Dumbledore no question.

I'm gonna say Snape. He's not hugely powerful, but he knows the important stuff. I mena, he folled not only Voldemort, but also practically the entire Hogwarts, by killing Dumbledore. I think Harry could have learned a great deal from him if it wasn't for Snape's past with Lily and James.

Yes, Dumbledore is powerful, no doubt. But there were a lot of things we couldn't do - like what Snape did.

Hold Up I change My Mind...
I think Snape Is The Most Powerful

:albus3: Dumbledore hands down, no question about it

Wow what a good question!
I guess it all depends on how you define power. Dumbledore was the most skilled but his greatest flaw was his love of power....so is guess that lessens his power? hahah I'm thinking in circles, but thats why I choose Harry.

Dumbledore, of course ^_^

I don't think I answered this thread as a new member, because I needed time to think about it. But, if it's ok, here's my two sickles. He's not in the books as such, but he is on the cards.

Xavier Rastrick. I think he's more powerful than Dumbledore, Voldemort, Snape, and Harry put together. Why? Because during a performance in Painswick the man tapped danced himself into oblivion.

I don't kill me....Voldemort i think is the most powerful, he did many things terrible, things that dumbledore would never do, you might say he was too noble for it, but i say he feared it. Voldemort feared it too. He feared death, so he used terrible evil magic to make himself immortle. He was Powerful, but that power could be destroied.And yet no matter if it was destried At one point He was the most powerful being on the face of the earth (he was almost god-like to some... Imortality, power, an ability to controll and manipulate people)

He was the most powerful thing... love...and Evil can both only go a short way, but in this case he and Harry (or you could say lily) both stepped over those boundries, but Voldemort I THINK stepped over alittle farther.

I think Dumbledore...

I would either have to say Snape or Dumbledore. Probably Snape though, followed closely by Dumbledore and then Harry.

voldemort not dumbledore is the most powerful wizard because he does the best and flashyest magic and he is just sweet everyone should love voldemort

Snape, I think. He has the most emotional power of them all, I think. After all, he suffered a lot and still did everything he could to help Harry.

The Dark Lord is the most powerful. They may say he feared Dumbledore but I disagree Dumbledore should be the one fearing him. :sevribbon:

Voldemort, I know Dumbledore was the only one Voldemort was afraid of. But Dumbledore had the elder wand. It's like going into a fist fight against a guy with brass knuckles, and the result is you barely lose. In a fair fight, I'll put money on Voldemort.

I think that Voldemort was the strongest in the books. The Elder Wand provided Dumbledore with alot of his power.

Harry. Dumbledore is powerful, yes. But he is also easily corrupted by that power. Harry is not conscious that he holds so much power, he does not believe he holds that much power, and so there is no temptation for him to use it to detrimental purposes.

Lord Voldemort
 

This is incredible. I could understand if these posts were 50/50 between voldemort and dumbledore. But to have Harry Potter have nearly twice as many votes as LV!!! This is crazy!!! We are talking about the most POWERFUL wizard of all time, not the one who loves his mommy the most!!! If you actually read the books you will understand that the only thing that defeats LV is himself. I mean it could have been a tree stump that voldemort cast his last spell at and it wouldn't of mattered as long as that "tree stump" was the elder wands true master. The wand would not kill its true master. Every time Harry confronted Voldemort there was something preventing Voldy from winning, but it was never based on Harry's skill in magic!!!!

I think Snape's power with Potions is far greater than that of the wand, hence my vote for Snape.

Voldemort, hands down!!

I would say either Bellatrix or Voldemort. They're both fearless and ruthless and would stop at nothing to get their way.

Lord Voldemort was the most powerful. He had the most extensive knowledge of magic than any wizard ever. :vadersbr:

I think it depends on how you define "power" exactly. If we're talking magical power, I'd say it's a 50/50 split between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Both of them are incredibly powerful, but in various areas of magic. Voldemort is, of course, incredibly knowledgeable and highly skilled in the Dark Arts and so deeply consumed by them that he was able to intentionally make six horcruxes (yes, there are seven when you count Harry but Voldemort didn't intend for him to be a horcrux). Dumbledore, on the other hand, is also a highly skilled wizard, and, though not a practitioner in the Dark Arts, is capable of understanding many things that Voldemort cannot - love, for example. It was also said that Voldemort feared Dumbledore, but, granted, some of this could stem from the fact that Dumbledore, being the master of the Elder Wand for a good long time, could not (or very rarely) lost a duel.

On the other hand, I'd venture to say that if we were talking about emotional or mental power, Snape would be the most powerful. While a highly skilled Occlumens (enough to keep even Voldemort - who was an extremely skilled Legilimens - from reading his thoughts - he also has an incredibly strong sense of loyalty and dedication, even when that very side he's fighting for is against him. Joining the Order could not have been an easy thing to do for him. Or at least, continuing to remain on their side couldn't have been. Many of them hated him for being a Death Eater in the first place (or, in Sirius' case, because of a schoolboy grudge and hate). Others, like Lupin, put up with him and gave him a chance for awhile because they trusted Dumbledore - until Snape, on Dumbledore's orders, mind, killed Dumbledore. And then everyone in the Order hated him...and yet he still fought for their side and obeyed Dumbledore through it all. That is what I'd call true inner strength, or power.

So...after those rather length paragraphs, I'll have to vote "Other" simply because there isn't just one most powerful wizard, at least in my opinion.

Most Powerful Wizard
 

If we are talking about the wizard with the most magical capabilities, I think Voldemort is pretty easily the best. The only other even close to him would be dumbledore. I mean even with the elder wand dumbledore almost still lost. (as a centaur statue and fawkes jumped in front of dumbledore to save his life.):dementor::sauron:

I think though that you have to take into account the magic itself. Dumbledore knew the more powerful kinds of magic Voldemort was using, but didn't want to use it himself because of the evil nature of it. Just because he wouldn't use it, didn't mean he couldn't.

If Dumbledore was so much more powerful than voldemort, why did he just let him go on a killing rampage uncontested?