As the answer to this question ponders, Dumbledore seems to have left a lot of information out when giving Harry, Ron and Hermione their Horcrux assignment. Let's consider the following points.
Harry didn't know how to destroy Horcruxes.
"I wonder how Dumbledore destroyed the ring?" said Harry. "Why didn't I ask him? I never really..."
His voice trailed away: he was thinking of all the things he should have asked Dumbledore, and of how, since the Headmaster had died, it seemed to Harry that he had wasted so many opportunities, when Dumbledore had been alive, to find out more...to find out everything...
(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 6, "The Ghoul in Pyjamas")
Dumbledore made no plans to inform Harry of how to destroy Horcruxes.
It was only sheer, dumb luck/quick thinking on Hermione's part that meant that the trio knew the theory of Horcrux-destruction. Dumbledore just left the Hogwarts library books lying around in his office and made no attempt to bequeath them to Harry. At the start of their quest they had no practical means of destroying them.
Harry felt hurt and betrayed that Dumbledore knew but didn't tell him.
He could not hide it from himself: Ron had been right. Dumbledore had left him with virtually nothing. They had discovered one Horcrux, but they had no means of destroying it: the others were as unattainable as they had ever been.
(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 16, "Godric's Hollow")
Dumbledore had no reason not to tell Harry.
Knowing how to destroy Horcruxes is clearly an integral part of any mission to destroy Horcruxes! With the Hallows, Dumbledore later says that he had intended to be cryptic in an attempt to let Hermione's natural caution prevent Harry from going too power-hungry. This is not the case with the Horcruxes.
Dumbledore knew his official will would be subject to Ministry of Magic intrusion.
Regardless of whether the Ministry's motives were kind or cruel Dumbledore clearly knew that the bylaw about the Ministry having the right to search will items could provide difficulties in terms of giving things to the trio. This is evident from the care he took to hide the true meaning of Beedle's book and the elaborate magic surrounding the Snitch he gave Harry. Dumbledore must've known that the Ministry may not allow Harry to receive the Sword of Gryffindor. Trying to give it to Harry gave him a hint but this is as close as Harry gets to finding out how to destroy Horcruxes.
Dumbledore had other methods of giving things to Harry.
Even though he knew that he was dying, Dumbledore obviously took care to tailor his will to helping Harry. Yet he could've simply given things to someone he trusted at Hogwarts like McGonagall to pass onto Harry.
Dumbledore knew basilisk fangs would be supremely useful to Harry.
Dumbledore knew that, if Harry didn't get hold of the sword, basilisk fangs remained the main key tool Harry needed for Horcrux-destruction. Ron and Hermione ended up going down to the Chamber anyway so Dumbledore could've saved them the hassle.
Why didn't Dumbledore give Harry more of a head-start by telling him about the Basilisk fangs? And why didn't he put the fangs, the sword, the Beedle book, the Deluminator and the snitch in a box for McGonagall to give away after he died?
"From all that I've read, what Harry did to Riddle's diary was one of the few really foolproof ways of destroying a Horcrux."
"What, stabbing it with a Basilisk fang?" asked Harry.
"Oh, well, lucky we've got a large supply of Basilisk fangs, then," said Ron. "I was wondering what we were going to do with them."
(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 6, "The Ghoul in Pyjamas")
Answer
I don't think there's a definitive explanation. That said, I think this can probably attributed to two facts: Dumbledore is arrogant, and Dumbledore is secretive.
Dumbledore is secretive
Albus Dumbledore has an almost pathological obsession with keeping the details of his plans hidden, even from those closest to him. As his brother says,
“I can’t leave,” said Harry. “I’ve got a job—”
“Give it to someone else!”
“I can’t. It’s got to be me, Dumbledore explained it all—” “Oh, did he now? And did he tell you everything, was he honest with you?” Harry wanted him with all his heart to say “Yes,” but somehow the simple word would not rise to his lips, Aberforth seemed to know what he was thinking.
“I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother’s knee. Secrets and lies, that’s how we grew up, and Albus. . . he was a natural.”
