Previous
Tom Riddle/Voldemort
The Headmaster at Hogwarts. Dumbledore serves as a parental figure and a mentor for Harry; in the beginning of the book he reproaches Harry and Ron for the foolish action of flying the car to Hogwarts. Harry worries about disappointing Dumbledore, and so after the attacks begin, Harry chooses not to confide in Dumbledore about the mysterious voice that only he can hear because he worries that Dumbledore will not believe him. After the attacks continue over the span of several months, Lucius Malfoy and the other governors ask Dumbledore to step aside, despite Cornelius Fudge’s protests. Yet even though Dumbledore is forced to step aside from his position, his final words before leaving imply to Harry that he is not alone. This proves true: when, in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry affirms his belief that Dumbledore is not truly gone from the, he is rewarded for this display of loyalty by the arrival of Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes. Harry is heartened by Fawkes’s arrival and regains his courage as a result. In addition, Fawkes blinds the basilisk, delivers the Sorting Hat (and the Sword of Gryffindor) and also heals Harry when he is poisoned by a venomous basilisk bite. At the end, when Harry finally confides in Dumbledore his insecurities about being similar to Tom Riddle, Dumbledore explains that Harry is very different from Tom Riddle simply because he makes different choices—a lesson that reaffirms Harry’s control over his own identity in this and future books.
Professor Dumbledore Quotes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets quotes below are all either spoken by Professor Dumbledore or refer to Professor Dumbledore. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5 Quotes
Harry well remembered putting it on, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for its decision as it muttered aloud in his ear. For a few horrible seconds he had feared that the hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the House that had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other — but he had ended up in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes
“D’you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?”
“No,” said Ron, without hesitation. “Hearing voices no one else can hear isn’t a good sign, even in the Wizarding world.”
Something in Ron’s voice made Harry ask, “You do believe me, don’t you?”
“’Course I do,” said Ron quickly. “But — you must admit it’s weird. . . .”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes
Harry didn’t know what to say. He thought of Malfoy shouting, “You’ll be next, Mudbloods!” and of the Polyjuice Potion simmering away in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Then he thought of the disembodied voice he had heard twice and remembered what Ron had said: “Hearing voices no one else can hear isn’t a good sign, even in the Wizarding world.” He thought, too, about what everyone was saying about him, and his growing dread that he was somehow connected with Salazar Slytherin. . . .
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes
“Look at it from my point of view,” said Fudge, fidgeting with his bowler. “I’m under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something. If it turns out it wasn’t Hagrid, he’ll be back and no more said. But I’ve got to take him. Got to. Wouldn’t be doing my duty —”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes
He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes
“I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules,” said Dumbledore.
Ron opened his mouth in horror.
“Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words,” Dumbledore went on, smiling. “You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“It only put me in Gryffindor,” said Harry in a defeated voice, “because I asked not to go in Slytherin. . . .”
“Exactly,” said Dumbledore, beaming once more. “Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Professor Dumbledore Character Timeline in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The timeline below shows where the character Professor Dumbledore appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Dobby’s Warning
...he seems to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry simply says that with Dumbledore at Hogwarts, he can’t think who might try to make horrible things happen there. Dobby...
(full context)
Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow
...she asks why they didn’t send an owl. Harry realizes how stupidly they acted. Then Dumbledore arrives, and Harry can hear the disappointment in his voice as he asks Harry to...
(full context)
Chapter 9: The Writing on the Wall
...he sees Mrs. Norris. He immediately turns on Harry, saying that he murdered Mrs. Norris. Dumbledore and other teachers arrive and escort Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Filch over to Lockhart’s office,...
(full context)
Dumbledore says that the kids are innocent until proven guilty, and adds that the Mandrakes that...
(full context)
Chapter 10: The Rogue Bludger
...to get some of the items. The boys worry about getting into more trouble after Dumbledore’s threat to expel them, but Hermione is adamant that they try and figure out who...
(full context)
Then, Dumbledore enters the room with Professor McGonagall while Harry pretends to sleep. They are carrying a...
(full context)
Chapter 11: The Dueling Club
...move Justin and Nick up to the hospital wing, and then McGonagall takes Harry to Dumbledore’s office.
(full context)
Chapter 12: The Polyjuice Potion
McGonagall leaves Harry alone in Dumbledore’s office and tells him to wait. He looks around and sees the Sorting Hat on...
(full context)
...bursts into flames and becomes a pile of ash, and Harry cries out in shock. Dumbledore enters; Harry tries to explain that the bird just caught fire and he couldn’t do...
(full context)
At that moment, Hagrid bursts into Dumbledore’s office and says that Harry did not petrify Justin, as he was speaking with Hagrid...
(full context)
...how surprised he is that the Daily Prophet hasn’t reported on the attacks, and that Dumbledore will be fired if they continue. He then complains about Dumbledore letting in “Mudbloods,” and...
(full context)
Chapter 14: Cornelius Fudge
Dumbledore enters with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge explains that the Ministry has to...
(full context)
...knock on the door, and this time it is Lucius Malfoy. He is looking for Dumbledore: he and the other school governors feel that it is time for him to “step...
(full context)
Hagrid becomes very upset at the idea of Dumbledore’s removal, but Dumbledore remains calm. He says that if the governors want his removal, he...
(full context)
Lucius and Dumbledore lead the way out. Before Hagrid exits, however, he says that “If anyone wanted ter...
(full context)
Chapter 15: Aragog
With Dumbledore gone, everyone at the school is even more frightened. Harry thinks about his words concerning...
(full context)
Chapter 17: The Heir of Slytherin
...gain his trust. Harry realizes that Riddle framed Hagrid fifty years before. Riddle reveals that Dumbledore (who was a teacher at the time) always suspected him and kept a close eye...
(full context)
Harry counters, saying that Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world, not Riddle. Riddle says that Dumbledore has been...
(full context)
Chapter 18: Dobby’s Reward
...McGonagall’s office, where Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Weasley sob with relief to see Ginny, and Dumbledore sits beaming. Harry tells the story of how they came to discover the Chamber of...
(full context)
But to Harry’s relief, Dumbledore asks how Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny. Harry then explains what happened with the diary....
(full context)
Dumbledore tells Ginny that she will not be punished for being possessed by Voldemort. He also ...
(full context)
Dumbledore then asks for a few moments alone with Harry, and everyone else leaves the office....
(full context)
Dumbledore asks Harry about meeting Tom Riddle, and Harry confesses that he is troubled by the...
(full context)
...Slytherin. The Hat only put him in Gryffindor, he thinks, because Harry asked it to. Dumbledore seizes on this, saying that this is what makes him very different from Tom Riddle....
(full context)
Lucius asks if they’ve caught the culprit. Dumbledore confirms that it was Voldemort, acting through Ginny via the diary. Dumbledore stares at Lucius,...
(full context)
...is named as the House Cup winner, and McGonagall announces that exams have been canceled. Dumbledore also announces that Lockhart will be unable to return to his post next year, at...
(full context)
