Snape commits murder or Merely Unstoppers Death? (long)

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 134646

Let's call this one SMUD--Snape Merely Unstoppers Death.
 
I've been thinking about Snape's first speech to his new Potions  class
in PS/SS. Snape told the students he could teach them to "stopper
death." We've debated on what that means and how it might come
to be used in the series, mostly in terms of perhaps keeping Harry
alive at some point. But what if this stoppering of death has already 
happened, and the recipient was Dumbledore?
 
Here's my theory. When Dumbledore destroyed the ring horcrux
he was hit with the curse that blackened and shrivelled--in effect,
killed--his hand. I suspect the curse also would have continued 
its course throughout his body, except for one thing. Dumbledore
went to Snape, who we now know is an even more talented 
wizard than we'd suspected, and perhaps the greatest Potions
Master in the WW. Snape couldn't deliver a full antidote to the 
curse--we know that by the fact that Dumbledore's hand remains
shrivelled and dead throughout HBP--but he could stop the curse
in its tracks, with the Stopper Death potion, which he does.
 
We don't know anything yet about the Stopper Death potion (if
that is even its name), whether Dumbledore had to take it only
once or Snape had to administer it on a regular basis, or if it
can hold Death at bay permanently. But if this theory holds up,
Dumbledore remains alive throughout HBP only because Snape 
has stoppered Death in its tracks, i.e. Albus Dumbledore is 
living on "borrowed" time in a sense.
 
And from the beginning Dumbledore acts as if he believes  this, 
as if he plans to be gone by the end of the school year--and
as if he expects for Snape to be gone too. He intensifies his
efforts with Harry. Where he has often been something of a 
background presence before, he now directly mentors Harry,
as if it's time to impart to Harry every bit of his knowledge and 
experience while he still can. He also puts Snape in the DADA
position,  a position that has never been held more than a year
at a time since Voldemort was refused it. He brings Slugmore,
the man who has a memory he needs, to Hogwarts. And  while
Slugmore takes the position of Potions teacher, he manages
it so that Harry will learn Potions from the real master--Snape--
in a manner Harry can truly absorb it without knowing who it's
coming from, via the conveniently borrowed Potions book once
owned and notated by the "Half Blood Prince." 
 
Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Snape also discuss the implications
of the Unbreakable Vow, which Snape has informed him of. 
Dumbledore knew this day would come--when Snape would
have to do something to cement his supposed loyalty to 
Voldemort. He might not have known how Snape would have
to do it, but he is ready to incorporate it into his evolving master 
plan. And whether Snape immediately knew the duty he would 
be expected to perform if Draco failed, I suspect both Snape 
and Dumbledore could take a good guess. Harry is earmarked
for Voldemort, and the only person truly impeding Voldemort's
access to Harry is Dumbledore.
 
Now, Dumbledore is not one to give up on a student if he 
doesn't have to, and he isn't about to give up on Draco. And
neither is Snape. They plan to save Draco from himself, and
Dumbledore informs Snape that just as Harry is more valuable
to their plan than Dumbledore, so in fact is Snape. Snape
cannot die if Draco fails. Thus Snape's only choice will be to 
"kill" Dumbledore.
 
This isn't a worst case scenario, either. Dumbledore knows
his death is just a matter of time. He is determined that his
death happen in a way that it is most beneficial to the plan
to destroy Voldemort. In a sense he is "choosing" when
and how he wants to die. Snape reluctantly agrees to this
plan, though later in their argument overheard by Hargrid
Snape wants to back out. Dumbledore is the one man Snape
respects most, the man who trusted him (Voldemort never
trusted anyone) and a gave him a chance at redemption, 
and delivering the killing blow is something Snape does 
not want to do. But Dumbledore reminds him of his promise, 
and demands that Snape honor that promise. ( don't think
there has to be an Unbreakable Vow here, as a promise
between honorable wizards is just as binding, as it was 
between Harry and Dumbledore in the cave. 
 
