Dumbledore and Snape again. WAS: Re: Missing Horcrux = Ravenclaw's

[jjjjjuliep]

No: HPFGUIDX 137296

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "houyhnhnm102" <celizwh at i...> 
wrote:

> When Snape arrives on the tower, he is faced with a weakened
> powerless Dumbledore, four mature Death Eaters, and one teenage 
> Death Eater. 
> Had Snape refused to kill Dumbledore, there could have been only 
> one outcome.  Snape would die.  Dumbledore would be killed by one
> of the other Death Eaters. Draco would either be killed on the spot
> or taken back to Voldemort (I suspect the DEs had orders to kill
> him on the spot if he failed.)  The DEs, including, Fenrir would be
> loosed upon the school and the casualties could have been much,
> much worse than they were.

It's possible.

But on the other hand, I am more and more convinced that if Snape 
were truly good, he would have sacrificed himself for Dumbledore 
right then and there.  He could have given Dumbledore his wand back 
(so he could protect himself) and that could have happened in the 
instant before Snape died.  Plus we don't know if he would have died 
on the spot or not, but even if he would have died in the tower, the 
melee and shock afterward on the part of the DEs who did not know 
that he had made the Unbreakable Vow would have given DD time to 
retrieve his wand and unfreeze Harry.   Either way, I am confident 
Dumbledore could have fended off the DEs with him in the tower, esp. 
if he had Harry's help; after all help from the Order was on its way 
too.

But the most telling thing for me in the Snape debate is his choice.  
His choice to kill Dumbledore rather than die himself.  This is IMO 
the most crucial decision made in Book 6, for it determines the path 
the story would take after it.  If Snape truly good, truly devoted to 
Dumbledore, truly on the side of good, there is no doubt in my mind 
that he would have died right then and there rather than let the 
wizarding world's best hope for victory against Voldemort die. 
Instead he take the easy way--not the right way, but the easy way--
out since Snape has one priority:  Snape.  

I expect JKR to redeem him in book 7, but it won't be because had 
some kind of secret plan with DD (how could there be one?  Neither of 
them had any idea how any of this was going to unfold so how could 
they plan it?--I expect this discussion is going on in threads I 
haven't read).  Nor will it be because he loved Lily and looks into 
Harry's eyes.  The most powerful way for Snape to be redeemed will be 
for him to realize his betrayal of the one person in the world who 
completely believed in him and trusted him and that will be for him 
to do, finally, something unselfish, something motivated out of 
love.  What that is, I do not know (at the moment I am leaning toward 
not-fully-thought-out idea that he's going to help Harry make a kind 
of love potion to kill Voldemort, and this will be unselfish because 
at this point Voldemort will have offered--tempted--Snape with power 
and prestige far beyond his wildest dreams.  We'll see how my 
thinking changes over the next 2 years.)

jujube