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Albus Dumbledore is a core part of the Harry Potter series as the protagonist’s mentor. Within the story, Dumbledore’s term as Hogwarts headmaster is considered the greatest in the school’s history. However, he loses his reputation as fair when he’s viewed from a neutral context.
Since Harry Potter is told from the Gryffindors’ points of view, a lot of Dumbledore’s favoritism toward the house gets overlooked. Dumbledore’s bias toward Harry and his friends greatly contributes to his preference for Gryffindor, and he has a long history of giving them special treatment. It’s interesting to see the instances where Dumbledore’s partiality was most evident.
10 Dumbledore Handed Out House Points Liberally To Harry And His Friends
Accepting injustice is one of the harsh realities of being a Harry Potter fan. However, the unfair treatment here comes from the Hogwarts headmaster. Dumbledore is notorious for bending the rules to award points, which frequently benefit the Gryffindors.
This is seen at the end of Harry’s first school year and The Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore awards as many as 200 points to Harry and Ron for their Chamber of Secrets heroics, which are conveniently enough to win the House Cup. Awarding points isn’t the problem as much as Dumbledore’s habit of giving the Gryffindors a huge advantage.
9 Dumbledore Let James And Sirius’ Bad Behavior Slide
Sirius and James’ antics were so outrageous that people still spoke of them over a decade later. This included things like hexing students for the fun of it and even a near-fatal prank by Sirius to send Snape to Lupin while he was in his werewolf form. However, the boys were never reprimanded for their bad behavior.
Dumbledore was well aware of their attitude problems. He made Lupin a prefect to keep Sirius and James in check. The headmaster also knew that neither of the two changed in the slightest even after Lupin’s appointment, yet continued to let their antics slide. Dumbledore had no reason to show favoritism toward them, so their status as Gryffindors comes into play.
8 Dumbledore Doesn’t Reprimand Harry For Nearly Killing Malfoy
Harry’s use of the Sectumsempra curse is unintentional, but he still nearly killed Malfoy in The Half-Blood Prince. The most punishment he receives for it is detention from Snape. Dumbledore never brings up the fact that Harry almost took the life of another student.
The detention Harry is subjected to is mild at best, which means he gets off very easily. Dumbledore should have suspended Harry for putting another person’s life in jeopardy but doesn’t act at all. Dumbledore’s favoritism is expected since the other Gryffindors also behave as if Harry did nothing wrong.
7 Dumbledore Orchestrates Gryffindor’s House Cup Win To Antagonize The Slytherins
A harsh reality of being Albus Dumbledore is knowing Harry’s status as Voldemort’s Horcrux. However, his decision to make Harry win the House Cup at the expense of the Slytherins isn’t kind to the latter either. The headmaster makes the Slytherins believe they’ve won, only to pull the rug.
Dumbledore orchestrates an entire scene where he awards the exact points the Gryffindors needed. Dumbledore does so with the knowledge that the Gryffindors savor victory mainly because the Slytherins have lost. It’s a blatant misuse of his authority that benefits one house over another.
6 Dumbledore Encourages The Trio To Break Rules
Harry, Ron, and Hermione are terrified of breaking rules in their first year, but they gradually begin to overlook them. This comes down to the culture of rule-breaking that Dumbledore indirectly encourages. The headmaster never holds any of them responsible for things like knocking out Snape in the Shrieking Shack, stealing items, and attacking fellow students.
Dumbledore also carries a playful attitude when he advises Hermione and Harry to save Buckbeak. The heroes eventually come to disregard breaking the rules because they’ve done so with the headmaster’s knowledge. It’s no surprise that most troublemakers have come from Gryffindor, given how Dumbledore has overlooked their behavior.
5 Dumbledore Waves Off Fred And George’s Troublemaking
Fred and George weren’t afraid of getting caught for their mischievousness until Dolores Umbridge started to hand out punishments. They only lack fear because Dumbledore has casual reactions to their conduct. This is seen when the brothers openly insult the Triwizard Tournament delegates in front of Dumbledore.
The headmaster also simply laughs at Fred and George when the two are caught trying to fool the age line of The Goblet of Fire. It’s clear that the two don’t expect to be reprimanded for their pranks since Dumbledore isn’t seen taking action against them. The twins even encourage other Gryffindors to follow suit.
4 Dumbledore Gives Former Gryffindor Students Jobs At Hogwarts
Remus Lupin and Rubeus Hagrid’s backstories have broken many Harry Potter fans’ hearts. Still, the pair benefits from Dumbledore’s liking for Gryffindor students. Both characters are handed jobs at the school without any ulterior motive on the headmaster’s part.
Dumbledore also gives jobs to Ravenclaw’s Sybill Trelawney and Slytherin’s Snape. However, the two only get appointed for Dumbledore to use them in his conflict against Voldemort. The headmaster shows greater care and concern for his former Gryffindor students while asking for nothing in return. Additionally, a lot of Order of the Phoenix members also belong to Gryffindor.
3 Dumbledore Allows Hermione To Keep The Time-Turner Without Supervision
Dumbledore is said to have kept a close watch on Slytherins like Draco Malfoy and Tom Riddle. However, the headmaster didn’t think much of 13-year-old Hermione’s possession of a Time-turner. She somehow gets permission to travel through time with this dangerous item.
Dumbledore is the one to suggest that Hermione use the Time-turner to break Sirius out. While he saves an innocent man’s life, he also lets a teenager mess with time to do so. It’s remarkable how Dumbledore allowed such a young Gryffindor student to handle something that could have had big ramifications.
2 Dumbledore Breaks Quidditch Rules To Make Harry A Seeker For The Gryffindor Team
Dumbledore is the strongest character in the Harry Potter series, but he should be still bound by the rules. Hogwarts explicitly denies first-year students from playing Quidditch, yet Harry is an exception. Harry’s appointment is approved by Dumbledore because the team can’t find a Seeker.
Dumbledore essentially breaks Hogwarts’ rules to accommodate Harry. It’s hard to believe that no other contenders were there for the Seeker role, given how popular Quidditch is. The headmaster overlooks the clause the school has stood by for over a century to give Gryffindor the advantage.
1 Dumbledore Knows Harry Leaves The Dormitory After Hours
Students are meant to abide by the school’s timings, and there are stricter rules for juniors. However, Dumbledore knows that Harry leaves the dormitory at will because he’s the one who gifts Harry the Invisibility Cloak. Harry’s first move after acquiring the item is to go to the Restricted Section in the library.
Dumbledore catches Harry after hours by the Mirror of Erised where he makes it clear that he knows Harry’s been using the cloak. Realistically, Harry should have been docked points or even suspended for being caught by the headmaster. However, Dumbledore turns a blind eye for his favorite Gryffindor student.
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