Forward to Harry and Dumbledore's return from the cave.
Dumbledore is weakened by the potion he drank and
then further by the lake water. The lake water that would 
have turned him into an inferi--except perhaps for the Stopper 
Death potion. Still that potion's effectiveness must be 
considerably diluted by now, as we can see from Dumbledore's
rapidly weakening physical state. Dumbledore tells Harry 
that he must get Severus Snape--not Madame Pomprey--
only Severus Snape will do. Perhaps Snape can adminster
more Stopper Death potion, or perhaps Dumbledore knows 
it's already too late. Perhaps he also senses the Death 
Eaters have arrived. In any case, the time has come for  
Snape to fulfill his promise to Dumbledore, one way or the 
other

 
Dumbledore is not so weak however that he can't freeze
Harry when the action begins, to ensure that Harry will not 
interfere with what must happen. And not so weak that he
couldn't have frozen Draco too, *if he'd wanted to.* But 
he doesn't want to. Instead he is determined to talk Draco
out of going through with his task, to save Draco from 
doing something that would seal his fate. And it works.
Draco doesn't have the will, or the evil inside him, to do 
it. But the Death Eaters who surround him certainly do. 
 
Enter Snape stage left. Snape, whose return to Voldemort
is vital to the plan. Snape, who must quickly do the act
before the other Death Eaters can, to preserve his own
life and fulfill his promise. Snape, to whom Dumbledore
pleads "Please..." before Snape has even faced him. Snape
and Dumbledore share a moment of silent communication,
then Dumbledore pleads again, "Severus...please..."--Please
do it, don't let our plan, our ultimate goal slip through our
fingers now, even if you feel hatred and revulsion at what
your must do. Use that, and mean it. Oh, and say it aloud
so everyone around us understands your "true" colors--
 
And Snape does it. Whether it's actually an AK as he
says, sloppily done due to Snape's conflicting emotions 
while performing it, or the spoken AK is a mask for a
different spell, Snape delivers the "killing" blow, and in 
effect releases Dumbledore from any lingering effect of 
the Stopper Death potion. Dumbledore flies backward,
and falls to the ground, and Death claims him somewhere
within the process. 
 
Harry witnesses it all, though he really knows very little. 
But he believes his eyes and ears, and what they tell him
is that Snape viciously and without compuction murdered 
Dumbledore. Throughout the duel with Snape afterwards
Harry is too caught up in his grief and hatred to wonder
why Snape only deflects his curses, saves him from
a Death Eater, taunts him with good advice, only becomes
angry when Harry calls him a coward, then leaves Harry 
behind even though Voldemort wants Harry badly. And it's
a good thing Harry doesn't look closer, because Snape 
would be toast if Voldemort could extract anything but 
conviction of Snape's DE loyalty from Harry's mind. 

In the end, Snape has departed with Draco (to take Draco 
to Voldemort if he must and defend the boy as best he can,
or to hide Draco and Narcissa if he can get away with it), 
Dumbledore's phoenix has risen, Fawkes has gone, Harry
is armed with the knowledge he needs, and most members 
of the OotP believe Snape has truly returned to Voldemort
(leaving out the few who weren't present, like Mad-Eye Moody,
and Hagrid, who didn't actually condemn Snape in words).
 
Dumbledore's plan, begun before the start of the book, and
revised as needed, has worked, and everything is in place for 
Book Seven, where the plan will continue to unfold. If the plan 
is sucessful, Harry will live, Voldemort will be destroyed, and
Snape--dead or alive--will be vindicated and redeemed. (And
I have no doubt the plan will ultimately succeed--the fun will
be in discovering the specifics.)
 
As a final note, this theory also releases Snape from any blame
in Dumbledore's death, since Snape doesn't actually kill Dumbledore.
He simply releases him from the protection of the Stopper Death
potion, and nature then takes its course. I know it's a fine  line--
especially if Dumbledore could remain alive indefinitely. But  would
Dumbledore even want to stay alive under such artificial means, 
especially when Death is just the next great adventure to  him?
I think he would have allowed Death to take him earlier, if it  weren't
for his need to secure Harry's future.  
 
And that's it. I may be way offbase (no doubt I am), but it could  work!
 
Julie 
(Dumbledorephile and Snapophile)
 
 
 
 


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