Albus Dumbledore Gryffindor Heir

In a recent update to JK's site In the extra stuff section she notes a question that has never been put to her by fans, but one she expected them to ask.

"Why did Dumbledore have James' invisibility cloak at the time of James' death, given that Dumbledore could make himself invisible without a cloak?

Prior to posting this I had a quick look on-line, and realized that some fans have been speculating about this question. However, nobody has ever asked me about it, and they really should have done. Just to allay the fears of the justifiably suspicious, this isn't what we in the know call 'a Mark Evans situation.'* There IS a significant - even crucial - answer."

This got me thinking... What if Dumbledore was Gryffindor's Heir? Could this be possible?

Referring to Godric Gryffindor’s sword, Dumbledore states, “the only known relic of Gryffindor remains safe” from Voldemort’s attempt to implant a Horcrux.

Yes, but could there be an unknown relic of the co-founder of Hogwarts? Such as the last living descendant of Godric Gryffindor (just as Voldemort, the Heir of Slytherin, is the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin)?

I.) The Invisability Cloak

What we know about the cloak:

Now from an AOL chat on October 19, 2000 JK said:

"Where did James get his Invisibility Cloak?

That was inherited from his own father-- a family heirloom!"

So James family has had the cloak for years. But where did he get it?

Invisibility cloaks are very rare and expensive, and they are made from the pelts of Demiguises, magical herbivores that are found in the Far East. They are rated XXXX - Dangerous / requires specialist knowledge / skilled wizard may handle in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Demiguies are able to make itself invisable when threatened and can only be seen by wizard skilled in it's capture.

Dumbledore is easily the greatest wizard of all time! (see his section) So he could have had a hand in creating the cloaks. Thus making the cloaks Gryffindor Heirlooms!

Known Owners of cloaks are:

1) Mad-Eye Moody (who is known to possess two; one of these is borrowed by Sturgis Podmore in the course of work for the Order); he can see through them with his magical blue eye.

2) Harry Potter; the original owner of this cloak was inherited from his father, passed on by Albus Dumbledore as a Christmas present in Harry's first year. DA member & junior Order Member.

3) Bartemius Crouch, who uses it to hide his son.
This is definitely not a "normal" item any wizard can purchase at the robe shop. So I would also assume that there isn't a large number of cloaks around.

II) Harry is Not Gryffindor's Heir

Many think Harry is the Gryffindor Heir. In an interview by Leaky Cauldron on July 16, 2005 JK said:

"MA: What about Harry's family — his grandparents — were they killed?

JKR: No. This takes us into more mundane territory. As a writer, it was more interesting, plot-wise, if Harry was completely alone. So I rather ruthlessly disposed of his entire family apart from Aunt Petunia. I mean, James and Lily are massively important to the plot, of course, but the grandparents? No. And, because I do like my backstory: Petunia and Lily's parents, normal Muggle death. James's parents were elderly, were getting on a little when he was born, which explains the only child, very pampered, had-him-late-in-life-so-he's-an-extra-treasure, as often happens, I think. They were old in wizarding terms, and they died. They succumbed to a wizarding illness. That's as far as it goes. There's nothing serious or sinister about those deaths. I just needed them out of the way so I killed them.

MA: That sort of shuts down Heir of Gryffindor [theories], as well.

JKR: [Pause.] Yeah. Well - yeah.

MA: Another one bites the dust."

(complete interview is at http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/ar...et-anelli-3.htm )

Harry is not the Gryffindor Heir. I think their is a lot of evidence that suggests that he could be the heir but also think that is expected.

III) Why Dumbledore had the Cloak & the "NIGHT" at Godric's Hollow:

I belive that what happened before & during Voldemort's attack on the Potters is significant!

James wasn't at Godric's Hollow when Voldemort first arrived! He was out of the house taking Dumbledore the invisibility cloak. He wanted to entrust the cloak to Dumbledore beacuse he knew it had extreme value.

The night James & Lily died this is what we know -

Man’s voice: "Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off ------"

Lily goes to Harry's room where he is in his crib.

