The office dissolved but re-formed instantly. Snape was pacing up and down in front of Dumbledore.
“— mediocre, arrogant as his father, a determined rule-breaker, delighted to find himself famous, attention-seeking and impertinent —”
“You see what you expect to see, Severus,” said Dumbledore, without raising his eyes from a copy of Transfiguration Today. “Other teachers report that the boy is modest, likable, and reasonably talented. Personally, I find him an engaging child.”
Dumbledore turned a page, and said, without looking up, “Keep an eye on Quirrell, won’t you?”1
This passage has bothered me over and over again, beyond what I can fully justify and well beyond what I can support with canonical references.
It basically comes down to two facts.
The first is the common saying, commonly misattributed to Joseph Goebbels, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” This is not the only place we hear Snape claiming that Harry is “a determined rule-breaker,” “arrogant”, or “attention-seeking.” Indeed these claims will come up over and over again.
The second fact is that the teachers do treat Harry oddly. Dumbledore claims they find him “modest,” and “likeable” but McGonagall will have no trouble believing that he has lured both Malfoy and Neville out of bounds after hours, and found it funny.2 That is so at odds with his actual personality, that, as I note when I discuss her character, one wonders who exactly she is punishing. Professor Sprout will also have no trouble believing that this “modest” boy was so “attention-seeking” that he put his own name into the Goblet of Fire - hence she treats him coldly after his name comes out.3 Note, that is before the first Skeeter interview, so it is not the lack of media attention on Cedric that is at fault.
You can even find examples where Dumbledore may be showing some signs of suspicion. Yes, each of these can be explained away as trying to gain Harry’s trust, going through the motions of being impartial, or similar. The point is that the above passage is from very early in Harry’s first year, probably before Halloween, else Dumbledore would know that Snape is already keeping a close eye on Quirrell. How many times can even Dumbledore hear how arrogant Harry is before it begins to, at least a little, influence his thinking? Especially when we know that Dumbledore was particularly concerned that Harry grow up away from fame and the ego it would engender?
In the series that starts with Harry Potter: Lost, Bear12 portrays a universe in which the magical world thinks that Harry has died, and a young boy who thinks of himself as “Adam Winters” comes to Hogwarts as a homeless orphan.4 As the series progresses, this version of Dumbledore picks up on every single way in which “Adam” (Harry) resembles a young Tom Riddle, sometimes even only remotely. This makes Dumbledore suspicious. In the “real” series, the “real” Harry also resembled Tom Riddle in some key ways. Add in Snape effectively (though unconsciously, since I do not think Snape knows who Tom Riddle became) emphasising those similarities …
A second parallel is set up in Perilous Journey. In this alternate universe, sbmcneil builds on the distance that Dumbledore places between himself and Harry in the canonical Book 5. Here, Dumbledore fears that Riddle may actually control Harry, not just use the connection to spy on him or implant dreams. Can we say with certainty that the “real” Dumbledore did not in fact fear just this? He admits no such fear, but it is inferred. Dumbledore admits he feared that Riddle would use the connection to “try and possess you.”5 Would not such a possession allow Riddle not just access to spy on Dumbledore but to manipulate Harry’s body, and perhaps even cast other spells through him? As you can see, sbmcneil’s point of departure is truly very small.
Given such a fear, that Harry would not be in full control of himself, even if Dumbledore trusted Harry’s ultimate goodness, he distrusts Riddle’s to an equal extent. If he cannot trust who is in control of the body, and dare not let anyone know that such a possession is possible, then functionally he (Dumbledore) must act distrustful of Harry. Others such as McGonagall and Sprout might well pick up on that distrust.
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows p. 280. Pottermore Publishing. American Kindle Edition.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone page 243. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire better citation needed.↩︎
Bear12. Harry Potter: Lost Published 2009-09-10. Updated: 2009-11-02. Last Viewed: 2021-09-01.↩︎
Mrs. J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Kindle Locations 12116-12117. Pottermore Limited. Kindle Edition.↩︎