themselves in dangerous situations and even encountered Voldemort multiple times.
Not closing the school when the Chamber of Secrets was opened
Going along with the point above, there were some specifically awful things that happened at Hogwarts that Dumbledore could have stopped but didn’t.
Given that the first time the Chamber of Secrets was opened that Moaning Myrtle died, he should have shut down the school for a time as soon as it was opened. He put all of the students at risk but especially the Muggle-born ones.
Using Hogwarts to hide the Sorcerer’s Stone
There were many dangerous things that happened at Hogwarts because of Voldemort and his followers, but Dumbledore himself actually directly put students at risk by placing the Sorcerer’s Stone in the school.
By doing so, he knew Voldemort would eventually come there in search of it, but he let Harry and others be at risk anyway.
Believing that Snape was redeemable
When Snape first came to Voldemort looking for help after Lily’s death, Dumbledore was understandably disgusted with him. He wasn’t exactly pleased to help him, but he knew that Snape could be really useful.
However, the fact that he let Snape work with him so closely, and for some reason trusted him so much, doesn’t make a lot of sense and is rather messed up.
Lying to Harry about his past
Given Dumbledore’s relationship to Harry as a mentor and the fact that Harry trusted him so much, the fact that he lied and manipulated Harry so much is troubling.
He didn’t tell Harry about his past with Grindelwald or with his family, and keeping this from Harry feels quite sneaky and manipulative.
Allowing Hogwarts professors to abuse students
Once again, as Heaster of the school, Dumbledore was the person in charge of the students and their well-being. However, he hired people like Lockhart who clearly weren’t qualified to teach.
And, even more than that, he was fine with people like Snape regularly bullying their students. There was nothing to keep the professors in line and Dumbledore didn’t seem to care.
Letting Harry be groomed as a lamb to slaughter
Despite the fact that Dumbledore was someone Harry trusted so much, all along Dumbledore was using and raising him to be the one to take down Voldemort. While he might have felt this was “for the greater good,” it’s still not acceptable.
He knew that Harry would have to die to do so, and he was willing to sacrifice a teenager anyway. It definitely makes all of their interactions seem quite sinister.
Contributing to Ariana’s death
Ariana, Dumbledore’s younger sister, had a tragic life that ended too soon. While Dumbledore obviously didn’t want her to die, his fight with Grindelwald is what ended up killing her.
It was an accident, but it’s still a really disturbing fact about his past, and he was also extremely secretive to the point of lying about it. He definitely didn't want to really face the consequences of what happened and his part in it.
Believing in Grindelwald’s ideology
The most problematic thing about Dumbledore is the fact that he was aligned with, and helped create, bigoted ideology about Muggles and Muggle-borns and a political platform with Grindelwald.
Not only did he go along with him, but he was also basically his partner and co-creator. This puts him on nearly the same level of bigotry as Grindelwald himself and Voldemort. While he did spend his life trying to make up for this, it's hard to view him as a moral figure knowing this about his past.