The sounds of someone stumbling from a room -- a door bursting open -- a cackle of high-pitched laughter -- [PoA 240 ch12]

Lily’s voice: "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
Voldemort: "Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now."
Lily: "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead ----- "
Lily: "Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy… "
Harry hears a shrill voice laughing and the woman screaming. [PoA 179 ch9 & 239 ch12]

Never does it say James, it says "a man's voice". Harry assumed it was his dad and so do we, as the readers.

James wasn't at the house when this happened. Another man was - Snape (aww, but that is another theory)!

Man’s voice (Snape): "Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off ------"

Lily goes to Harry's room where he is in his crib.

Snape tries to get Lily to leave, Lily doesn't trust Snape or believe him. She fears Voldemort has sent him.

The sounds of someone stumbling from a room -- a door bursting open -- a cackle of high-pitched laughter -- [PoA 240 ch12]

Voldemort arrives at the Potters house. Snape apparates from Harry's room. Either because it is too late for him to do anthing else and he doesn't want to get caught there by Voldemort or to find additional help for the Potters (remember he has a life debut to James).

Lily’s voice: "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
Voldemort: "Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now."
Lily: "Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead ----- "
Lily: "Not Harry! Please … have mercy … have mercy… "
Harry hears a shrill voice laughing and the woman screaming.

Voldemort confront's Lily. He gives her the chance to save herself.

James arrives from bringing the cloak to Dumbledore. He sees Voldemort kill Lily and then Voldemort kills James. According to Voldemort, James died "straight-backed and proud." [GoF 660 ch34] Voldemort tries to kill Harry and the curse back fires.

This is how Dumbledore got the cloak back and later gave it to Harry.

III) What we know about Albus Dumbledore

Considered the most powerful wizard in the world, Dumbledore is benevolent and eccentric, an archetypal good wizard in the style of Merlin. It is said that he is the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever feared.

Not much is known about his family - but we do know he has a brother - Aberforth Dumbledore.

Dumbledore is over 150 years old. he entered Hogwarts as a student in the 1850s. Dumbledore's extraordinary magical talents were apparent from an early age, as later described by the elderly Griselda Marchbanks, Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority, who personally examined Dumbledore for his N.E.W.T. exams in Charms and Transfiguration. Marchbanks recalls that the young, talented Dumbledore had "done things with a wand I'd never seen before."

It has been argued by some fans that Dumbledore may have taken part in and possibly even won the last Triwizard Tournament before 1994, based on the information that prior to the event of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the tournament has not been held for over a century.

Albus Dumbledore's house affiliation is uncertain, though according to Hermione Granger "They say Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor." In the movie version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore states in Harry's Gryffindor dormitory that, when he was in school, he set fire to the same dormitory bed curtains, and "never liked them".

After his graduation, Dumbledore returned to the school as Professor of Transfiguration and as Deputy Headmaster, in which capacity he also served in recruiting students for the school. In 1945 Dumbledore defeated the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. He has held the posts of Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. He holds the Order of Merlin, First Class, for Grand Sorcery. During his life Dumbledore refused the position of Minister of Magic at least three times.

Dumbledore is famous as an alchemist who has worked with Nicolas Flamel, the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, and is credited with discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood. He is known to be able to conjure Gubraithian Fire (magical everlasting fire).

Dumbledore owns a Phoneix, Fawkes. Fawkes is coloured red and gold, the traditional colours of Gryffindor House. This may or may not be a coincidence. His Patronus takes the form of a phoenix.

His weapon of choice seems to be fire (Gryffindor's element). Dumbledore has devised a method of sending messages using a Patronus Charm, a skill he has taught only to members of the Order.

He has claimed to be able to become invisible without using an Invisibility Cloak. and there are suggestions that he is capable of seeing through Invisibility Cloaks. Dumbledore is also skilled in Occlumency and Legilimency.

Dumbledore can speak Mermish, the language of the Merpeople,[HP4] as well as a number of other languages. He can recognize Parseltongue, the language of snakes, as he demonstrates in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince while he and Harry are inside Bob Ogden's memory.

He has collected the history of Tom Riddle and how he became Lord Voldemort, as well as the events leading up to the creation of the Horcruxes. He destroyed the ring horcurx himself.

