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Fans of Harry Potter were saddened by the death of Albus Dumbledore, but some believe he may have faked his death. However, evidence suggests he is truly dead, and his body is likely in his tomb. It is unclear if he will return through his portrait in the final book.
Readers of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were dismayed by the apparent death of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. He is a pivotal character in the Harry Potter books and in the development of Harry Potter itself. The wizard seems to have an unerring instinct for sources of danger and wisely guides the other characters through dangerous situations.
The scene of Dumbledore’s death atop the astronomical tower and subsequent funeral left many readers wondering if he was actually dead. Many readers feel that a wizard with Dumbledore’s strength and powers cannot be killed, and he may fake his own death for personal reasons which would become apparent in the next book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Much to the disappointment of readers, JK Rowling has claimed that Dumbledore is actually dead. Since you said that “for the well-organized magician, death is but the next great thing,” perhaps his death isn’t as terrible as readers think.
The death scene clearly suggests that Dumbledore is indeed dead. The main evidence for this is that the spell that bound Harry Potter instead of him was released when Dumbledore fell from the tower. Given the existing evidence of how spells work, Dumbledore would have had to die for the spell to be lifted, unless another character, such as Severus Snape, knew Harry was in the tower and performed a non-verbal spell to free him and trick Harry and readers into thinking the wizard is dead. Also, when Harry enters the Headmaster’s office after his apparent death, Dumbledore has appeared in portraits of past Headmasters, all of whom are presumably dead.
Some readers have argued that Dumbledore consumed the Draft of Living Death, which made him appear dead. During the climactic scene of his funeral, when Fanny, his phoenix, flies over his head and his grave catches fire, perhaps Dumbledore has fled with Fanny to safety. The fact that his grave changes shape, hiding evidence of a body, lends credence to this theory. When this was brought up with Rowling, she simply repeated that Dumbledore really was dead. Since it seems unlikely that she would allow his body to be used as an Inferius, it can be assumed that his body is inside his tomb.
What Rowling didn’t say whether or not Dumbledore would return in the last book. Previous books have shown that even portraits of famous witches and wizards seem to have some of their wit. In those books, readers have seen the wizards in the portraits offering advice or spying on remote places through other portraits of themselves. The portraits aren’t exactly ghosts, but they aren’t quite alive either. It seems likely that Dumbledore will speak to the characters through his portrayal, perhaps offering guidance and suggestions, just as he did in the past, even if he won’t be able to physically assist Harry in his quest to defeat Voldemort. Some readers are also hoping to find out what Dumbledore sees in the Mirror of Erised, as most suspect they aren’t, in fact, socks.
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