But however... (the Snape question)

[iris_ft]

No: HPFGUIDX 133088

Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


I think that the debate won't be closed before a very long time. 
Actually, I would say that absolutely nothing can currently give us 
the possibility to make a choice between the two options we are left 
with.
Though we build a strong argumentation, there's always a "but 
however" to counter it.
That's partly what makes the HBP's price. 

I won't repeat here what the authors of messages 133021, 133033 or 
133038, to take just a few examples among many others, already said 
with very valuable arguments.

I will only point out two "but however" that make that I'm unable to 
choose between the two options.

First option: Snape betrayed Dumbledore
But however

In chapter 24, when Draco is wounded by Harry's Sectumsempra spell, 
Snape comes and heals him with an "incantation that sounded almost 
like a song".
There's a parallel between Snape and Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix, 
the songbird with healing powers. 

Second option: Snape is on the good side
But however

When Dumbledore meets Harry in chapter 10, Dumbledore says:
"as I have already proven to you, I make mistakes like the next man. 
In fact, being –forgive me- rather cleverer than most men, my 
mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger."

We all know that JK Rowling enjoys misleading her readers with the 
truth, and she uses to give us clues through small details such as 
those quoted above. This time, in my opinion, she has managed to do 
a great job, and she's really the boss, keeping us all waiting and 
wondering. We can build many theories, collect arguments, there will 
always be a "But however", a scar in our careful, in all good faith 
elaborated theories. Truly, the last word belongs to her.

Of course this is just my opinion, 

Amicalement,

Iris