The True Machiavellian: Dumbledore's Deadly Plans

The character and motivations of Albus Dumbledore has been a key debate amongst the fandom since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Was he truly working for the greater good? Or did he have more selfish impulses? This latest editorial from hpboy13, Dumbledore’s Deadly Plans looks at how everyone’s favourite Headmaster planned the downfall of Voldemort, supposedly raised Harry ‘as a pig for slaughter’ and how he used Snape’s love for Lily as a force to drive much of the plot.

The plan for Snape to master the Elder Wand shows just how much faith Dumbledore had in him. He essentially painted a bulls-eye on Snape’s back when he conceived of this plan. He says he knew Voldemort would go after the Elder Wand (DH721), and Dumbledore would surely not underestimate Voldemort’s intelligence, and ability to figure out that Snape was the wand’s master. Dumbledore was hoping that Snape had enough cunning to keep himself alive despite this.

This all seems to me the most reckless part of Dumbledore’s plan. His plan hinged on keeping two people alive through the war: Harry and Snape. And while he did his utmost to keep Harry alive (as I will go into momentarily), he seemingly trusted that Snape would be able to stay alive despite overwhelming odds. This was his most serious misjudgment, and it was only chance that ended up saving the day at the end.

Do you agree with hpboy13? Is Dumbledore the detached Machiavellian, cunningly pulling the strings from behind the scenes? Or are his plans more heartfelt? Let us know in the comments section below.

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