Plot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore

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Plot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore

Theplot to assassinate Albus Dumbledore was a series of events that took place over the1996–1997 school year atHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These attempts onAlbus Dumbledore's life were the events that led up to theBattle of the Astronomy Tower on30 June1997. In the action, Dumbledore was killed bySeverus Snape and not the primary perpetrator of the plot,Draco Malfoy.^[1]

History[]

Early stages[]

Having been seen by theBritish Ministry of Magic at last after theBattle of the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort officially started theSecond Wizarding War.^[2] He was furious beyond measure withLucius Malfoy for the failure of the mission to retrievethe prophecy, and Malfoy allowing himself to be captured in the process along with ten otherDeath Eaters, reducing Voldemort's ranks once again. Not only that, but the Dark Lord was also forced to acknowledge, due to barely avoidingdefeat at the hands of his old teacher, that he was incapable of defeating Dumbledore directly in battle. So, during the summer between hisfifth andsixth years at Hogwarts,Draco Malfoy was tasked with the assassination ofAlbus Dumbledore to restore his family to Voldemort's good graces.^[3]

Also at this time, Draco was branded with theDark Mark. This killed two birds with one stone for Voldemort. First, he would have another agent acting atHogwarts. Second, Voldemort could punish the Malfoys for their failures, such as their disloyalty following hisfirst downfall in1981 and failing to retrieve the prophecy from theDepartment of Mysteries. However, it was noted that if Draco succeeds, his family would be forgiven and be honoured beyond.^[3][1]

The Unbreakable Vow[]

The news of Draco's assignment was leaked to a fewDeath Eaters including Draco's motherNarcissa Malfoy, his maternal auntBellatrix Lestrange, and Severus Snape. Wanting to keep Draco safe, Narcissa sought outSeverus Snape for help, while defying Voldemort's order of keeping this mission an utmost secrecy; fortunately for her, Snape was one of the few who knew of the plan. Narcissa first attempted to persuade Snape to persuade Voldemort to change his mind, which was declared an impossibility due to Voldemort's anger over Lucius's failures, so she challenged him to make anUnbreakable Vow, with her following sister Bellatrix as the bonder, to which he complied. She asked him to swear to the following:^[3]

1. To watch over Draco as he tried to carry out the task.^[3]
2. To do his best to protect Draco from harm.^[3]
3. If Draco were unable to carry out the task, to do it for him.^[3]

In preparation for such a difficult task, Draco was trained in various fields of by his Aunt Bellatrix, such asOcclumency,nonverbal spells, and theUnforgivable Curses, turning the already talented Draco into a very powerful wizard. She also noted that Draco was excited at having such an important task placed on his shoulders, while Narcissa noted that it was because he was too young and naive to know the deeper dangers that lie within.^[4]

At the same time, Snape, his true loyalty to Dumbledore, informed the headmaster of this plot, and both knew that it was no more than an excuse to see Draco fail and kill him in punishment for Lucius's failure. To prevent Draco'ssoul from being ripped apart from success or be executed for failure, he had Snape watch over the boy and help, and intended for Snape to commit the murder instead. All this proved to be compatible with the Vow he made with Narcissa, allowing him to succeed on both sides.^[5]

Diagon Alley[]

Late in the summer, Draco visitedDiagon Alley with his mother. While there, he ran intoHarry Potter,Hermione Granger, andRonald Weasley inMadam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Harry noticed that Draco flinched when Madam Malkin brushed his left arm.^[6]

Afterwards, Draco gave his mother the slip and headed forBorgin and Burkes. He proceeded to bully Borgin into helping him repair anunknown object and to keep the "other one" safe. He told Borgin thatFenrir Greyback would be checking in on his progress. This exchange was witnessed by Harry, Ron, and Hermione who had sneaked away from their escorts under Harry'sCloak of Invisibility. From the information thus gathered, Harry surmised that Draco Malfoy was now aDeath Eater and was up to something, a fact debated, and eventually dismissed, by his friends.^[6]