IV) What we know about Godric Gryffindor

Godric Gryffindor was one of the four founder's of Hogwarts - the other three were: Helga Hufflepuff; Rowena Ravenclaw; and Salazar Slytherin. It is interesting that each of their initials, (G, H, R, and S), is in the word HoGwaRtS.

Godric Gryffindor is said to have praised courage, determination and strength of heart above all other qualities. This descibes Dumbledore to a "T".

Indeed, he selected students for his house based upon their daring and bravery, according to the Sorting Hat. He also seems to have been the most in favour of allowing muggle-borns into the school, (this view being based upon his breach with Slytherin).

Gryffindor House at Hogwarts values courage, chivalry and boldness. Its emblematic animal is the lion and its colours are scarlet and gold. According to JKR, Gryffindor corresponds roughly to the element of fire, which may partly be the reason for its colours.

Godric Gryffindor's only known relics are the Sorting Hat, and the silver sword Harry used to kill the basilisk, both of which are currently kept in the office of the headmaster. He was initially a great friend of Salazar Slytherin.

A historical Saint Godric has some correlations with the Harry Potter character, including his protection of a stag from pursuing hunters, allowing snakes to warm themselves by a fire, and black hair. Harry’s patronus takes on the form of a stag, (which was also his father’s animagus form), he is a parselmouth with the ability to converse with snakes, and has black hair as well.


We also know from JKR that :

"And I'm going to ask one other question which you'll say isn't clever at all. The significance of the place where Harry and his parents lived, the first name -- Godric Gryffindor.

Very good, you're a bit good you are, aren't you? Thank you. I'm impressed. My editor didn't notice, I said to her haven't you noticed any connection between where Harry's parents were born, not born, where they lived, and one of the Hogwarts houses and she's sitting there going erm... I'm not being rude about Emma she's a brilliant editor, the best I've ever [had]. But no she didn't pick that up either. You're a bit good you are. [Read the exact quote from the cBBC Newsround interview, 2000] "

Godric Hollow's was first introduced to us in book 1. That is where the Potter's went into hiding at Dumbledore's suggestion and where Harry Potter was born...

I think Dumbledore felt his home town and the town that also was named after Godric Gryffindor would offer added protection to the Potter.


Conclusion:

I think that there is much evidence as mentioned above that suggests that Dumbledore is indeed the Heir of Gryffindor.

I think it is significant that only heirlooms of Godric Gryffindor appear to be at Hogwarts, safely kept in the head master's office. Those items are the Sorting Hat and Gryffindor Sword.

It seems that other heirlooms belonging to the Hogwarts founders have been owned by direct realitives of the founders.

1) A relic of Hufflepuff, a small golden cup, was once owned by distant descendant, Hepzibah Smith, until it fell into the hands of Lord Voldemort. The golden cup, which was said to have had some sort of powers, may now be a Horcrux containing part of Voldemort’s broken soul.


2a) - The Gaunts are recorded as being descended from Salazar Slytherin. Marvolo Gaunt (Voldemort's grandfather) had a signet ring - after he died he passed his signet ring to Morfin (his son and the next and last head of the House of Gaunt.) Voldemort killed Mofin & stole the ring. Voldemort used the family's heirloom signet ring (he later obtained the gold locket) as two of his six horcruxes. The signet ring that was a horcrux was disarmed and was in Dumbledore's possession.

2b) - Slytherin owned a locket emblazoned with the letter “S,” which became an heirloom of his last known line of descendants, the Gaunts. This is also a suspected horcrux and is MIA.


3) It is believed by fans that a possession of Ravenclaw’s was found and is now being used as one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, (since the only known relics of Gryffindor were his sword, which is kept in Dumbledore’s office, and which Voldemort has never seen), and the Sorting Hat, (which Rowling has specified is not a Horcrux).

Dumbledore states, "only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat". He knows because he is a true Gryffindor.

I think their is a strong possibiliy that Dumbledore is the true Gryffindor heir. This is why we will learn about his family in book 7 and learn the signifigance of Godric's Hollow. I think Dumbledore is the heir, which leaves Aberforth as the remaining living heir. Aberforth will continue where Dumbledore left off and help Harry.

I hope you enjoyed my theory.