When it comes to the Harry Potter universe, fan theories are something that can flare up a conversation in an instant among the Potterheads. For the more “casual” fan, Dumbledore is always a loving father figure to Harry and a powerful, kind of omnipresent and omniscient being. As the Headmaster, he is there to protect and guide Harry and all the students of Hogwarts.
The hardcore fans, though, don’t always see Dumbledore as a benevolent force, especially the people who have read the books cover to cover more than once. Analytical fans realize that dear old Albus is more than a little cryptic, and more than a little confused when it comes to his actions.
7 He Knew Harry’s Fate
To oversimplify it: Dumbledore knew that Voldemort could not kill Harry, because he had Harry’s blood. Of course, if he told everyone that, Voldemort could find another way, and that it would make Harry be reckless in his decisions. It would also mean that nobody could hurt Harry without hurting Voldemort as well.
Also, Dumbledore knew that the only way for Voldemort to be destroyed is if Harry died as well. Thankfully, that didn’t happen because of, honestly, complicated rules of magic. (For example, Harry used Expelliarmus on Voldemort when all his other Horcruxes were already destroyed, leaving him completely unprotected in the final battle.) But telling Harry that he was a Horcrux that technically has to be destroyed, would make Harry’s decisions poisoned with the knowledge of his upcoming death.
6 He Wanted Harry To Grow Up “Normal”
This one is the most common excuse that both simple and hardcore fans give to Dumbledore. It’s not that it is a wrong assumption, but it is a bit lacking, especially if one thinks that growing up normal was never an option for Harry. Whether it was his life with the Dursleys early on, or his fame after he went to Hogwarts, Harry could never be considered normal.
On the other hand, keeping important information from him did help Harry make his own decisions and develop a sense of responsibility and strong ethics. But, knowing what he knew, Dumbledore could have gotten it wrong and ended up causing more trouble for everyone, if, say, Harry decided at some point that he had enough.
5 He Was Feeling Shame
The key name to remember here is Gellert Grindelwald. Some theories pin him as Dumbledore’s lover as well as his friend and confidant. Their relationship is not to be taken lightly: they were young, powerful, superbly ambitious wizards, that had even made a blood pact never to fight each other.
And yet…they did duel. But before that, they both were working towards the goal of the wizards out in the open and superior to muggles. They were also actively looking for the Deathly Hollows, searching to become Masters of Death. When Albus admits the relationship to Harry, it is with a lot of shame and excuses as to how Gellert made him think these thoughts.
4 He Simply Made The Wrong Choice
When it comes to the secrets that he kept from Harry for the first ten years of his life that he was living with the Dursleys, unaware that he was a wizard, or better yet, a very famous wizard, Dumbledore has a lot to answer for.
He made the decision supposedly to protect Harry with the little-understood “Evans Family Blood Protection,” which was meant to conceal Harry’s whereabouts. But mostly, he made that decision in order to protect Harry from getting in over his head with his fame and legend. Putting him in an abusive family, though, didn’t make his reasoning okay, because Harry could have turned out a lot worse than he did. It was technically a gamble he played with someone who had the power to overturn both the wizarding and the muggle worlds.
3 He Trusted Harry Completely (Or Not At All)
The thing that usually gets Dumbledore out of trouble when fans discuss as to why he was so secretive, is that he had absolute trust in Harry. It paints a good picture of him if one thinks that he had really no good reason to trust Harry so much from the get-go.
Maybe it was the love that he had for Lily and James, or maybe he believed that ultimately good would triumph over evil. Maybe he assumed that because Harry beat Voldemort once before, he would do it again. On the other hand, this secrecy could simply show the opposite: he didn’t trust Harry with his powers and wanted to protect himself and others from it, until he made sure Harry can handle them.
2 He Wanted To Protect The Secrets From Voldemort
It might sound like a lousy excuse, but it’s not. Dumbledore couldn’t know for sure if Voldemort could look inside Harry’s mind, they way that Harry could look inside Voldemort’s mind. He “used” Harry’s gift, but without Harry knowing, and prepared a perfect attack for Voldemort in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.
If Harry knew the plan, Dumbledore ran the risk that Voldemort would be able to guess or directly see it as well. The connection between the two was very strong because of the Horcrux inside Harry, but as far as Voldemort knew, it was because Harry’s Legilimency and Occlumency skills were incredibly good (which they weren’t). So, technically, Voldemort could look inside Harry, but choose to manipulate the visions that Harry had of him because he was simply afraid.
1 He Had Terrible Experiences In The Past
Because of his past, and especially his relationship with Grindelwald, Dumbledore was anxious that Harry might make the same mistakes that he did. From day one, even though he really pushes Harry to be his best self and guides him through some difficult moments (see Mirror of Erised, for example), the advice and guidance he provides are limited.
It is normal for him to expect Harry to make mistakes, but his secrecy shows not only a healthy “I want you to make your own decisions” type of attitude, but a fear of someone who has the power to make mistakes that could turn the wizarding world (and the rest of it) upside down. After all, if he went down the dark road for a bit, how could he trust that Harry would steer clear of it?