The Dumbledore Family

The Dumbledore family was a half-blood wizarding family, formerly of Mould-on-the-Wold and later of Godric's Hollow. Though the family produced one of the most powerful and influential wizards of all time, Albus Dumbledore, its history is marked by profound tragedy, secrecy, and enduring guilt. The events surrounding the youngest daughter, Ariana Dumbledore, fractured the family, leading to imprisonment, death, and a lifelong estrangement between her two brothers, Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore. The family's secrets were largely unknown to the wider wizarding world until after Albus's death, when they were sensationally revealed in Rita Skeeter's biography, The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.

The family, consisting of Percival Dumbledore, his wife Kendra Dumbledore, and their three children Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana, lived peacefully in Mould-on-the-Wold. Their lives were shattered when, at the age of six, Ariana Dumbledore was brutally attacked by three Muggle boys who had seen her performing magic. The trauma of this attack left her magically unstable and unable to control her powerful abilities, which would erupt from her in moments of distress. To protect his daughter and prevent her from being sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Percival Dumbledore retaliated against the Muggle boys. He was arrested by the Ministry of Magic and sentenced to life in Azkaban, never revealing his reasons in order to shield Ariana's condition from public knowledge. Following Percival's imprisonment, Kendra Dumbledore moved the family to Godric's Hollow to escape the gossip and start anew. There, she kept Ariana's condition a secret from their new neighbours, leading to the family being perceived as reclusive and proud. The primary burden of caring for Ariana fell to Kendra, as Albus was at Hogwarts and Aberforth was often at odds with his mother and brother. Around 1899, when Ariana was fourteen, she had a magical outburst and accidentally killed her mother, Kendra. With Albus having just graduated from Hogwarts at the top of his class, he became the reluctant head of the family, cancelling his planned world tour with Elphias Doge. His resentment at being tied to Godric's Hollow was soon overshadowed by the arrival of Gellert Grindelwald, the grand-nephew of Bathilda Bagshot. Albus and Grindelwald formed an intense friendship, bonding over their extraordinary magical talent and their plans to establish a new wizarding world order “for the greater good,” which included a search for the Deathly Hallows. This obsession led Albus to neglect his responsibilities towards his siblings. Aberforth Dumbledore confronted Albus about his plans to leave with Grindelwald, arguing that Ariana was not well enough to be moved. The ensuing argument escalated into a violent three-way duel between Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald. Panicked by the conflict, Ariana tried to intervene and was struck by a stray curse and killed. It was never known whose wand fired the fatal spell, a fact that would haunt both Dumbledore brothers for the rest of their lives. Grindelwald fled, and the relationship between Albus and Aberforth was irrevocably broken.

• Percival Dumbledore: The patriarch of the family. He was imprisoned in Azkaban for attacking the Muggle boys who assaulted his daughter and died there.
• Kendra Dumbledore: Percival's wife. She was rumoured by some, like Muriel, to be a Muggle-born. She dedicated her life to caring for her traumatized daughter in secret and was accidentally killed by Ariana.
• Albus Dumbledore: The eldest son. He became the Headmaster of Hogwarts and was widely considered the greatest wizard of his age. He was the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix and the chief architect of the opposition to Lord Voldemort.
• Aberforth Dumbledore: The second son and third child. He was the proprietor of the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He carried a deep, lifelong resentment towards his brother for the events that led to their sister's death but ultimately aided Harry Potter in the final battle.
• Ariana Dumbledore: The youngest child and only daughter. The trauma she endured left her with a condition that resembled that of an Obscurial, where her immense magical power would burst forth uncontrollably. Her tragic life and death were the central, defining events of her family's history.

The Dumbledore brothers, Albus and Aberforth, were both described as having piercing blue eyes. The family was clearly one of immense magical talent. Albus Dumbledore's magical genius is legendary. Aberforth Dumbledore, though overshadowed by his brother, was also a highly proficient wizard, capable of producing a corporeal Patronus of immense size and power that could repel hundreds of Dementors at once. Ariana Dumbledore's own magic, though uncontrolled, was exceptionally powerful, capable of accidentally killing her own mother.

The internal dynamics of the Dumbledore family were defined by tragedy, secrets, and guilt. Percival's sacrifice for Ariana set a precedent of secrecy that Kendra maintained. The core relationship was the fractured bond between Albus and Aberforth. Aberforth saw Albus's ambition and friendship with Gellert Grindelwald as a betrayal that directly led to Ariana's death. Albus, in turn, lived with the crushing guilt of his youthful arrogance and the fear that it might have been his own spell that killed his sister. This shared trauma created a gulf between them that never fully healed, though a quiet, unspoken understanding was reached during the Battle of Hogwarts.

• Much of the Dumbledore family's backstory is revealed to Harry Potter in the final book through several sources: Elphias Doge's glowing obituary for Albus, Rita Skeeter's scandalous biography, and finally, a direct and emotional confession from Aberforth Dumbledore in the Hog's Head Inn.
• The *Fantastic Beasts* film series expands on this history, revealing that Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald made a Blood Pact as youths, preventing them from moving against each other. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).
• The films also introduce a character, Credence Barebone, who is revealed to be Aurelius Dumbledore, purportedly a lost brother of Albus. This character and his connection to the Dumbledore family do not appear in the original seven novels and are a creation for the film series. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).