The Eggplant and Snape and I (was: It's over, Snape is evil)

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 138818

eggplant wrote:

> Snape is far more powerful than the Death Eaters, I think he'd have a
> pretty good chance of killing them all in a surprise attack. And if he
> failed
.,well
. better to die than betray your friends.
> 
zgirnius:
That's not exactly the choice Snape is given here, though, is it? There 
are people besides DD on the tower in possible need of rescue (Draco 
and Harry). If Snape takes the chance, takes on the four DEs, and 
fails, he can reasonably suppose that this may result in the deaths of 
Harry, Draco, and Dumbledore as well as that of Snape himself. 

Your statement also makes an assumption about how, exactly, the UV 
works. (Yet another thing we just don't know...grrr). I agree that from 
what we have seen, Snape's duelling skills would give him a good chance 
in the four-to-one fight you suggest, especially with the element of 
surprise. But Snape's hands may be tied by the Vow. Even if he is 
willing to die, what if he drops dead the moment he acts to prevent the 
killing of Dumbledore, due to the working of the UV? And even if not, 
what if Greyback grabs Draco and uses him as a human shield/threatens 
his life, thus activating the other, less vague, clauses of that Vow? 
(We must consider whom Bellatrix has told about the UV...) If the UV 
gets Snape before he gets all of the DEs, the attack is pointless from 
a practical standpoint.

If you prefer an ethical worldview in which only adherence to a small 
number of clearly stated ethical principles matters, regardless of the 
likely consequences of one's actions to others or to oneself, you are 
right. The ethical choice for Snape is to try as you suggest, and risk 
failure with the consequences outlined above. However, if you prefer a 
view of ethics which considers intentions and outcomes, the choice to 
kill Dumbledore in order to save others (and others DD cares about, I 
might add), *especially* since the death of Dumbledore might result 
from *either* choice, can be defended.