"I trust him".

[Pat]

No: HPFGUIDX 116635


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "finwitch" <finwitch at y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Now, Dumbledore's trust..
> 
> When McGonagall doubts Hagrid (his ability to cope)
> 
> Dumbledore says: "I'd trust Hagrid with my life."
> 
> When Harry questions Snape, DD says simply: "I trust him".
> 
> Harry reckons that 'you could usually count on (a.ka trust) Dudley 
to 
> know the days of week, because of television'.
> 
> Harry also trusts Sirius like he trusts no one else.
> 
> What bothers me here, is: just *how far* is Dumbledore's trust in 
> Snape go? Is it just trusting Snape to come up with a potion, or 
> trusting him with his life, or, most likely, something in between?


Pat here:
You have touched on something that has always bothered me about that 
phrase.  When DD says that he would trust Hagrid with his life, I 
really want to know why.  Hagrid doesn't seem particularly able as a 
wizard, especially since he stopped any formal education after just 
three years.  But that one I can accept as DD realizing that Hagrid 
is fiercely loyal to him.

 
[snipped]

But with Snape--there is a totally different issue.  Why does he 
trust Snape so much?  What did Snape tell him or do to earn that 
trust?  I don't think that is an easy thing where DD is concerned.  
And DD seems so unwavering in his trust of Snape.  It's something 
that the kids can't understand, and usually children have pretty 
good instincts about people.  The other adults don't really talk 
about it--except Sirius, who does seem to accept DD's acceptance of 
Snape, even though reluctantly.  He, however, is in the same 
position as Snape, in that he can't let go of whatever it was that 
happened when they were in school--and it has to be a lot more than 
the two things we've so far been told.

After DD's admission to Harry in OotP (about making a mistake in 
telling him about the prophecy), it really makes me nervous that he 
trusts Snape so completely.  I just wish we knew why--and I hope 
that is explained in the next book.  My guess is that it won't be 
until the last book.  Then we will either see that DD was right to 
place his trust in Snape, or that he, once again, has made an error 
in judgement.

The whole "I trust him" issue has always seemed like one of those 
never-say-never kinds of things.  Nothing is so black and white--
there are usually shades of gray that cloud the issue.  But DD is so 
adamant about trusting Snape, that it seems like it has to be one of 
those things that will backfire when he least expects it.

To Snape's credit, though, so far he has done nothing to show that 
DD (and Harry) shouldn't trust him.  He was still nasty to Sirius, 
but that was mutual.  And I can't quite figure out why he is so 
nasty to Harry, Neville, Hermione, etc in class--unless that is an 
intentional way to keep his link with the Death Eaters, knowing that 
Draco will report all to daddy.
 
> Occlumency-lessons. Was there a goal to make Snape&Harry to 'walk 
in 
> each other's shoes' as the saying goes, in order to create an 
> understanding between them? 

[snipped]

Pat again:

I think this was a case of DD just underestimating how Snape felt.  
And it turned out to nearly be disastrous--except that Harry did get 
some more insights into Snape, when he saw some of his childhood 
memories.  Now if he can just set aside that intense hatred he is 
directing toward Snape, perhaps they can at least make some progress-
-well, I can hope anyway.

I think, though, that all that was included to show us that no one 
is infallible.  Everyone, even someone like DD, can make mistakes.  
It's what we do after we realize that we've made a mistake that is 
important.  And digressing a bit--I found it interesting that, even 
though DD made some huge mistakes, Harry was still taking his anger 
out on Snape.  After all, it wasn't Snape's fault that DD didn't 
tell Harry about the prophecy, or that he had to learn occlumency 
from Snape--DD was responsible for both those things that ended 
badly, yet Harry is not really angry with DD--not like he is with 
Snape, anyway.

I think that JKR has included that as a way to show that no one is 
perfect.  It also shows the path that grief takes--it's not 
rational, but is something that we feel.  Until Harry gets through 
some of the grieving process, he won't be able to deal with DD, the 
prophecy or with Snape in a rational manner.  Right now, with 
Sirius's death so new, Harry can't be angry at DD--it would be too 
scary to have Sirius pulled away from him AND to quit trusting DD, 
who has always been Harry's foundation.  And now we are back to that 
trust issue again, aren't we.  Harry trusts DD implicitly, just as 
DD seems to trust Hagrid and Snape.  So, now the question is--are 
they all justified in placing trust in these particular people, or 
will it cause some disaster in the future?


Pat (who really needs a cup of coffee now that I've made my brain 
hurt)