JK talks about Albus

[Alesia]

If you aren't a Mugglenet or Leaky Cauldron reader I would recommend you go read the interview JK did with the two people who run those sites. They put part one up today.

She had interesting things to say about our Headmaster: (ES & MA are the interviewers)

ES: I know Dumbledore likes to see the good in people but he seems trusting almost to the point of recklessness sometimes.

JKR: [Laughter] Yes, I would agree. I would agree.

ES: How can someone so -

JKR: Intelligent -

ES: be so blind with regard to certain things?

JKR: Well, there is information on that to come, in seven. But I would say that I think it has been demonstrated, particularly in books five and six that immense brainpower does not protect you from emotional mistakes and I think Dumbledore really exemplifies that. In fact, I would tend to think that being very, very intelligent might create some problems and it has done for Dumbledore, because his wisdom has isolated him, and I think you can see that in the books, because where is his equal, where is his confidante, where is his partner? He has none of those things. He’s always the one who gives, he’s always the one who has the insight and has the knowledge. So I think that, while I ask the reader to accept that McGonagall is a very worthy second in command, she is not an equal. You have a slightly circuitous answer, but I can't get much closer than that.

ES: No, that was a good answer.

MA: It's interesting about Dumbledore being lonely.

JKR: I see him as isolated, and a few people have said to me rightly I think, that he is detached. My sister said to me in a moment of frustration, it was when Hagrid was shut up in his house after Rita Skeeter had published that he was a half-breed, and my sister said to me, “Why didn't Dumbledore go down earlier, why didn't Dumbledore go down earlier?” I said he really had to let Hagrid stew for a while and see if he was going to come out of this on his own because if he had come out on his own he really would have been better. "Well he's too detached, he's too cold, it's like you,” she said!" [Laughter] By which she meant that where she would immediately rush in and I would maybe stand back a little bit and say, “Let's wait and see if he can work this out.” I wouldn't leave him a week. I'd leave him maybe an afternoon. But she would chase him into the hut.


Parts 2 & 3 of the interview will be out Wed & Fri. I don't believe what she said above eliminates the possibility of our ship but does throw some light on why Minerva may not know some things we would assume a life partner would. (IE if you go with the Albus isn't dead this was a plan theory) JK may write Albus as being noble trying to protect her or he didn't want to burden her or she is no good at Occlumency so he doesn't tell her etc.

Anyway thought you would find it interesting.

[Herzele]

It is interesting !! Thanks for posting it here, because normally I don't visit Mugglenet or the Leaky Cauldron, so I would have missed it ...

[Nerweniel]

Wow, thanks for posting . The line about him not having an equal and such is a bit disheartening at first sight, but I thought about it- and maybe the fact that he is isolated intellectually or professionally because he is more powerful than the rest, does not at all have to mean he's isolated personally, and romantically. I think Minerva would support him with all her might- yet there may be things she cannot fully grasp, responsibilities, decisions.

Because I already bored Christy with my Darwin-talk, I'll happily repeat it here . Darwin's wife was a devout Catholic and didn't believe in the evolution theory. He, obviously, did, and yet they agreed to disagree and were happily married for the rest of their lives. They just didn't talk about it at home .

So far my know it all ish and random two cents... don't know if it makes sense, but ah ;D.

Love,

Lies

[Christy too lazy to sign in]

Thanks for posting Bonnie! Ok Did anyone else notice that when MA said it was interesting about Dumbledore being lonely JKR's response was isolated. She didn't repeat or agree with lonely. I suppose to many it could be the same, but I think the fact she didn't use the word could be a nod in the direction of our ship!

Christy

[Alesia]

Agreed, the first time I read it I was concerned about the ship but when I went back and reread it - it made sense. Albus plays everything close to the vest. (Look at Minerva's line about his trust of Snape - he wouldn't discuss it. Not even your Deputy? And Best Friend?) Whether you see Albus as fooled by Snape or if you believe the whole thing is a plan with Snape, there has to be more there then just the reason he gave Harry. So to me her statements really in some ways support the ship.

The rest of the interview is going to be interesting since it was given after Emerson and Melissa had read the book so they knew what questions to ask.

One other thing for those firmly in the it was a plan camp - JK said in her interview with Katie Curic (given PRIOR to the book's release) said that she never said she was going to kill off a major character. Now whether she said that because she didn't want to spoil the book or if there really is hope and our Headmaster is still out there kicking who knows. JK really likes to live those doors open, doesn't she?