First two attempts[]

The first attempt took place on12 October1996, whenMadam Rosmerta who, under theImperius Curse, Imperiused Katie Bell and forced her to deliver a package containing anOpal Necklace toAlbus Dumbledore. She was thwarted when she got into an argument with her friendLeanne. As Leanne tried to grab the package from Katie, it fell to the ground and opened. Katie accidentally touched thecursed necklace through a tiny hole in her glove and was dragged into the air, gracefully holding her arms aloft as in a cross. She then screamed terribly and fell to the ground. She was rushed off to the school byHagrid. When questioned about the incident, Harry, Ron, and Hermione who had witnessed what had happened, Harry accused Draco Malfoy of cursing Katie, much to the chagrin of his friends, and was dismissed byProfessor McGonagall due to lack of evidence, as Draco had spentdetention with her. Katie was sent toSt Mungo's where she remained for months.^[7]

In the second attempt an Imperiused Rosmerta gaveHorace Slughorn a bottle of mead to deliver to Dumbledore. Unbeknownst to Slughorn, who forgot to give it to the expected recipient and surmised byHermione Granger that he would keep something tasty for himself, it waspoisoned. The attempt was thwarted when Slughorn unfortunately gave the mead to Ron Weasley on hisseventeenth birthday, on1 March,1997.Harry Potter knew to shove abezoar down his throat as anantidote and saved his life.^[8]

Both of these attempts stemmed from Draco's increasing anxiety, as he feared that his main plot of repairing the broken Vanishing Cabinet to allow him to smuggle Death Eaters into the castle to assist his mission would fail, and therefore resorted to such crude and poorly calculated attempts. Dumbledore had deduced that Draco was responsible for both, but did not expose and apprehend him in fear that Draco would be executed by Voldemort, and due to both attempts did not actually kill the unintended victims, which prevented Draco from being implicated by the law. Dumbledore did not confront Draco head-on due to fearing Voldemort would useLegilimency to discover Dumbledore's discovery of this assassination mission.^[1] However,Hermione Granger believed these attempts showcase how dangerous the assailant was, as they apparently had no qualms of injuring people in the way.

Over the year, the stress of this mission's success was taking a toll on Draco's psyche and physical health, as he began to neglect his schoolwork, reject hisprefect duties that he once would happily abuse, lost interest inQuidditch, spent less time mocking Harry and his friends despite the opportunities, and began to lose weight and his skin greying. All of this frustrated Harry, who could not figure out Draco's plan despite his best efforts. Draco had also rejected Snape's offered assistance, believing the professor had plans to usurp the glory.^[1]

Horcrux hunt[]

Albus Dumbledore was under the assumption that Voldemort had madeHorcruxes. Due to this assumption, he asked Horace Slughorn to return to Hogwarts to teachPotions, believing that he held an important memory regarding Voldemort and his Horcruxes.^[9] After retrieving the memory fromHorace Slughorn, he knew he was correct. He had already founda ring that was a Horcrux, but it held theResurrection Stone in it. Forgetting that it was a Horcrux, he put it on his finger, hoping to see his parents andlittle sister again.^[5]

Thanks to his own and Severus Snape's skills, Snape was able to hold offthe curse from spreading, but it only gave him a year to live. Knowing that Voldemort had given Draco the task to kill him, and knowing that he would fail but not wanting his soul broken if he did, he asked Snape to do it instead. Snape reluctantly agreed. This voluntary death had a secondary purpose, as Dumbledore hoped that it would cause hisElder Wand to lose its allegiance from not being won via force, thus losing its power forever.^[5]

Knowing his time was short, he set out to tell Harry everything he knew regarding the Horcruxes and Voldemort's quest to become immortal.^[10]

Horcrux Cave[]

Main article:Skirmish at the Cave (1997)

