Dumbledore's Deluminator proved useful to Ron's journey in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but the details surrounding this particular invention are still mysterious. The put-outer was introduced to audiences at the same time as Albus Dumbledore himself since he used it to snuff out the street lights in Privet Drive when he left Harry there in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Since it's easy enough for a wizard to use their wand to extinguish lights, it's strange that the old headmaster would feel the need to invent something to do it for him. However, Ron's discovering the Deluminator's secondary purpose could provide some answers.

The Minister for Magic came to the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to give Harry, Ron, and Hermione the items that Albus Dumbledore had left them in his will. Each of these items seemed useless to a casual observer. A Golden Snitch, a children's book, and a repurposed lighter couldn't have been considered particularly powerful, and this is precisely how Dumbledore wanted them to seem. Of course, they each wound up invaluable to Harry Potter's quest. In the case of the Deluminator, the object wound up doubling as a sort of teleportation device, allowing Ron to return to his friends. Still, how did Dumbledore know this would be necessary?

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Dumbledore Knew Ron Would Leave (& That He Would Regret It)

Albus Dumbledore had spent years observing the children Harry Potter had chosen as his friends and indicated several times that he was pleased with their companionship. Clever Hermione and loyal Ron were precisely who the Boy Who Lived needed to carry out his various adventures, and they had proven themselves trustworthy by the time Harry learned about the Horcruxes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. For this reason, the headmaster permitted Harry to tell Hermione and Ron about the Horcruxes' existence and embraced the idea that they would accompany him on his eventual search.

So, when Dumbledore prepared his Last Will and Testament, he considered Ron and Hermione's strengths. He left "The Tales of Beetle the Bard" to Hermione, knowing that she would assist Harry in working out the mystery of the Deathly Hallows in a way that would keep him from making any rash decisions (such as abandoning the Horcrux search to find them). In the case of Ron, Dumbledore recognized that loyalty was the boy's strength but that his hot head would cause him to make decisions that he would eventually regret. So, he left him a tool, allowing some flexibility in Ron's resolve.

Ron realized in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that Dumbledore had known that he would abandon Harry and Hermione, which was disheartening. However, Harry pointed out that Dumbledore's understanding that Ron would want to come back is what mattered. Ultimately, Dumbledore seemed to understand Ron in Harry Potter because he related to him. The headmaster had once given up on his family, and he felt immensely guilty at having abandoned them. In Dumbledore's case, nothing could be done to bring him back to them, but he gave Ron a gift in not allowing the same to happen to him.

How The Deluminator Helped Ron Return To Harry & Hermione

The Deluminator playing a role in bringing Ron back to Harry and Hermione was a surprise since there had never been any indication that it could do something like this. As far as anyone knew, the item was meant to put out or reignite a light, not teleport someone back to their virtually unfindable friends. The Harry Potter books laid out a few clues as to why the Deluminator might have worked this way, though the movies skipped this over.

After Ron left in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book, Harry and Hermione had a silent agreement not to talk about him. It wasn't until several weeks later, after Harry's wand was broken, that Hermione mentioned Ron's name for the first time, using him as an example of how broken wands can never work the same again. When Ron returned, he explained that he had heard Hermione's voice saying his name coming from the Deluminator. When he took it out and clicked it, a light appeared that merged into his chest. All he had to do then was Dissaperate, and the light brought him to Harry and Hermione's location.

No further explanation is ever given for how Dumbledore's invention in Harry Potter worked, but the fact that it only allowed Ron to locate Harry and Hermione when they spoke his name indicates that it can only transport the user to the location of those who want that person to find them. There were several other times that Harry and Hermione could have said Ron's name, but they purposely shifted their sentences to avoid the word. Before Hermione finally mentioned him, she hesitated but ultimately chose to no longer avoid saying "Ron." She was still angry but missed him, and this longing allowed Ron to find her.

Why Dumbledore Invented The Deluminator

As a simple light puter-outer, the Deluminator seems like a strange thing for Dumbledore to invent in Harry Potter. A wizard as powerful as he wouldn't need one. However, the item's dual purpose for returning a person to their loved ones makes it seem like this had been Dumbledore's intention all along. Clearly, the old headmaster had once thought it necessary to create an item that would immediately bring him to someone he loved, provided they wanted him there, to begin with.

It's difficult to say precisely who Dumbledore hoped to return to. Perhaps, after his falling out with Gelert Grindelwald, Dumbledore secretly hoped that his old flame would mention his name and that he could find him. Or maybe Dumbledore thought his Deluminator could carry him past the grave and reunite him with his lost loved ones (as an alternative to the Resurrection Stone he had always dreamed of finding). Regardless of his plan, the Deluminator's ability to capture light was only a secondary convenience, and its true purpose in Harry Potter was only ever a benefit to the boy who inherited it.