Why Does Dumbledore Ignore Harry in The Order of the Phoenix?

Albus Dumbledore was Harry Potter’s guardian and savior from the moment he was born. And this connection has only been growing stronger as Harry was growing up with his obnoxious relatives. But, at one moment, in The Order of the Phoenix movie, Dumbledore ignored Harry for a while. Why exactly did he do that?

Dumbledore ignored Harry because he was afraid of the strong connection between Harry and Voldemort. He was scared that Voldermort might be inside Harry and he wanted to keep the decisions of The Order of the Phoenix a secret.

From the Sorcerer’s Stone onward we have rarely seen Harry and Dumbledore in a quarrel or a verbal fight. There’s only support, friendship and love. And then we come to the fifth sequel, the dark and ambiguous The Order of the Phoenix. And it leaves us perplexed at the beginning. Dumbledore changed. He is more absent, it seems he’s having a hard time concentrating. His mind is somewhere else. And there might be some other reasons for that.

Let’s dive deeper into the topic and see what else could influence Dumbledore’s attitude towards Harry in The Order of the Phoenix, along with the fact that Voldemort might have invaded Harry’s mind.

Dumbledore is afraid of the strong connection between Harry and Voldemort

When you deeply care for someone, you cannot imagine their pain and suffering. Dumbledore was afraid, he was scared that something might happen to Harry at that time. And what’s even worse, he was convinced that he might be the cause of his tragedy. He has always been aware of Harry’s connection to Voldemort, of their strong bond which existed from the very first time they met. 

And as Harry grew older and his powers got stronger, Dumbledore started to fear his biggest fears. That Voldemort would somehow try and act through Harry and persuade his closest ones to do him harm. He couldn’t force himself to be near Harry and allow himself a slightest mistake.

He decided to avoid him and it really escalated to the extent that Harry didn’t know what to do anymore. But Dumbledore is a stubborn old wizard who knows who Voldemort is and how strong his abilities are. He simply couldn’t allow himself any mistakes before being certain that Harry and all around them are safe.

Dumbledore wants to keep the decisions of The Order of the Phoenix a secret

If Voldemort in any way manages to get into Harry’s mind, he might find out lots of things that concern him directly and all the ways of getting rid of him. Dumbledore wants The Order of the Phoenix to stay as much of a secret as possible. They are not keeping Harry in the dark about everything. They are mostly sharing everyday things with him. But the most important ones stay inside the Order.

It would be a great disaster if Voldemort in any way found out what they are up to. Harry can’t even think of the things he might have heard. He doesn’t have to see what’s going on, but if someone tells him about their whereabouts and plans, Voldemort’s hands would be completely open. He is always somewhere near Harry, he tries to enter his mind every possible minute and therefore Harry is also a threat to the wizarding world.

Dumbledore was keeping to many things a secret

In order to protect Harry, himself and everyone around them, Dumbledore kept many things a secret. He didn’t share anything with Harry. He didn’t acknowledge the possibility that Voldemort might use Harry by possessing his thoughts. He thought that it was easier to completely distance himself from Harry and ignore him at all costs. Who knew that it would cause so many insecurities and doubts in Harry. 

Who knew that he would question himself and Dumbledore’s loyalty and love. But it is actually pretty obvious. A teenage boy who didn’t experience love and tenderness until the age of ten, once again finds himself rejected by someone who should care most about him. It was very risky on Dumbledore’s side to cast Harry aside in that manner, but he believed that it was the safest way.

We can even observe Harry as the eighth Horcrux, in a way, although Voldemort never actually performed any spells on him. He transferred some of his powers into him when he killed his parents and therefore it is sometimes very ambiguous how to treat Harry and what to expect when it comes to him and the Dark Lord. Dumbledore was very early pretty aware of that, but especially when he realized that Harry was essential for Voldemort’s destruction.

Relationship between Harry and Dumbledore in general

This is one of the most discussed topics when it comes to Harry Potter. Numerous relationships that Harry had with various people and magicians always start from this one. Maybe not the strongest, but definitely the purest relationship is the one between these two great magicians. Because there are no calculations, no ifs and buts. It is simple and true, like one between a grandson and his grandchild.

Harry isn’t afraid of being himself in front of his teacher. He can be honest, can say what’s on his mind and be mad without fear of consequences. Dumbledore is especially careful when it comes to Harry. He is never fully relaxed and his mind is always a hundred percent present when it comes to Harry and things related to him.

It is very interesting to follow their relationship throughout the years, to watch the change in its intensity and to try and find clues when the switch happened in Dumbledore in The Order of the Phoenix. We didn’t go back to those sequels only once, did we?