[ginger newts]

I'm not sure how to take this, but notice that in a discussion of Albus' life Minerva is the only other person JKR really dragged into it. Like it was an automatic association? I'm not giving up hope, but if the ship never becomes canon who cares. Just because JKR may not see it doesn't mean it's a total improbability given the personalities and lives of these two people.

She didn't call him lonely and she didn't say he had any other romantic interest. I can see Albus, as others have said, sharing his life with someone but not necessarily all his thoughts. He seems like the type that would rather keep all dangerous information to himself until he's at least sure how to act on it and then only share it with the people who need to know.

I mean, romantically involved or not, he's worked with Minerva for 40 years now and she's likely been his deputy for 25 or so of them and would be a likely person to share things with. However, he obviously doesn't do that very often for reasons best known only to himself.

I don't think this makes the ship completely out of the question, even if it may lessen our chances of seeing it in book 7. I'm certainly never jumping ship. In the words of Lies: I'm going down with this ship.

[mugglemin]

I think this provides a lot of scope for angst fics. Isolated is the key word. Isolated by his intelligence, fame, the danger that surrounds him...this is all prime material for an "I love her but I could never tell her for it would endanger her..." fic.

We need Sirabella or Alchemine back...they are the queens of ADMM unspoken longing...

[Alesia]

One more pro-ship point in this thread.

Love is a major theme in this book. Molly's line about war making people randomly get together with people faster then they normally would with the constant threat of death points us in the direction of almost reckless abandonment to prove they are alive and in love. (hey, just thought of this but maybe that is the reason for the seamlessly rapid ships?? the connection isn't great, it would have nice if it was more developed, but maybe)

Minerva's line "Dumbledore would have been happier then anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world." I think gives us a lot of insight as to Albus's private character. Basically Minerva is saying Albus is a huge romantic and relationship oriented person. Part of knowing the power of love is experiencing it. (I also think that JK is speaking through Min here). Hence more proof to some sort of ship with Albus in it and who else could it be with??

Course I am with Lies and mugginmin - JK is going to have to come out and say point blank (like she did with Draco/Hermione thank goodness BTW) that ADMM were never a ship for me to believe they aren't.

[Sensiblyquirky]

That line caught my eye as well, Bonnie, and I definately think it points to our ship. I agree until JKR says ADMM doesn't exist I will forever think that it does. I don't know about other people but for me they don't even have to be involved, if they each loved each other in silence it is still there (it just becomes a very sad story).

[Jessabelle]

It is a very sad story now .. If JKR does come out and say that they are not together than I would believe it .. only if she does though .. But if she doesn't than I see no reason why fics would have to be overly "angsty" or anything because we already read and write about their past, so why not continue? But, I have to agree that it does provide very good opportunities for more angst fics .. Anyways I am done rambling for now mainly because I am not so sure that I am making any sense .. Thank-you for posting this!

[Alesia]

Part 2 is up www.mugglenet.com/jkrinterview2.shtml

JK says more stuff about Albus and even agrees to write something just about him!!!!!!

She also says the Quidditich match in HBP was the last one she would ever write so either Harry won't be going back to Hogwarts in 7 or we just won't get a play by play of a quidditch.

I would post what she says about Dumbledore but it kind of jumps around a bit covering both Snape and Draco so go read.

The last bit should be up Friday.

[Sensiblyquirky]

hmm thanks for posting the link!

[mugglemin]

Haven't read the second bit of the interview yet...but did anyone notice re the "Dumbledore...more love in the world" Minerva line that she said it...

right after Lupin had said to Tonks: "I'm too old...too poor (foget that bit)...and too dangerous..."

I like to think that this is rather significant... ;D

[QuillofMinerva]

I think Minerva is going to be a worthy successor to Albus, they are both very different but alike in other ways. I think it's going to be hard on her to follow in his footsteps though but it would be hard for anyone.

I am not going to abandon the AD/MM ship, unless JK states publicly that there was no romantic attachment then I will continue thinking there is one and always will be one and even if she says there isn't, I know in my heart that there is something more to it.

