The Life and Lies of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

plot of Sorcerer’s Stone is among the most nitpicked of the series. More than the other books, a lot of things seem to happen “because. . . Plot” or “because it’s a children’s fantasy novel.” And while those are valid explanations on occasion, we should generally give Jo more credit than that. There are very few convenient coincidences that can’t be explained by Dumbledore at work.
We will tackle the first book from two separate angles. First, we will look at the protections surrounding the Sorcerer’s Stone and see what we can glean of Dumbledore’s intentions from these protections. Once we know what he hoped to accomplish, we will look at all the events of Sorcerer’s Stone to see where it’s possible to detect Dumbledore’s hand pulling the strings.
Protecting the Stone
Let’s recap what the protections are:
Hagrid provided Fluffy, a gigantic three-headed dog, who could only be gotten past by playing music; a fact that “[n]ot a soul knows except [Hagrid] and Dumbledore” (SS232).
Sprout provided Devil’s Snare, which Professor Sprout explained in class “likes the dark and the damp” (SS278) and can therefore be fought off by fire. “Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a specialty of Hermione’s.” (CS183)
Flitwick charmed a bunch of flying keys, only one of which would open the door; Harry “had a knack for spotting things other people didn’t” as “the youngest Seeker in a century.” (SS280)
McGonagall transfigured a giant chess set to life, on which one had to win a potentially lethal match; wizard chess is Ron’s specialty.
Quirrell provided a very large troll; Quirrell knocked it out so Harry and Hermione didn’t have to, but the Trio had already defeated a troll seven months prior.
Snape provided a logic puzzle; the brainy Hermione starts “smiling” when she comes across a logic puzzle she doesn’t hesitate to solve (SS285).
Dumbledore himself hid the Stone within the Mirror of Erised so “only one who wanted to find the Stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it” (SS300).
It’s clear to any careful reader that protections two through six are meant to be gotten through specifically by the Trio. Four of the tasks play directly to the Trio’s areas of expertise—Seeking, chess, fire, and logic. The other one, the troll, is simply a repeat of what the Trio has already faced. Clearly, Dumbledore meant for Harry and Quirrell to get to the Mirror of Erised. The protections are even designed to be surpassed more than once—hence the potions refill themselves and the chessmen reset themselves. They are also designed for a group of people—hence there are several brooms by the flying keys instead of just one.
Was the wooden flute that Hagrid gifts Harry for Christmas also part of Dumbledore’s design? Doubtful, because it’s not necessary for getting past Fluffy – it’s just a convenience because Harry “didn’t feel much like singing.” (SS271) The flute we can chalk up to coincidence.
A common point I’ve seen made is that, far from saving the Stone, Harry actually endangered it. Quirrell could have stared into the Mirror of Erised until he turned blue, and he still would not have the Stone. But then Harry shows up, and the Stone ends up in his pocket, ripe for the taking by Quirrellmort. So if Dumbledore intended for Harry to go after Quirrellmort, why did he also endanger the Stone?
The answer is so simple, it was mostly overlooked until Josie Kearns made the connection. Dumbledore intended Harry and Quirrellmort to face off but for the Stone to remain safely inside the Mirror the entire time.1
Dumbledore himself says, “Harry, have you any idea how few wizards could have seen what you saw in that mirror?” (HBP511) Dumbledore could not have known how pure of heart Harry was, how ridiculously selfless he was at the age of eleven. Moreover, Dumbledore had proof to the contrary! A scant five months earlier, Dumbledore watched Harry look into the Mirror of Erised at least twice and knows that Harry sees himself standing with his family. Surely, anyone reasonable would think that this poor boy’s deepest desire for the next five months will continue to be to see his family and will not suddenly change to being Voldemort’s undoing.
As an aside, it’s worth wondering how Dumbledore came up with the idea to hide the Stone from any who would covet it for selfish means. He claims, “It was one of my more brilliant ideas.” (SS300) To be sure, Dumbledore has plenty of brilliant ideas, but his design for the Stone is awfully close to what he himself did for the Elder Wand.
Dumbledore explains, “I was fit to own the Elder Wand, and not to boast of it, and not to kill with it. I was permitted to tame and to use it, because I took it, not for gain, but to save others from it.” (DH720)
Dumbledore had tamed the wand half a century prior because he knew that it was “dangerous, and a lure for fools” (DH713). So Dumbledore knew what to do when presented with another dangerous magical object that was a lure for fools2: like the Elder Wand, only one who “took it, not for gain but to save others” (DH720) would be able to get it. Even the language Dumbledore uses is similar: “only one who wanted to find the Stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it.” (SS300)
Inspired by what he’d learned of the Elder Wand, Dumbledore hides the Stone in the Mirror of Erised, convinced that neither Quirrell nor Harry will get it out. Dumbledore intends for Harry to face off against Quirrellmort without endangering the Stone. But like most of Dumbledore’s best-laid plans, this goes terribly awry when Harry looks into the Mirror and gets the Stone, and suddenly Quirrellmort’s attention is focused on Harry instead of the Mirror.
Why does Dumbledore orchestrate all of this? Because Harry needs the experience facing off against Voldemort. Dumbledore explains, “I knew not whether it would be ten, twenty or fifty years before he returned, but I