Snape: Crime and Punishment

[Rebecca Williams]

No: HPFGUIDX 143834

  Hi all
   
  I am new to this group and was interested to read your posts and the differing viewpoints. I would like to add my own dimension to this idea of seeing Snape suffer. I believe he is already being punished for his actions - you see I am not entirely convinced that Snape is evil.
   
  I believe that Snape killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders. I believe he told him about Draco's orders and about the unbreakable vow. I believe that when he made the vow it was his intention not to kill Dumbledore but to die. I think that Dumbledore and Snape's argument in the Forest during HBP was because Dumbledore was insisting that Snape kill him when the time came. He would have cared for Draco and would have wanted Snape to do it to protect Malfoy from Voldemort if he couldn't. He also wouldn't have wanted Snape to die - he would feel that Snape was more useful to the Order in his capacity as spy. He also was aware that he was old and his powers had weakened (i.e the injury to the hand).
   
  I fell that the greatest evidence for this is that Dumbledore begged 'severus...please'. It is not in keeping with Dumbeldore's character to beg for his life. I believe the only way he would have begged was if he was begging Severus to do it - to kill him. He was not afraid of death. In fact in the very first book he even told Harry that 'to an organised mind, death is just the next adventure'. I believe he was preparing to die throughout the book - this was why he shared those memories with Harry while he still could.
   
  I find Snape a fascinatingly complex character. I do not say he is all good – we all know he is not. He bullies those weaker than him, holds grudges – he is a nasty teacher and a bitter man. But I do believe that he is a victim of his own upbringing and circumstances. As we saw in OOTP he had an abusive father and was bullied and mocked at school. He has been oppressed and humiliated all his life and strives to achieve recognition for the fact that he is a highly accomplished wizard and moreover he wants respect. The students, especially Harry, do disrespect him in ways they don’t with the other teachers. As Dumbledore, Mrs Weasley and many others keep reminding Harry, he is ‘Professor Snape’ and not just Snape. I believe this is why he was so touchy when Harry called him a coward – I believe it is such a sore point for him, reminiscent of the taunts he endured as a teenager, especially considering he had risked his life for so long being a double agent, and if my theory is correct
 had just done something he didn’t want to do in order to maintain his cover. In a way  sort of feel sorry for Snape. If it was on Dumbledore’s orders, he has made a huge sacrifice by putting himself in a position where the good side will believe he is Voldemort’s right hand man. And what better way to prove your allegiance to Voldemort and be trusted with his deepest secrets – he may prove to try to protect Harry in future. When Harry was chasing him he did not fight back, he merely blocked him and even continued trying to teach him – i.e. ‘learn to keep your mouth closed and your mind blocked’ plus he wouldn’t allow the other Death Eater to hurt him. He said that Harry was ‘the Dark Lord’s’ but the Death Eater wasn’t trying to kill him, just hurt him.
   
  I’ll be interested to hear all your thoughts.
  
Becky