Will Snape betray Dumbledore? Re: my greatest fear....

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 121297


> > Pippin:
> 
> <snip>
> 
> > One more thing, Dumbledore doesn't answer Snape's  
question  as to whether he believes Sirius's story. <<

Nora:

> No, he doesn't.  But it does seem implicit in Snape's response, 
and  in Dumbledore's actions.  If we postulate 
Snape-as-second-in- command, we might be expecting Snape 
to pick up on the signals of "Cool your heels, I have something to 
do here".<

Pippin:
What signals? I'm assuming Snape can read only as much of 
Dumbledore's mind as Dumbledore lets him. At the moment 
when Dumbledore asks to speak to Harry and Hermione alone, 
he gives every appearance that he is still considering Sirius's 
story and is seeking corroboration. Thus  Harry and Hermione's 
frantic attempts to convince him. As far as Snape might know, 
he's being sent away so that H and H can speak freely, without 
incriminating themselves as to why they were on the grounds 
after dark in the first place.

Pippin: 
> > Snape is the banner bearer for second chances; if he blows 
it, or  if he must die a martyr's death to redeem himself, it's not 
going  to be very encouraging is it? To paraphrase a bumper 
sticker,  Snape needn't be perfect, just forgiven.

Nora:
> Goodness, Pippin, are you arguing from necessity here?  You 
weren't  too supportive of the logic that says "Lupin isn't evil 
because he's  the posterboy for good werewolves"; substitute 
"Snape isn't evil  because he's the posterboy for second 
chances", and it's the same argument.


Pippin:

My arguemnt is with  the premise that a fallen posterboy must 
completely undermine  the argument even if there are other 
characters who uphold it. Grawp and Hagrid have been drawn 
into the fight against anti-speciesism and they're  more active 
characters than Lupin now. Then there's Luna, who could easily 
be a werewolf too. 

Snape, OTOH, is the only character besides Karkaroff who's 
abandoned the Death Eaters and lived to tell the tale. We could 
expect that Pettigrew might switch sides too and die a 
redemptive death, but that doesn't really sell the idea of second 
chances. Snape's struggle to live with the shadow of his former 
self is what's interesting about him, and we don't get that with 
characters who only redeem themselves by dying.


Pippin