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Since Dumbledore was hit with Snape's unforgivable Killing Curse in The Half Blood Prince there are still many people who believe that the great wizard is not really dead. It is painfully obvious at the end of Book 6 that Harry believes Dumbledore is dead, not the least of which is that he saw Snape kill him in cold blood with his own eyes. How is it even possible for Dumbledore to have survived? And if he did survive - why is he pretending to be dead?

First of all there are a great many reasons to support those who believe he's dead. Dumbledore put Harry in a Full Body-Bind , paralyzing him under his Invisibility Cloak, just before his confrontation with Draco Malfoy. The second that Snape's curse hits Dumbledore the Full Body-Bind is lifted. In order to break the spell it must be lifted. Nobody broke the spell on Harry so it makes sense that when the spell's caster died, Dumbledore in this case, the spell was immediately broken.

Dumbledore's loyal phoenix, Fawkes, abandons his perch in Dumbledore's office when his master is hit with the Killing Curse and sings a woeful tribute as he circles the grounds. If Dumbledore were truly alive Fawkes would have felt it and would not have reacted this way. Then later Harry notices that Fawkes has left the school grounds and knows somehow that he has gone for good. If Dumbledore were truly alive Fawkes would have remained at the school waiting for his master's return.

There is also Dumbledore's office to consider. When Dolores Umbridge takes control over Hogwarts in The Order of the Phoenix she is not allowed to enter the Headmaster's office. The doors become magically sealed. At the end of Half Blood Prince when McGonagall is appointed Headmistress the office grants her permission to enter because she is now the rightful owner. The portraits on the walls of the office also tell the tale of Dumbledore's demise. For Dumbledore's portrait to appear with all of the other long gone Headmasters he must certainly be dead.

Now let's take a look at the reason how he could actually be alive! The fact is that Harry saw Snape deliver a Killing Curse straight into Dumbledore's chest. Or did he? When Snape's curse hit Dumbledore he was launched into the air, was suspended for a moment and then dropped. But that's not the way Avada Kedavra has ever worked in the entire series. There is always a flash of green light, a loud rushing sound and the victim just drops to the ground and dies. It's almost as if what Dumbledore was hit by was

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