It's literally a core facet of dumbledores character that he's always genial and calm, even in the face of total disaster. It's part of what made him an intimidating wizard.
Even besides that though, why wouldn't he ask calmly? One of two things are true
Harry did put his name in the goblet and is lying about it, in which case going full on "DIDYOUPUTYOURNAMEINTHEGOBLETOFFIRE!?!?" is only likely to put Harry on the defensive and make him less likely to own up.
Harry didnt put his name in the goblet and is being setup by voldy or his buddies. In which case Harry is a victim and should be handled as such. At this point Dumbledore had very good reasons to think this was the more likely of the two.
Dont get me wrong, if you wanna talk about JKRs shitty writing, I'll happily join you, but this is actually an example of good writing on her part, given that the character in question is supposed to be the smartest wizard alive, it makes perfect sense that he'd react rationally instead of lashing out emotionally
Harry's reaction alone is probably enough for Dumbledore to know something's wrong, and asking Harry is just confirmation. Like you said, no reason to be aggressive to him.
I think Dumbledore overall is a brilliantly written character. His calmness portrays a deep wisdom and vast knowledge. The only time we've ever seen him outright angry is when Umbridge began to manhandle the student who sold out Dumbledore's Army. He instantly touched upon a fury that made Umbridge and the Ministry realize they needed to calm down.
He really hasn't expressed anger otherwise. He was calm facing off against Voldemort in Book 5. He was disappointed in the Dursleys for abusing Harry. He was apologetic when Harry lost control while grieving for Sirius.
It's literally a core facet of dumbledores character that he's always genial and calm, even in the face of total disaster. It's part of what made him an intimidating wizard.
Even besides that though, why wouldn't he ask calmly? One of two things are true
Harry did put his name in the goblet and is lying about it, in which case going full on "DIDYOUPUTYOURNAMEINTHEGOBLETOFFIRE!?!?" is only likely to put Harry on the defensive and make him less likely to own up.
Harry didnt put his name in the goblet and is being setup by voldy or his buddies. In which case Harry is a victim and should be handled as such. At this point Dumbledore had very good reasons to think this was the more likely of the two.
Dont get me wrong, if you wanna talk about JKRs shitty writing, I'll happily join you, but this is actually an example of good writing on her part, given that the character in question is supposed to be the smartest wizard alive, it makes perfect sense that he'd react rationally instead of lashing out emotionally
Harry's reaction alone is probably enough for Dumbledore to know something's wrong, and asking Harry is just confirmation. Like you said, no reason to be aggressive to him.
I think Dumbledore overall is a brilliantly written character. His calmness portrays a deep wisdom and vast knowledge. The only time we've ever seen him outright angry is when Umbridge began to manhandle the student who sold out Dumbledore's Army. He instantly touched upon a fury that made Umbridge and the Ministry realize they needed to calm down.
He really hasn't expressed anger otherwise. He was calm facing off against Voldemort in Book 5. He was disappointed in the Dursleys for abusing Harry. He was apologetic when Harry lost control while grieving for Sirius.
I agree, I think it's likely that he only asked for the benefit of the others in the room