He’s apparently a very powerful wizard, the only one Voldemort fears. Why? What has he done that’s so impressive? I’m not nitpicking or running down the books, I’m just curious what his “resume” is as far as the books go to support this status. Can anyone fill me in?
SPOILERS
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Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything in the past (i.e. before the first book), (though his skill is pretty much acknowledged by everyone, so you can assume there some impressive things.) He does duel Voldemort one-on-one and is superior enough that Voldemort runs away. Dumbledore i believe also claims that he was the only one with enough skill to have defeated one of Voldemort’s curses (on the ring).
I haven’t read the books, just seen the movies, but my tacet assumption is that the wizards we see have made, or are capable of making, all of the stuff you see in their rooms. So, he summons the feast when they’re in the feast hall, sets the various holiday theme lights, he’s got that loudspeaker spell, and he made the pensieve.
People who have read the books seem pretty adamant in their support of him as being one of the greatest living wizards. So, I figure it’s like olympic-level gymnasts: they don’t walk down the street doing cartwheels and handstands and fancy stuff. Most of the time they just walk around like you and me. But when they pull out the stops, it’s massively impressive, and they hardly look like they’re working, so it looks easier than it actually is.
It seems to me that he’s personally responsible for making sure that the campus of Hogwarts is protected - you can’t apparate in, and so forth. That has to be pretty difficult.
There’s the whole bit with the memories, the Pensieve, and being able to block and read thoughts.
His confrontation with Voldemort in book 5 seemed to be a stand-off.
When the Ministry of Magic comes to arrest him, it seems pretty impressive that he can hold people off (admittedtly, with coordination and help).
Also;
Dumbledore is the one who defeated (not killed; it’s not certain what happened) the Dark Lord Grindelwald in 1945 (apperently not something to do with WWII, more of an allegory).
He founded and ran the Order of the Phoenix the first time (and the second, but that’s more towards the present) that Voldemort began his bid for domination.
He’s been Headmaster of Hogwarts for, I think it’s about fifty years - he’s also been suggested as Minister for Magic several times by a lot of people, which he turned down. So he’s definetly seen as wise by people, let alone powerful.
He helped Nicolas Flemel with the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone (in the american books, the Sorceror’s Stone) which grants eternal life.
He is as good at Legilimency (the reading of other’s minds) and Occlumency (the blocking of one’s mind from Legilimency) as Voldemort is.
He can speak many languages, including those of the Merpeople, and Troll.
He is also the man who discovered the twelve uses of dragon’s blood.
And finally, he has a midichlorian count higher than Yoda.
He’s been awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class; and he’s the head dude of the Wizengamot.
So, clearly, his peers think very highly of him.
From his Chocolate Frog card in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone:
I’m assuming it’s his 300 bowling average that has everyone so impressed.
[On preview] Revenant Threshold, I don’t agree that Dumbledore helped Flamel with the Philosopher’s Stone – Flamel was already several centuries old by the time Dumbledore was born, so how could he have survived that long unless he already had the Stone?
I was going to cite this as well. I don’t remember all the details, but as I recall, the Minister came for Dumbledore along with a number of aurors or presumably-powerful enforcer types. Dumbledore informed them that he did not intend to come quietly, and then – even though they’d been warned – quickly knocked them all senseless and got away.
When Harry took his O.W.L.'s, one of the instructors remarked that he had administered the test to Dumbledore years earlier, and said something to the effect that he’d never seen anything quite like it.
At the end of Book 5(?), Dolores Umbridge foolishly attacks the centaurs (I think it was the centaurs) and is hauled off into the Dark Forest to her apparent doom. Later, Dumbledore singlehandedly walks into the forest and retrieves her. I’m not sure if this was by force, or if he was just able to leverage his reputation to get her free, but either way, it was implied that this required some serious mojo.
D’oh! You’re right, obviously.
Dubledore’s power is largely seen “off-camera,” as it were. While his wisdom and the fact that others are willing to heed it (or not, to their peril) is what is really on display in the books.
I don’t know if it’s been definitively made clear, but I always hoped that Dumbledore will be revealed to have been a Slytherin – as much as he cares for Harry and his other charges, he’s also been willing to put them in danger, and the Order of the Phoenix always seemed to me that they were just so many assets that Dumbledore could move around the chessboard.
–Cliffy
That’d be quite fun. Slughorn was the first… uh… decent Slytherin we’ve seen (well, Snape perhaps as well, but that depends on how you see him now). Though even Slughorn wasn’t heroic (he did seem to despise the Dark Lord though). Dumbledore as Slytherin would be a nice touch.
I always saw Dumbledore as a Ravenclaw, myself.
Well, you have to remember what Dumbledore knew about Voldemort. In book 6, we learn that:
Dumbledore had suspected Voldemort can’t be killed and had divided his soul in parts. He doesn’t kill him because he knows he can’t and would only delay his return again.
Also, Voldemort fears Dumbledore more than anyone.
Sure, but my point was - Voldemort could not just defeat Dumbledore by force. We saw Dumbledore using his powers there.
This is also a typical example of why Dumbledore doesn’t seem so flashy - he frequently uses his powers for information, sometimes uses them for defense in very strong ways, but rarely uses them in an attack.
Dumbledore is a Gryffindor, because he’s a hero. In the HP series, the heroes are Gryffindor, even if their personal traits would suit other houses better - such as, you know, Hermione Granger and Ravenclaw.
Pfft. He’s got nothing on the wizard Shazam.
If you’ll recall, in the first book on the Hogwarts Express, Hermione is talking about the different houses. She says that Gryffindor is most likely the best, because it was Dumbledore’s own house.
Also, in Book 5, with the big battle at the Ministry, Harry finally realizes WHY Voldemort would always fear Dumbledore. He just has this enormous aura of POWER, and the look in his eyes is damned scary.
BTW, even though not all the houses of various characters were revealed, I definitely think Lockhart was a Slytherin. And Moaning Myrtle was in Ravenclaw.
I would have put Myrtle in Hufflepuff. 
Slight movie spoiler that only involves the information regarding Dumbledore’s House:
While standing in Harry’s room in Gryffindor, he told Harry that he’s always hated the bed hangings and set them on fire when he was at school.
Did Lockhart ever go to a wizarding school? If he did, he had to fail out. All he knows is memory charms.
Dumbledore was also the Gryffindor head-of-house when he was Transfigurations professor. I believe it says so in Chamber of Secrets. His profile on the HP Lexicon is very informative, but contains CRAZY SPOILERS for Book 5.