“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.“- Albus Dumbledore.

The world seems a little less magical as one of the most beloved actors of the Potter world, Sir Michael Gambon has bid us farewell at the age of 82. His Dumbledore is not just a character, he is so much more, someone to look up to, someone to learn from. The Potterheads at All About Eve remember Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore, an iconic character, and how he made them feel growing up.

‘Dumbledore is not just a character, he’s the binding force of Hogwarts.’

Dumbledore is many things for many people. But for me, he is this binding force of the Hogwarts family. He is wise as an owl, but also extremely nurturing, and in a sense, the grandpa of the school. Dumbledore sees magic as a means to write your own destiny and gives the same lessons to Harry that he gives to Voldemort. He never differentiated between the two as he saw them for who they were – wizards who could change the world.

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore fit in seamlessly from the third part and never made you feel like he wasn’t a part of it from the very beginning. As the series moved ahead, his character evolved and we saw that Dumbledore was flawed in many ways. But at no point does it make your faith in him falter, he would always save the day in times of grave danger.

For me, he was the light whenever Hogwarts was surrounded by darkness. So, his wisdom along with his warmth make him a memorable and unforgettable character to me.

‘Dumbledore is a mysterious character but is deeply caring.’

Ishna feels that he has always been a mysterious character as there are hardly any mentions of his family or his past. “He always saw the bigger picture and worked for the sake of the greater good. His being the Master of Death and collecting the Deathly Hallows, to protect them is a great example of his wisdom. He was able to detach himself from emotions to do what was needed, even when he had to make Snape kill him to prove his loyalty towards Voldemort”.

‘Dumbledore reminds me of a beloved grandfather, sometimes even my own.’

Aarati read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at the age of 15 for the first time and instantly fell in love with the wizarding world. While she loves the beloved trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, her favourite character is the long-bearded, silver-haired, wise headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

From the moment he talks to Hagrid about why Harry needs to be with the Dursleys to the moment he walks into the hospital wing to give Harry chocolate frogs, throughout the book, Dumbledore reminded me of a beloved grandfather, sometimes even my own.

“He is the one character who makes me feel a rollercoaster of emotions. From admiration to awe, from sympathy to anger, he invoked it all. So, was he the villain? Albus Dumbledore was not completely a good person, but he was so innately human, and that’s what makes me love the character. He made mistakes, some of them quite grave, but he learnt from them and he made an effort to be a good, kind man. While I don’t want Dumbledore’s infinite power, I hope that one day, I can be as wise as Albus Dumbledore, and have the strength to rise from the ashes as Dumbledore often did”.

We raise our wands for Sir Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore and wish he rests in eternal peace.

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