Percival Dumbledore

Percival Dumbledore (d. 1890) was the father of Albus Dumbledore, the noted Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He and his wife Kendra had three children: Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana.

Biography
At the age of six, Percival's daughter Ariana was assaulted by three Muggle boys. The incident left her permanently traumatised and unable to control her magic powers. Percival, in a fit of vengeful rage, attacked her assailants. This resulted in his arrest and conviction by the Ministry of Magic. He was sentenced to Azkaban, where he later died. Percival never admitted the reasons for his attack on the Muggles. This was largely due to his fear that if the Ministry found out about his daughter's delicate condition, they would send her to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for the rest of her life, effectively locking her away permanently as a hazard to the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

Percival's attack on the Muggle children led many to believe that he was a supporter of the notion of blood purity. However, this was almost certainly untrue as Percival's own wife was a Muggle-born witch. However, the Dumbledore family kept its secrets well, and Percival's reputation would remain tarnished even after the death of his 115-year-old son, Albus.

When Albus Dumbledore put on the Peverell Ring, with hopes that using the Resurrection Stone would allow him to see his loved ones once more, one of the people he hoped to see — and apologize to — was his father.

Physical appearance
As a relatively young wizard, Percival was described as "a good-looking man with eyes that seemed to twinkle," like his son, Albus, who, in his own time at Hogwarts, exhibited many of the same traits as his father. Albus had the same twinkling blue eyes as his father and brother, Aberforth.

Ariana Dumbledore
"...my father went after the bastards that did it, and attacked them. And they locked him up in Azkaban for it. He never said why he'd done it, because if the Ministry had known what Ariana had become, she'd have been locked up in St. Mungo's for good... We had to keep her safe and quiet. We moved house, put it about she was ill, and my mother looked after her, and tried to keep her calm and happy."

- Aberforth Dumbledore on Percival and Kendra Dumbledore

Percival was devastated by his daughter's assault. He attacked the Muggle boys who did it and was sent to Azkaban for it. He never told that Ministry his reasons, knowing that if they knew about Ariana Dumbledore's condition, she would be confined to St. Mungo's as a threat to the Statute of Secrecy.

Etymology
Percival was a knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French percer val, meaning "to pierce the valley".

Behind the scenes

 * In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Muriel claimed that Percival had "killed" the Muggles, rather than just cursing or magically assaulting them. She may have been exaggerating or the detail was changed in the film.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Notes and references
Percival Dumbledore Perceval Dumbledore Percival Dumbledore