A tribute to Albus Dumbledore, as recorded at the memorial service by Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet, and spoken by friend and Hogwart's professor, Firenze.

"Friends, thank you for allowing me to pay tribute on behalf of all of us to the beloved Albus Dumbledore. Of course, no words we can utter here will honor the great wizard as much as he deserves. Perhaps we can however, show our appreciation for the short time we had together to learn from him, love him, and to assuage our grief. In our hearts, one can sense that a great light has gone out among us.

That grief we share now is made all the more intense with the understanding of how special Albus Dumbledore was to each of us, and to our world as a whole. What more can one wizard do for those he loves? He served loyally as a professor and Headmaster at Hogwarts for many years. He nourished and encouraged the learning and growth of generations of witches and wizards. He served the Ministry and the Wizengamot frequently and lent his considerable knowledge across the wizarding community. He worked in earnest to prevent the spread of clandestine dark magic and those who would do evil to others.

Most importantly, he has known no equal in his ability to love his friends and students, as well as those who may be less deserving of such affection. Even his enemies would acknowledge his penchant for forgiveness and unparalleled ability to see the good in all of us. As he often told his students, there is no force greater than love in our world, and no incantation that can match the enduring power of love that unites us in life and death. This love was manifest through him in many ways, including his gentleness and patience with students, his kindness to those in need, his respect for humanity, magic and muggle alike, and his playfully childlike, reassuring demeanor. Though his magical ability was without equal, he showed magnificent patience and care for those lacking magical talents. This then must be the measure of a great wizard, to possess unprecedented strength but to love with unequivocal capacity.

Few of us can remember a life that began without Albus Dumbledore, and fewer still can imagine one that ends without him. He was the great good that struggled against that malicious unnamed evil which still lurks among us. In a way, he was to many of us a deity and one whom we could consider all-knowing - the light that smothered the darkness of this world. We are experiencing the shock of his loss, and grope for some meaning or understanding of this tragedy. The heavens, though interpreted by far wiser than me, indicate that his death will not be in vain. He has imprinted his will to do good and love upon the students he cared so much for. Within them and within all of us lies a small part of him that will lead to greater things. Some of us will carry that inner light as a guide as we seek to finish the quest the Headmaster began.

Most of us will return again to Hogwarts, despite the death of its greatest Headmaster. The loss of his timeless knowledge of the arts of magic only reinforces the need for an institution that facilitates the transfer of such vital information from one generation to the next. We will be asked to carry the banner of unconditional love and patience he once bore. We must not take this task lightly- for it is here where our duty to honor him is most crucial. There will be a time when our pain and the darkness of this time fades away, revealing once again the brilliant color of life, and the enduring fellowship of Hogwarts.

Rest in peace, Albus Dumbledore. You will never be far from us."

 

Nitwit, Oddment, Blubber, Tweak

Albus Dumbledore, a name known by all and feared by even the darkest forces. He was known for being a protector of all in danger, in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. He was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and one of the greatest it has ever known.
Lord Voldemort himself described Dumbledore as, "Champion of Commoners, Muggles, and Mudbloods". Although this was no meant to be complimentary, it proves just how different Dumbledore is to him. Although both Voldemort and Dumbledore are very powerful, Dumbledore chose to take it upon himself to destroy Voldemort, much like when he defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald.

Dumbledore had a gift of seeing the best in people and firmly believed that people could change. For instance, he gave the Death Eater Severus Snape a place in the Order of the Phoenix after he appeared to have reformed. Dumbledore was without prejudice, giving all students a place in the school, no matter what their background. He gave Remus Lupin a place, when no headmaster before him would. He convinced Proffesor Dippet to let Hagrid stay on at school as Gamekeeper, and stuck up for him when no one else would. It didn’t even bother him about Hagrid’s lineage, and ignored the fact that he was part giant, until it was necessary to acknowledge it.

Albus Dumbledore was big in the Ministry of Magic, and he was offered the job of Minister for Magic at least three times. Each time he turned down the job preferring to stay on at Hogwarts. When things got tough though, the ministry turned on him. But Dumbledore did not go into hiding, and eventually Fudge was forced to admit he was wrong. Fudges past mistakes cost him his job.

Dumbledore seemed to be more attached to one student more than any other. Harry Potter. A prophecy concerning the child was made to Albus a year before its birth and he offered to be the Potters’ secret keeper. When the Potters choose someone less obvious instead, and were betrayed, it was Dumbledore who placed Harry with his relatives and protected him with old magic, on top of the protection already placed in his blood by his mother. After watching Harry face many difficulties for five years, Dumbledore decided that it was time to inform him of the prophecy, and as he spoke to Harry, a tear ran down his cheek.

Now we reach Dumbledore’s final year of life. He fetched Harry from his relatives in person, and during the school year gave Harry private lessons in the hope it would help him survive when the time was ripe for him to face Voldemort for the final time. He told Harry of Horcruxes and took him with him to a cave to find and destroy one of them. Dumbledore was not aware when he left, of Draco Malfoy’s plan to murder him. When they reached the cave and got past the inferi, Dumbledore drank an entire basin of a potion, and by the end of it, Dumbledore was begging for Harry to put a stop to whatever effect it was having on him. Weakened, Dumbledore side-along apparated with Harry back to Hogsmeade and they went back to the castle.

Unfortunately, when they arrived, Malfoy and a handful of Death Eaters were lying there in wait. And when Malfoy was finding it hard to finish him off, Snape took over, Dumbledore pleaded to him. (Although there are theories that it wasn’t his life he was pleading for), Dumbledore’s life ended when Snape sent a killing curse at him, sending him spiralling out of the window.

Although Dumbledore is no longer with us, As Harry once said, "He will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him". So I firmly believe that Although Dumbledore may be gone in a physical sense, his spirit will remain, not as a ghost, but in the hearts of all those who were both loyal to and loved him.

We have neither heard the last of him, nor will forget him