Clues Convergent Redux -- Snape is a nice wizard because .....

[Schumar1999]

No: HPFGUIDX 134942

Vivian: <snip> : despite his aiding and abetting a more 
competent and lethal squad of death eaters entering 
Hogwarts - especially that loveable ol'Fenrir Greyback 
who would like nothing more than to crunch and munch as 
many students as he possibly could..... {why, I'm just 
FEELIN' the luv for poor old misunderstood Sevvy for 
THAT ...}

despite AKing Dumbledore (for whatever reason - and
please don't talk about assisted suicide without a
foot of parchment of proof for that theory indicating
how the wizarding community is best served with DD gone)


Schumar: Although I think Vivian made some good points, I have 
to vehemently disagree with the first snipped statement above,
and both agree and disagree with the second snipped paragraph.

First of all, Snape was NOT "aiding and abetting
a competent and lethal squad of death eaters." Remember,
he did not know what Draco's plan was _exactly_, because 
Draco seemed to think that if Snape knows, he won't be
helping Draco but only helping himself and taking the 
glory as his own. Snape even had to attempt legilimency
 to get more information out ofthe young Malfoy,
and that was unsuccessful. (Snape commented that
Aunt Bellatrix must be teaching Occlumency).

Here's another thing -- Snape was in his office 
when the death eaters came through the cabinet, and only
surfaced after Dumbledore called for him. (I feel I must again
bring up at this point that Snape did not kill Flitwick, Hermione,
Luna, or anyone else in his path when surely he could have done
so and still gotten to Draco and Dumbledore.) Even 
Draco did not intend for Greyback to come through, he only 
thought that Greyback was working to make sure Bourgin 
was doing what he was supposed to, and did not invite him 
to Hogwarts. Even during the Great Escape, Snape acontinued
to "instruct" Harry , and preventedother death eaters 
from hurting Harry. His claim to be saving Harry for Voldemort
 seems to me to be a cover because none of the death eaters 
(and even no ones else in the Order except Dumbledore) 
know the entire prophecy, that Harry must be killed by 
Voldemort himself and vice versa. Rather than rallying 
with his "fellow" death eaters, Snape escapes with Draco, and I'm
guessing they did not go to Voldemort himself but somewhere
safe, much like Lucious is keeping himself in Azkaban because
surely Voldemort will punish him more severely if he's out.

I am seriously considering that, as sad as we are to lose Dumbledore,
his days were numbered. Thus there was the urgency for his private
lessons with Harry, to impart every possible bit of information on
Voldemort (know thy enemy!) and his past and motivations
and then it will be safe to die. I think that knowing what we know 
about Legilimency and Nonverbal Spells, plus all the canon evidence
of what the results of an (unforgiveable) AK -- whooshing sound,
eyes open... and an Impedimentia -- the lifting off the feet, 
Dumbledore's eyes closed as if he was sleeping... I'm not calling it 
assisted suicide, but I think Dumbledore knows that he is near
death, Snape must appear to still be a Death Eater to all the others, 
and Harry must go on to Voldemort on his own... or at least
without the physical presence of Dumbledore. Perhaps Dumbledore
even knows that he needs to be out of the way for Harry to have
the strength he needs, and I don't think that Dumbledore cares
as much about how the rest of the wizarding world needs him as he 
cares about how what Harry needs, which would in turn be what's 
best for the good wizards of the world. Such is the genious of
Dumbledore, I think.

Marianne S.