I feel that in the HBP, Minerva had a couple of great lines
"Take that!" I can so imagine her declaring that during battle

and also the line about Dumbledore and more love in the world...that line gave me the only hope in the book that there might be more to the their relationship because I think that line is rather touching.

[Alesia]

Okay, one last time, now that part 3 is up I will leave you alone about this topic. But Jo says that we should be very curious and asking questions about Albus's family. She doesn't say whether she means his parents (which could be implied there) or some other type of family (ie. wife and children).

How do you all read it?

[Sensiblyquirky]

well i have no idea how to read it. I think it can mean either, but what I got out of it is she didn't just ignore that part of his life. Like ok lets just not decide if he has a wife, or a love...somewhere she made the decision. (I'm sure it was when she dreamed up the McGonagall character.)

CC

[QuillofMinerva]

Oh I don't think I want to read any more or any less into what she means about his family though she might mean Aberforth.

I will be over the moon if she tells us that Albus and Minerva are married but I will also be happy with her telling us nothing because then I can still think they were rather have proof that they were not. Hope that makes sense

Clayre x

[foci]

What I found striking in this interview was how honestly JKR spoke about Albus being isolated from the rest of the world. Every word of her analysation of Albus' character is very true... but I've seen happy marriages of highly intelligent people which can be proof that even inhuman IQ won't separate you from the rest of the world... It often does, but it's not a given.

[Drake]

gingernewts said:

I'm not sure how to take this, but notice that in a discussion of Albus' life Minerva is the only other person JKR really dragged into it. Like it was an automatic association?

I know! Twas so exciting!

[beMMADfabulous]

I'm so ready to figure out what happens in the 7th book that I can't hardly wait. lol

[morgainegaunt]

mugglemin said:

Haven't read the second bit of the interview yet...but did anyone notice re the "Dumbledore...more love in the world" Minerva line that she said it...

right after Lupin had said to Tonks: "I'm too old...too poor (foget that bit)...and too dangerous..."

I like to think that this is rather significant... ;D

That's what I thought, too. JKR wouldn't have put these lines together if it didn't mean anything.

And for this Dumbledore-has-no-equal-thing: We knew before this that Dumbldore is the most powerful wizard in the world. So I don't think this statement was pointed at MMAD-shipers.

[beMMADfabulous]

[quote author=morgainegaunt board=hbp thread=1121804739 post=1181897835[/quote]
And for this Dumbledore-has-no-equal-thing: We knew before this that Dumbldore is the most powerful wizard in the world. So I don't think this statement was pointed at MMAD-shipers.[/quote]

I agree.

And maybe I am subconsciously trying to link this to our ship, but JK does mention Minerva as his "very worthy second in command." Who expects the greatest wizard to have an equal, anyways? You don't have to be someone's equal in that sense to be with them, ya know. Also, JK doesn't say that Albus is incapable of romantic love or that he isn't with someone. She only points out that he is isolated, which is quite understandable because of his wisdom and power. I think that Albus and Minerva both have a great potential for love- the same kind of love. They're also both more dynamic than you see at the surface, but they never seem to have to be different or hide anything about themselves when they're together.

I suppose I digress, so I'll end it here for now. ;D

[The Anglophile]

I think that even if Minerva and Albus weren't ever actually together, they still had feelings for each other deeper than friendship. I mean, look at Minerva's reaction to his death. It's the most, I don't know, out of character reaction because throughout the series she's been this uptight, almost cold sort of person. People are always surprised when she shows emotion, like when she smiles or cries when Harry and Ron say they want to see Hermione in CoS.

So I think it's very significant when Minerva kind of has a nervous breakdown after she hears about Dumbledore dying. Even if JKR says they were never in a relationship, I'll always feel that at least Minerva loved him.

I think I'd accept it but be absolutely devastated if JKR sank this ship.

[beMMADfabulous]

Yep, if JK says they were never in a relationship, I'd still always feel they were in love, too. I don't think I'd ever really accept it if JK sank our lovely ship; I'd just go into denial, but I'd also be devastated for awhile.

[MinervaMcGonagall]

bemmadfabulous said:

Yep, if JK says they were never in a relationship, I'd still always feel they were in love, too. I don't think I'd ever really accept it if JK sank our lovely ship; I'd just go into denial, but I'd also be devastated for awhile.

So would I.

We don't know if McGongall knows about the horcruxs. She may or may not. Then again, Albus may not have confided in her so he could protect her.