The best reason for Dumbledore to trust Snape

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 137789


> mimbeltonia wrote:
> > Dumbledore could have decided to trust him not on his honest 
> > face and touching tale, but on basis of a carefully worded 
> > unbreakable vow to fight Voldemort as a double agent whatever it 
> > took. 

> Saraquel:
> I too have toyed with the idea that Snape might have taken an UV 
> with DD, but one to protect Harry, as payment for the life-debt to 
> James', which his action in blabbing the prophecy to Voldemort 
> reneged on.  
> 
> *However*, my instinctive feeling is that DD is not the sort of 
> person who would demand that.  Somehow, I think DD wants people to 
> make FREE choices, and a UV could be seen as a form of compulsion - 
> Ok Severus, I'll believe you have repented when you take a UV. The 
> faith here is in the power of the UV, rather than Severus. I think 
> DD is more along the lines of: I'll have the faith in you that you 
> have repented and in doing so will empower you to continue in this 
> decision, knowing that if you lapse, you forsake the real power 
> which my faith in you gave to you, and the chance to regain that 
> most important of characteristics, self respect.
> 
> It's often said on the list that Snape wants RESPECT and 
> recognition.  The reason he still wants it IMO is because he has no 
> self respect.
>  

Valky:
Ahh Saraquel, just can't avoid thinking alike can we ;D
I gree with what you have said above. It's just not Dumbledore to
demand a UV, besides which, I just can't get past the fact that during
the scene with Snapes UV in spinners End, the text draws an analogy to
the coils of a snake tying his hands. It's just seems too patently
obvious that it's a Worst of Slytherin type magic even if you don't
see that its completely in opposition with Dumbledore's creed of
Choice and Love. 

AS to this Iron-Clad reason for trusting Snape. I am trying very hard
to dig in and uncover it at last, but the closer I get, the more it
seems to me that Dumbledore's Iron Clad reason didn't include
expecting Snape to behave himself and stay out of trouble. In fact it
actually seems to me that DD based his reason on the guarantee,
almost, that Sevvie *would* bury himself again. But that there was one
thing, just this one small powerful thing that *proved* to Dumbledore
that as deeply into the clutches of evil as SS would go, the man he
was hd been apready reveled by the choices he had made in the past,
and that man was ultimately on the right side. 

This goes to why DD tried to keep SS from the DADA position all those
years. Knowing that Snape would get himself into strife if he began
wandering that path again, DD (maybe like he'd hoped with Harry) that
he could help to spare Snape a few more moments in the 'sun' before
his inevitable third strike in the hell of his own creations.
Possibly, as he did with Harry, he felt he had been too soft on Sevvie
too long, and while Sevvie could have been facing his demons at last,
he was safe under the watchful eye of Dumbledore instead who tried
desperately to spare him his inevitable fate one more time and then
one more time again. 

When Voldemort finally reappeared in the year of GOF, with a heavy
heart DD realises that it is time to send Snape back to the lions, and
for a short while he shoulders this responsibility and keeps Sevvie
carefully blinded to the path before him. In the end however he knows
that Snape will fall back into a trap a demise of his own making in
spite of his having been loyal for many years. Snape just cannot help
but to bring the world crashing down on himself before he realises  
where his heart truly is. 

So here I offer, as far as I can gather, the basis for DD's trust of
Snape. Dumbledore trusts that while he has a firm hand on the steering
wheel he can keep Severus from tangling himself up in evil, And
Severus is, in this way, capable of immense good despite his terrible
demeanour. Once DD lets go of the wheel, he knows he is setting the
bird free. He knows that he is leaving Severus to his own devices
completely, which will in turn mean that someday soon down the track
Sevvie is going to get himself in the same position he was twice ago 
faced with the consequences of his awful deeds. And it is this that
Dumbledore trusts most fully, most remarkably, he trusts that Snape
cannot act evilly in this moment. In spite of all the worst that
Severus can do, this particular moment, which is utmostly important is
the moment Snape chooses what's right, over what is easy.         

No I don't really like it either, it's weak as watered down tea I
think. But I have a feeling that approaching the question more from
the angle of abstract philosophy to reveal traces of some magic or
inner hidden reality that only someone like Dumbledore could see,
would be the only way to come up with something *Iron-clad*. No
confession or imposition of outside will is going to be the complete
answer to this mystery IMHO.


> 
> houyhnhnm:
 
> The most character revealing scene, IMO, is during the first
> occlumency lesson.
> 
> "Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord," said 
> Snape savagely. "Fools that wear their hearts proudly on their 
> sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad 
> memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily--weak 
> people, in other words--they stand no chance against his powers!"
> 
> Clearly, he is speaking of himself, with a passion and an honesty we
> don't see anywhere else.

Valky:
I agree he's referring to something in himself. I think that at this
point Snape is sure he is imparting *priceless* wisdom, its firly
obvious that he is given to failing in his estimation of Harry, quite
often. And here I think is a moment before Snape gets his first hand
taste of what dormant magic lies in Harry. (aside: I got the sense of
Sevvie ctually biting his tongue in Spinners End when he spoke of
Harry's magical ability. I don't believe he ever actually *had* to do
that before he was exposed to Harry's inner grace during Occlumency.)
I know this diverts from canon, but I have this incredible hunch that
Snape became intensely curious about these defenses Harry possessed,
which were, *shock Gasp*, better than his!
Baically I think that on the quiet there is a sense of Snape going on
a learning curve after his experiences with Harry's mind. In
particular, I recall, Harry summoned the will to push Snape out of his
mind when Snape ventured too close to his feelings for Cho. Consider
Snapes speech and then this. Interesting isn't it, here's Sevvie
expounding on and on about feelings being a weakness, and yet Harry
defies him *absolutely* on this when his immediate feelings are the
**one thing** that Snape *can't* touch. 

Sevvie is a thinker, we discover concretely in HBP, that he *likes* it
when some uncoventional approach improves on the traditional. It would
seem, that a mind like Snapes couldn't deny the wake up call that
Harry gave him in Occlumency.. "Crush them it releases more juice.."
is an uncanny parrallel really, while Snape is so determined that this
 inclination to feel and emote is a weakness, Harry is there using it
for strength, delivering a strong (albeit uncontrolled) defense
against the probing. 

Here I am starting to think I'm realising why Snape was such a
busybody in Harry's head all through HBP. Does his curiosity get the
better of him and he really wants to know this little trick Harry
uses? So he listens and listens to Harrys thoughts (and Harry is
projecting like a madman) waiting for the little clue, that will lead
him to this better more brilliant Defense against Dark Arts. Snape
goes on to sit with Harry once a week, willingly sitting with Harry
all Saturday. Is it so he can listen to Harry's Head? I am starting to
really think that it was. It might be, that by the time Snape left
Hogwarts, he figured out all he needed to know, and now, he can keep a
much bigger secret from Voldie than ever before if he likes to. Maybe
he will, thanks to Harry.

A lot of wild speculating but it was fun.. Oh yeah, that would
probably explain why he made Harry go through James and Sirius old
detention cards. If the key to Harry's defense was people he loves
then it would be appropriate to attack Sirius' memory in order to
invoke Harry to defend him internally. Kind of makes sense. So how
would we find out about that, well I suppose Snape would tell Harry,
Thankyou, you helped me keep some of the best secrets I have ever
needed to keep. Maniacal laughter .. 

Valky