—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
This ties in somewhat with his arrogance. If Dumbledore is more brilliant than everyone else, if he possesses greater perspicacity, then why should he trust others with the details of his designs? This is not merely some post hoc justification created for the final book, either:
He did not tell Harry about the magical protection his mother had placed on him until Harry had experienced firsthand.
He did not tell Harry that Sirius Black had betrayed his parents, though in fairness the other teachers were complicit there as well.
- Dumbledore did not tell Harry about Voldemort's Horcruxes until he, Dumbledore, was on the brink of death due the wasting curse placed on Marvolo Gaunt's ring.
- Dumbledore did not tell Harry he was a Horcrux until the very last minute.
Dumbledore clearly knew in Goblet of Fire that Voldemort's taking Harry's blood could be a great benefit, yet did not tell Harry until he was half-dead.
“He said my blood would make him stronger than if he’d used someone else’s,” Harry told Dumbledore. “He said the protection my — my mother left in me — he’d have it too. And he was right — he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face.”
For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore’s eyes. But next second, Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him.
—Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Dumbledore is arrogant
Dumbledore has a very high opinion of his own intelligence and wisdom. While he is indeed one of the most brilliant wizards alive, his high opinion of himself can lead him to make grievous errors, since he assumes that any plan he makes will turn out flawlessly. As Dumbledore himself says:
“Naturally I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being — forgive me — rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger.”
—Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Dumbledore tends to place a great deal of reliance on his hunches, which (in fairness) often turn out to be correct.
In Dumbledore's mind, he had already set all the pieces in motion, and in a manner more elegant than simply handing Harry some basilisk fangs.
He had arranged for Snape to bring the sword to Harry when he could find him, so he would have a tool to destroy Horcruxes. He knew that Hermione would try to see if he had any books on Horcruxes. He had already explained to Harry what he knew about Voldemort's Horcruxes. Having already put (so he believed) all the pieces in motions, he might have been sufficiently prideful to believe there was little need for redundancy, convenience, or disclosure.
So with an obsession with secrecy, and a firm belief in the correctness of his own convoluted plan, Dumbledore might have seen keeping Harry and company in the Dark as preferable to the alternative. In addition, as seen in Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore likes to let people do things themselves, even in lethal situations. After all, convinced as he is that his plans are infallible, what does it matter if there are some risks?
That said, Dumbledore did have some good reasons
I think we can attribute most of Dumbledore's actions to his belief that keeping people in the dark about his plans was simply better, i.e. to his secretiveness and pride, as mentioned earlier.
That said, he did have some good reasons for doing what he did.
- As one of Voldemort's top Death Eaters, Snape had a great deal more freedom of movement and latitude than McGonagall would have had. If Dumbledore had given McGonagall the sword instead of Snape, she might have been dead, imprisoned, under house arrest at Hogwarts, or otherwise unable to give it to Harry when the time was right. Only someone on Voldemort's side could be sure of having the freedom to give Harry the sword when the time was right.
- It was safer for Harry not to have the sword until he actually had a Horcrux to destroy. If Harry had had the sword before he found the locket, there would have been that many more chances for Voldemort's servants to take it from him, and very little benefit to having it around. Dumbledore undoubtedly counted on Snape to know enough of Harry's movements to know when to give it to him, since Snape knew how to find Harry.
- Why not let the Ministry give Harry, Hermione, and Ron the other objects? If he had simply had McGonagall hand them over, the Ministry might have tried to take them away, in order to administer the will properly. Dumbledore would have been confident enough in knowing when the Ministry would fall that he could be assured of getting the Deluminator etc. to the Trio before that happened. Besides, some of the objects were magical. How do we know the Deluminator didn't need to be properly deeded to work?
Note: I don't think Dumbledore was worried about Voldemort reading Harry's mind. He knew that after Voldemort's disastrous attempt at possessing Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and knowing that the connection could expose his own secrets, Voldemort was trying to block Harry out.
“I, on the other hand, thought otherwise,” said Dumbledore. “Lord Voldemort has finally realized the dangerous access to his thoughts and feelings you have been enjoying. It appears that he is now employing Occlumency against you.”
—Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
In fact, I suspect Dumbledore was counting on it; otherwise, Voldemort might have been able to learn Harry's location.
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