【Michael Maien】

LONDON -- Yep,Michael Maien I know it's a bold statement to make, but I'm sticking by it.

There are a lot of brilliant characters in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potterseries -- and, obviously, in the world of fiction in general -- but despite the stiff competition, Albus Dumbledore still shines like a freshly Lumos'd wand tip.

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Obviously he's the greatest wizard of all time, but he's also much more than that: kind, funny, caring, a great mentor and -- perhaps most important of all -- the first to admit that he's a long way from being perfect.

To pay homage to Dumbledore's general awesomeness, I've rounded up some of his best moments below.

1. The time he basically predicted the future more accurately than Professor Trelawney.

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From:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter Twenty-Two, "Owl Post Again", p.453.

No big deal: just Dumbledore casually predicting something that will happen in four years' time with uncanny accuracy. After Harry saves Wormtail's life in the third book he worries he'll have inadvertently helped Voldemort rise again -- and after the events of book four, this certainly seems to be the case.

But Dumbledore ends up being completely right about the bond between them; in the Deathly Hallows, Wormtail's momentary hesitation in Malfoy Manor allows Harry to escape, and Dumbledore's prediction comes true.

2. The time he showed his sense of humour.

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From:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter Twelve, "The Triwizard Tournament", p.158.

Dumbledore has some classic one-liners, but I particularly enjoy this passage in book four, where he gets totally side-tracked and temporarily forgets he's meant to be telling the school about The Triwizard Tournament.

3. The time we found out just how wise he truly is.

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From:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter Thirty-Six, "The Parting of the Ways", p.585.

The momentary "gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes" doesn't mean much to us in book four, but by the end of book seven it's crucial. As Dumbledore explains to Harry right at the end of the series in his King's Cross vision, by taking Harry's blood Voldemort inadvertently took on some of the protection Harry's mother gave him; essentially, by remaining alive, Voldemort was also unknowingly protecting Harry.

It's fairly complicated stuff, but not for Dumbledore; the minute Harry told him about the blood in book four, he knew.

4. The time he absolutely slammed Fudge.

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From:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter Thirty-Six, "The Parting of the Ways", p.595.

If Dumbledore hadn't decided to become a headmaster, he could easily have been a lawyer -- the way he puts a stammering Fudge in his place at the end of book four is all the proof needed.

5. The time he took on the entire Wizengamot and won.

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From:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter Eight, "The Hearing", p.128.

Further evidence that Dumbledore would be a killer lawyer comes at the beginning of book five, when he calmly brings down Fudge's entire Wizengamot with his well-crafted arguments and gets Harry off the hook. I particularly love his line about arriving at the Ministry three hours early "due to a lucky mistake". Classic Dumbledore.

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6. The time he gave the world's kindest threat...

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From:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter Twenty-Seven, "The Centaur and the Sneak", p. 572.

One of the first times we become fully aware of Dumbledore's true power (at least in a practical sense) happens when the auror Dawlish makes a move to apprehend him on Fudge's orders. The calm, cheerful way he stops Dawlish in his tracks with nothing but words hints at just how great his magical prowess truly is.

7. ...And then casually took on three people at once.

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From:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter Twenty-Seven, "The Centaur and the Sneak", p. 573.

Shortly after we get a hint of Dumbledore's true power, we see it in action. He completely incapacitates Dawlish, Fudge, and Umbridge in a matter of seconds, then emerges through the dust to calmly ask McGonagall if she and Harry are okay.

8. The time he basically frightened off Voldemort.

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From:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter Thirty-Six, "The Only One He Ever Feared", p.749.

Some people criticise the Order of the Phoenixfor being too unstructured, but in my opinion it has some of the greatest moments in the series. Chapter Thirty-Six, "The Only One He Ever Feared", is one of these.

Dumbledore is at his best during his brief duel with Voldemort; calm, fearless, and -- of course -- magically brilliant; Voldemort is obviously a strong match, but Dumbledore holds his ground and the Dark Lord is forced to flee. In the end, the Chapter's title says it all.

9. His glorious interaction with the Dursleys.

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From:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter Three, "Will and Won't", p.40.

There are plenty of amusing encounters between the Dursleys and the wizarding community, but Dumbledore's arrival at the beginning of book six is probably my favourite (especially the way he's able to silence Uncle Vernon with nothing more than a few calm words).

10. The time he wouldn't give up against the Inferi.

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From:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter Twenty-Six, "The Cave", p.479.

Every time I read the line highlighted above, it sends chills down my spine. Even after having drunk that horrendous potion and being weak to the point of collapse, Dumbledore manages to get back to his feet again and blast away the Inferi before they can drag Harry underwater.

If this doesn't scream "hero", I don't know what does.

11. The time he put his faith in Harry with this beautiful line.

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From:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter Twenty-Six, "The Cave", p.481.

I don't mind telling you that I came dangerously close to weeping like a toddler when I read this line. I can't even put my finger on quite why it's so emotional. Maybe it's Dumbledore's vulnerability after having drank the potion; maybe it's the fact it cleverly mirrors a line at the start of the book, when Dumbledore tells Harry he's unlikely to be attacked because "You are with me." Or maybe it's because it seems to signal the moment when Dumbledore hands the reigns to Harry, who we know will shortly have to set out on his own.

12. The time when, even faced with death, he was all about helping others.

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From:Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter Twenty-Seven, "The Lightning-Struck Tower", p.492.

When unarmed and being threatened with death, there are few characters who would be awesome enough to calmly say, "I appreciate the difficulty of your position." When Dumbledore says it, though, it isn't even really that surprising; he's the type of character who always tries to use words and reasoning as a substitute for violence.

13. His unrivalled ability to stay calm.

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From:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-Three, "The Prince's Tale", p.556.

Perhaps one of Dumbledore's most impressive, constant qualities is his ability to remain calm. When he's being threatened with Azkaban, he remains calms; when he's face-to-face with the world's most powerful dark wizard, he remains calm; even when he's told he only has a year to live and nothing can be done to save him, he remains calm.

14. Finally, the time he was completely honest with Harry.

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From:Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-Five, "King's Cross", p.588.

Ultimately, the reason Dumbledore is such a perfect character is, ironically, because he isn'tperfect. When we see him break down in tears during his conversation with Harry at the end of book seven, we realise the extent to which he is flawed -- rather than making us think any less of him, though, this only makes him appear more human.

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Topics Harry Potter JK Rowling