Unknown toSnape,Harry or Dumbledore,Draco Malfoy had finished fixing the Vanishing Cabinet that night that happened to be the same day that Dumbledore and Harry would be travelling to recover and destroy the Horcrux.^[1] Dumbledore thought that aHorcrux may have been located ina cave that Voldemort'sorphanage took him and the children when they were young. Harry, still stuck on his theory that Draco was aDeath Eater, told Ron and Hermione that Draco would try to get Death Eaters into the school since Dumbledore was gone. He gave them his bottle ofFelix Felicis, believing that he himself would not need it since he was with Dumbledore. Harry andDumbledore set off, finding the cave rather easily.^[11]

Dumbledore discovered the entrance to the cave and found that in order to pass one had to pay in blood,Voldemort thinking this would weaken the drinker. The cave was massive and inside was a subterranean lake in complete darkness.. Walking round the edge of this cave, they saw a misty green lake far away in what appeared to be the middle of the cave, and somehow they had to get across when they realised there were monsters of some kind in the lake. Dumbledore then discovered that there was an invisible boat waiting for them, according to Dumbledore made that so only one wizard of age could occupy it. However, since Harry was underage, both of them were able to sit in it.^[11]

The boat started moving on its own terms, and took them towards the green light which was on an island. The green light turned out to be apotion, that could only be drank by the person who had travelled across the lake. Harry and Dumbledore tried in vane to get what lied beneath the potion, Dumbledore decided that the only way to dispose of it was to drink it. Dumbledore, telling Harry to force the potion down him, said it would not kill him but probably cause him severe pain, or make him forget why he was there. Harry argued, hating the idea of causing his mentor so much pain, but relented. Dumbledore conjured a goblet and started drinking it, seeing nightmares and feeling severe stomach pains and dehydration while probably seeing the duel between him,his brother, andGellert Grindelwald that led to hissister's death. This time Dumbledore protested against himself drinking the potion, but Harry managed to force it down him.^[11]

Dumbledore. Severely weakened and feeling incredibly thirsty, Harry tried casting theWater-Making Spell in the goblet, to no avail. Soon realised that Voldemort had made it so, Harry filled the goblet with water from the cave. TheInferi came and attacked, with Harry holding them back with various offensive spells. Dumbledore recovered and intervened by summoning aFirestorm, which repelled the Inferi.^[11] Retrieving the locket that they assumed to be the Horcrux, they left the cave and arrived back inHogsmeade.Madam Rosmerta alerted them that theDark Mark had beencast over Hogwarts, and they immediatelyflew back after she supplied them withbroomsticks.^[1]

Battle of the Astronomy Tower[]

Main article:Battle of the Astronomy Tower

On30 June1997,Dumbledore and Harry Potter left the school in search of one ofLord Voldemort'sHorcruxes. Rosmerta saw Harry and Dumbledore heading throughHogsmeade village and informed Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore was greatly weakened by a potion he was forced to drink, during their adventure. He and Harry Apparated back to Hogsmeade afterwards. Once Rosmerta informed Dumbledore of theDark Mark above the school, he and Harry flew back to the school on Rosmerta's broomsticks.^[1]

Once they had arrived, Dumbledore was cornered by Draco on top of theAstronomy Tower anddisarmed. He attempted to kill Dumbledore, but Dumbledore tried to convince Draco not to perform the task. Draco said that he had no choice. Otherwise, Lord Voldemort would murder him and his family. Dumbledore told Draco that he shouldn't do this, and that Draco was not a killer. He offered to protect Draco, leading Draco torn between the two paths, saying he had gotten so far, having been expected to die in the attempt, which led him desiring the honour and glory from Voldemort himself, but at the same time seemingly unable to take a human life. Then, all of a sudden, Death Eaters appeared in the room. They tried to convince Draco to carry out the task, but Draco seemed to not know what to do.Fenrir Greyback attempted to take over but was blasted aside byYaxley.^[1]

