picture in my mind

Just finished HBP for the second time 15 minutes ago. Can't help it. Dumbledore dying is just too sad. Although I am sure that Dumbledore has died (whatever Dumbledoreisnotdead.com might insist) and will not make a comeback like Gandalf. I am now also even more inclined to disbelieve Snape's treachery. I really don't think he's evil. There are a lot of grey things about him.

He apparently did not know about the Vanishing cabinets, since Draco did not tell him about that, so it possible he had no hand in the attack. He continuously blocked Harry's hexes and did not retaliate. He has the Unbreakable Vow which might have been the thing that compelled him to finish Draco's task. And there's the argument with Dumbledore that he had, that is as yet unexplained. All in all, there is still a very high possibilty that Snape was working on Dumbledore's orders and still is. Maybe Dumbledore knew he was going to die anyway or something and wanted Snape to kill him to prove Snape's loyalty to Voldemort.

And, how could Dumbledore have been so wrong? Such a wise man and such a grave mistake.

Speaking of Dumbledore, I think I know one person in real life who is like Dumbledore; who represented the same thing. Amir Fadl (a leader of a community of people in Egypt and a rich oil magnate). I remember when I met Amir in Egypt how terrified I was that he could read my mind, or something. I know it sounds stupid, but he seems the kind of person who can see right through anything and read beyond each of your actions. And you know how Dumbledore seems to be all-knowing, and seems to grasp the true essence of a person. And how everyone trusts his judgement. The same goes for Amir. How, for us, if we argue over something, we'll say: Ask Amir. Because he will surely know the answer. And if Amir welcomes someone, everyone does the same thing.

And after all that, after all his greatness and intellectual and societal status, he can seem shockingly ordinary, for lack of better word. Maybe his modesty makes him so. I remember when he walked past me to get to his car, and everyone was watching him go and trying to get a glimpse of him even or hold his hand, he had time to say to me, 'See you soon.' I was utterly taken aback. (And my family did get audience with him before we left for home.)

I think it is rare to find a true and natural leader. While Dumbledore, and also Lymond, is fictional, Amir Fadl is not. And I get to see first hand how a person can attract followers to himself by requiring no effort but being his own self. How his every word carries such weight and importance. How he exudes wisdom and authority. And how everyone just cannot help but respect and admire him, and eventually love him. It is leadership at its best. Understanding this, it makes me appreciate better the impact of Dumbledore's leave.