Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re discussing Voldemort, Dumbledore, and one rather large question that I’m sure has crossed the minds of every Harry Potter fan at one point or another: Why didn’t Dumbledore just HUNT Voldemort down?
I know I know, it’s not that simple. Logistically this subject is..Precarious to say the least. But, just for a moment let’s pretend that Dumbledore decided to set off in search of Voldemort and simply killed the tyrannical dark wizard- effectively stopping him in his tracks. And if not KILL him, couldn’t he have imprisoned him in the same way that he imprisoned Grindelwald?
In the event of EITHER of these situations, what would have happened next? Would this have been any kind of a permanent solution? And of course the big one: is this situation even a feasible one? Join me as we unpack the question of why on earth Dumbledore FAILED to defeat Voldemort all by himself- instead relying on the fabled ‘Boy who lived’.
Let’s dive in.
The first thing that I want to reinforce is that Dumbledore was, unquestionably, one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe.
From an extremely young age Dumbledore’s magical abilities consistently turned heads, particularly his skills surrounding charms and transfiguration. He also did exceptionally well on his N.E.W.T.S and Griselda Marchbanks, a professor working for the Wizarding Examinations Authority, remarked that Albus was able to do things with a wand that ‘she had never seen before’.
In his youth, Dumbledore also spent much of his time with Gellert Grindelwald, another one of the wizarding world’s most powerful wizards. By association, it’s likely that the two boys skillsets merged to some extent- resulting in each wizard achieving a greater level of power than what would have been independently possible.
As Dumbledore grew older, he left no stone unturned when it came to magical abilities- becoming a master of transfiguration, charms, potions, elemental magic, occlumency, and more. 
Dumbledore is truly the exception to the phrase ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ - as he was a master of all. 
So if Dumbledore was SO powerful, what was stopping him from tracking Voldemort down and overpowering him, putting an end to the dark lord’s reign?
Well, there are a number of reasons.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices