Voldemort was the most formidable Dark Wizard to have existed, but there was one wizard he greatly feared. It was none other than Albus Dumbledore.
In the Half-Blood Prince, Professor Slughorn and Harry have a conversation about this:
‘I reckon the staff are safer than most people while Dumbledore’s headmaster; he’s supposed to be the only one Voldemort ever feared, isn’t he?’ Harry went on.
Slughorn gazed into space for a moment or two: he seemed to be thinking over Harry’s words.
‘Well, yes, it is true that He Who Must Not Be Named has never sought a fight with Dumbledore…’
Why did Lord Voldemort, the master of Dark Arts, fear Albus Dumbledore?
Here’s what you need to know.
Why was Voldemort scared of Dumbledore?
Here are six reasons why Voldemort greatly feared Dumbledore:
#1 Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945
Dumbledore was one of the greatest wizards to have ever existed. He had mastered duelling and knew multiple ways to defeat his opponent. In 1945, the great duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald had taken place. Voldemort had seen how Dumbledore had defeated the most feared Dark Lord of that time.
#2 Dumbledore was not scared of Voldemort
Voldemort thrived on instilling terror in others. There was so much fear associated with him that no one even dared to take his name. He was referred to as ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’ or ‘You Know Who’ in the Wizarding World.
Dumbledore, however, addressed the terrifying Lord Voldemort as Tom. This was to keep the balance of power tilted towards him.
Dumbledore still regarded Voldemort as a weak wizard who could never love. Instead of being terrified of him, Dumbledore pitied Voldemort.
He considered him an ordinary human and did not buy into his monstrous persona.
Voldemort was used to people quivering in his presence. Even his army of Death Eaters, the so-called followers, obeyed him out of fear rather than loyalty or love. Hence, Dumbledore’s show of disregard for Voldemort’s power petrified him.
In Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, Voldemort and Dumbledore had a face-off at the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore indulged in conversation with Voldemort, with his wand down, suggesting that he had no fear of the Dark Lord whatsoever.
This is what irked Voldemort the most!
#3 Dumbledore knew Voldemort since his childhood years
Voldemort feared Dumbledore because he had known him since childhood. It was Dumbledore who had visited Tom Riddle in the orphanage and told him he was a wizard.
The orphanage owner had told Dumbledore about Tom’s wicked streak. He had killed the rabbit of a fellow orphan after a fight. On another occasion, he had taken two other orphans into a cave and performed horrifying acts.
The boys were traumatised into silence afterwards.
Moreover, Tom was also caught stealing from other children at the orphanage.
On his very first meeting, Dumbledore had gained a fair idea of the abuse Tom was capable of using his magic. He had also seen how hungry he was to be special, different from others. He had expressed dying as a ‘human weakness’.
Dumbledore always kept an eye out for Tom Riddle as he knew of his tendency towards darkness.
Therefore, Dumbledore knew Tom Riddle more than anyone else. Tom was a weak and lonely man, scared of death. He was aware of how Voldemort’s mind operated.
“They do not call me ‘Tom’ anymore,” he (Voldemort) said.
“I know what you are known as,” said Dumbledore… “But to me, I’m afraid, you will always be Tom Riddle. It is one of the irritating things about old teachers. I am afraid that they never quite forget their charges’ youthful beginnings.”
– Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Deep inside, Voldemort was just a weak person who could not bear to be a mere mortal, and Dumbledore was aware of this weakness.
This gave him power over Voldemort.
It was Dumbledore who realised how much immortality meant to Voldemort. He knew the extent he would go to achieve it. T
This allowed Dumbledore to predict that Voldemort had created Horcruxes.
In contrast, Dumbledore knew that there were things far worse than death.
While Voldemort was so scared of death, Dumbledore actually embraced it!
In fact, Dumbledore planned his own death at the hands of Snape.
#4 Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard of all time
The fact was that Dumbledore had complete mastery over magic. Even though he refused to use the Dark Arts, he had comprehensive knowledge of it.
This gave him an edge over Voldemort.
Voldemort was only interested in using Dark Arts. Conversely, Dumbledore had mastery over all kinds of magic.
As an intelligent and compassionate man, Dumbledore could observe people and empathise with them.
He could predict how people would act and this gave him an upper hand in Voldemort’s case. Knowing about Voldemort’s fear of death, this made Dumbledore conclude that he may have made multiple Horcruxes.
Hence, it made sense for Voldemort to be wary of Dumbledore as he was a very intelligent man. His intelligence coupled with his empathy made him a formidable force for Voldemort.
#5 Dumbledore knew intimate details about Voldemort
Dumbledore had extensive knowledge about Tom Riddle’s past, particular his middle name.
This could have allowed Dumbledore to have connected the Gaunts and the Riddles.
This was worrisome for Voldemort, as such information could help Dumbledore figure out the location of the Horcruxes.
He could destroy them, one after the other!
#6 Dumbledore had the power of persuasion
Dumbledore was widely acknowledged as the greatest wizard of the era.
Greatly respected at the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore was also the headmaster of Hogwarts which meant he was in touch with the new generation of wizards. He was able to nourish them from a young age to ensure they grew up to be upright wizards.
His strong connections allowed Dumbledore to garner support from the Wizarding World. Many influential wizards, Aurors, and professors came forward to fight the Dark Lord on Dumbledore’s call.
This was known as The Order of the Phoenix, which operated outside of the Ministry of Magic.
Voldemort knew that Dumbledore had loyal followers, unlike his Death Eaters where they served him out of fear!
Why didn’t Voldemort kill Dumbledore himself?
As mentioned in the book, Dumbledore was ‘the only one he ever feared’. Deep down, Voldemort knew that Dumbledore was more powerful than him. He had superior magical capability and possessed important information about Voldemort.
As they say, knowledge is power!
Dumbledore was aware of Voldemort’s family lineage. He also knew that Voldemort possessed extraordinary magic prowess and spoke fluent Parseltongue.
Moreover, Voldemort could not risk losing to Dumbledore. Having multiple Horcruxes meant he would survive even if Dumbledore killed him.
He would, however, lose his body again, and he could not take that risk.
Hence, Voldemort was fearful of Dumbledore because the latter was more powerful and knew secrets of Voldemort’s early life. Moreover, Dumbledore enjoyed support from the Wizarding World.
He was definitely not scared of Voldemort, like the rest of the world!
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