When Snape killed Dumbledore, did the majestic wizard really die?
Tolkien’s resurrection of Gandalf in “The Two Towers” gives a shiver of hope to any Harry Potter readers who don’t want to see the end of Hogwarts’ headmaster.
Most of us would love to think Dumbledore isn’t really dead. You have to love a guy who uses candy (“lemon drops,” “Fizzing Whisbees”) as the passwords to his secret office. And who, when asked by Harry in Book 1 (“Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone”) as they stand in front of the Mirror of Erised (it’s “d-e-s-i-r-e” backwards for newby Potter readers) what he most wants he says, a warm pair of socks. And who has a brother who’s been in trouble with the law for what may be a rather perverted habit. Fun fact for newby readers: Dumbledore is an old English West Country (King Arthur territory) term for bumblebee. Albus means white. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry on Dumbledore, which includes the meanings and allusions for all his names, including Percival Wulfric (think Beowulf) and Brian. And here’s another link, to an excellent compendium of Dumbledore lore, including the allusion to the scar on his knee that was a perfect map of the London underground. I had forgotten about that.
All this — the Gandalf reappearance, the affection most readers have for him, the symbolism of his pet and his Patronus being a phoenix, which arises from the ashes — has led to a fruitful but, I believe, misguided thread of theorizing that Dumbledore will return. But how?
Author J.K. Rowling has said many many times, generally when asked about Harry’s parents, that when you’re dead, you’re dead. Even in the wizarding world. She has said she always knew Dumbledore would have to die, because Harry must make his way alone. That’s in keeping with the heroic epic genre in which she’s writing.
Of course, knowing she’d have to kill Dumbledore doesn’t prove he won’t come back. Maybe she knew she’d have to kill him off because she knows his return plays a role in the climax? See, even I can try to make myself believe it.
But sorry. I’m afraid that when Dumbledore died, he died.