The teachers of Hogwarts and the members of theOrder of the Phoenix who had been inHogwarts Castle that night sent for Snape. They believed he could help them in the battle. After being summoned, Snape headed to the Astronomy Tower. Once he arrived, Draco lowered his wand. Dumbledore pleaded with him. Snape hesitated, then cast theKilling Curse, killing Dumbledore.^[1] After he killed Dumbledore, Snape ordered theDeath Eaters out of the school and took Draco with him. They had to fight their way through the defenders of Hogwarts to get to the grounds. They were also pursued byHarry Potter who had been in aFull Body-Bind Curse the entire time. He caught up by the time the Death Eaters reached the grounds. In an attempt to avenge his fallen mentor, Harry attempted to curse Snape, but Snape managed to disarm Harry, revealed that it was he, Snape, who was theHalf-Blood Prince, and escaped before Harry could regain his wand.^[12]

Aftermath[]

Main article:Funeral of Albus Dumbledore

Harry realised that the locket was fake and felt that everything had been for nothing. He told the professors that it was Snape who killed Dumbledore. They all agreed that Dumbledore deserved to be laid to rest at Hogwarts,^[13] and many people from the wizarding world attended, such asCornelius Fudge,Rufus Scrimgeour,Dolores Umbridge,Olympe Maxime,Rita Skeeter, theMerpeople andCentaurs of Hogwarts, and many other witches and wizards.^[14]

Due to what was witnessed, the Order and Death Eaters believed Snape killed Dumbledore out of malicious intent, and the corrupted Ministry would take advantage of this to brand Harry as "Undesirable Number One", under the pretence of questioning him about this death. It was only when Snape revealed hismemory to Harry one year later, near his own death, thus clearing his name and reputation.^[5]

For the rest of the said school year, Draco could no longer return to Hogwarts, as he was guilty of attempted murder, allowing Death Eaters entering the castle, and being a Death Eater himself. With an official criminal status placed on him, he was forced to go on the run.Vincent Crabbe andGregory Goyle were left oddly lonely without Draco to boss them around, while Harry, knowing Draco did not have the heart to commit murder, felt some sympathy for him.^[14]

The ultimate success of this plot had a huge impact upon the wizarding world, as the only wizard who was able to stand up to Voldemort was now gone, thus appearing that no one can stop him. Furthermore, this proved that there was now no safe place from the Death Eaters, as they have managed to penetrate the castle's defences, much less they were permitted entrance by a student, and a staff (at the time in public's eyes) committed the murder.

The plot also had another unintended but fortuitous side-effect: when he came to confront Dumbledore on top of the Astronomy Tower, Draco used theDisarming Charm upon him and in so doing, inadvertently won the allegiance of theElder Wand for himself. At the time, no one realised this, not even Draco or Snape. Harry would later win the Elder Wand's allegiance for himself by physically disarming Draco during askirmish inMalfoy Manor which proved vital in theBattle of Hogwarts. Voldemort later killed Snape as he believed Snape to have won the wand's allegiance as Snape was the one to kill Dumbledore. Harry eventually deduced the truth due to having witnessed Draco Disarm Dumbledore and information he received fromGarrick Ollivander and later Dumbledore himself while inlimbo.^[15]

Behind the scenes[]

• Curiously enough, ProfessorTrelawney had on more than one occasion been seen to have foreseen the events on top of the Astronomy Tower through her card shuffling. She apparently was unaware of the actual tragedy, and if she had in fact foreseen the omen or had made it up is unknown, but she had told her premonition to Harry after being thrown out of the Room of Requirement, though her warning fell on deaf ears. She referred to a "tragedy" on the "lightning struck tower", "coming nearer all the time!".
• Professor Trelawney might have tried to warn Dumbledore about the events of the Astronomy Tower, but, apparently, Dumbledore asked her not to visit his office unless there were something urgent, which, considering it was regarding to Dumbledore's impending doom, indeed was. This may be mitigated by the fact that Dumbledore was already fully aware of his approaching death and had fully accepted it.

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2(Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• HarryPotter.com
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Notes and references[]