What would a successful AK mean?

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 142891

> Sydney:
>  <SNIP>> If this is the Big Betrayal, even assuming that a by-the-
> book plotter like JKR would place it so extremely oddly at the
> transition into the 'third act', as it were, it is simply 
> inconceivable that she would fail to show Dumbldore undergoing the
> transition from trust to betrayal. 
 
> Alla:
> It is not inconceivable to me especially if one speculates that
> even when he saw the betrayal, Dumbledore still believed in Snape
> inner goodness ( stupid, but very Dumbledorish, if you ask me :-))
> 
> You know, Dumbledore may foresee the future and trusts that at the 
> end Snape will do the right thing, or something like that. Or 
> Dumbledore trusts that Snape protects Draco.

Jen: You know, gut instinct aside about the tower scene, I've been 
thinking about another Snape option, Grey!Snape lets call him, in 
honor of his underpants. 

The idea of Dumbledore trusting in Snape's ultimate goodness is the 
key to this guy. Dumbledore doesn't completely trust Snape the DE, 
the man who joined Voldemort, but he does trust Severus Snape, his 
former student and the person who turned from Voldemort for some 
still partially shrouded reason.

So Dumbledore does keep him from the DADA job, knowing the curse may 
wreak havoc on their precariously balanced faith in each other and 
he tries for sixteen long years to nurture the part of Snape that is 
still good. He tries to bolster other people's belief in Severus, 
hoping his faith in him and his goodness will win out.

But Snape is vulnerable, he's morally weak, and even Dumbledore's 
faith can't protect him from himself. He is his own worst enemy in 
cliched terms. A combination of the DADA curse and his weakness 
bring him down by first taking the UV, and then following the course 
through to its logical end.

And Dumbledore, on the tower, does realize that he's asked too much 
from someone once again, that his belief did not the man make. BUT, 
he still believes even if Snape kills him and saves himself, Snape 
does want Voldemort gone and cares for Draco as much as he is 
capable of. So the pleading was not 'you must kill me' or 'you must 
not kill me' but 'you must follow our plans through to conclusion, 
you must help Harry defeat Voldemort, you are capable of this 
whatever the personal price'. You know, in a nutshell ;).

And Snape *will* do the right thing in the end, Dumbledore's faith 
in him will prove to be true, that he is capable of being faced with 
temptation and won't try to 'slither out' at a pivotal moment.

I like this scenario because OFH!Snape has always lacked a motive 
for me and DDM!Snape is hard because of the UV and well, that minor 
problem of explaining why he killed Dumbeldore. I do lean toward DDM 
still, but can conceive of a more multi-faceted character, one who 
does truly switch sides, gives in to temptation again, and finally 
finds the strength inside through his *own* belief, not just 
Dumbledore believing in him when he didn't believe in himself (i.e. 
the forest argument).

Jen, who enjoyed Lupinlore's military legality post immensely while 
sighing with relief that we probably won't be subjected to Rowling 
delving into a legal battle over Snape's case.