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harry potter - Why Didn't Dumbledore Take the Sword of Gryffindor With Him to the Sea Cave (Locket Horcrux)?


Dumbledore took Harry along with him to the sea cave where the locket Horcrux was hidden because he felt Harry had earned the right to accompany him. However, why did Dumbledore neglect to bring the Sword of Gryffindor with him to destroy the Horcrux?


First, Dumbledore was sure he had found where the locket Horcrux was hidden -- in the sea cave. He did not know how it was protected or what kind of enchantments it had placed on it. Second, Dumbledore knew for certain by this time that the Sword of Gryffindor could destroy Horcruxes, for he himself used it to destroy Marvolo Gaunt's ring, plus he had arranged to leave the sword to Harry in his will by this time for the purpose of Harry using it to destroy Horcruxes. Third, Dumbledore had no way of knowing beforehand that the Horcrux in the sea cave was a fake, and that he would not need to actually destroy it. Finally, Dumbledore put Harry's life in great jeopardy by taking him along to the sea cave to begin with -- why not bring along the sword for extra magical protection? After all, Dumbledore had no idea how this Horcrux would react, whether it was cursed, poisonous, etc.


To have access to a rare magical object which could absolutely, one-hundred-percent destroy Horcruxes, and to not take it on a Horcrux-hunting mission, is so inexplicable.


Why did Dumbledore do this? Why did he leave the Sword of Gryffindor behind on the night he and Harry went to the sea cave to recover the locket Horcrux?


Please no answers sourced solely from the HP Wiki/Wikia -- answers based in canon or speculative answers based in the spirit of canon are welcome.



Answer



I don't think Dumbledore wanted to risk losing the sword. Dumbledore knew his death was near; he ordered Snape to kill him instead of Malfoy. While he may not have known it was that day, Dumbledore was prepared for it to be that day. Dumbledore used the sword in the summer of 1996 to destroy the Ring Horcrux. What happened after that?


We know Snape treated the immediate effects of the curse. We know Dumbledore expected Voldemort to order Malfoy to kill him. Upon finding out that his death was at hand, Dumbledore commanded Snape to kill him before Malfoy could succeed. I believe at that point, Dumbledore considered each day as his last. He had a specific plan for the Sword. I believe either Dumbledore himself placed the real Sword in a hole in the wall behind where his portrait would be, or he gave it to Snape then, and had him do it after his death. Either way, I don't think Dumbledore was willing to use it at the time. It was too risky to jeopardize his plan for the Sword in order to destroy the Locket that day. He knew Harry could do it when he received the Sword, with much less risk to the Sword. Dumbledore didn't want to remove the sword from either its hiding place or Snape's possession, and risk losing the sword due to his impending death.



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