Did Snape kill DD? WAS: Re: PoA - Snape knew?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 143550

Lupinlore wrote:
> Yes, if Snape's spell was the proximate cause of of DD's death, he
not only killed Dumbledore, he murdered him in every legal and moral
sense.  If DD was in fact dying it would not matter in any way, shape,
form, or fashion.  If the situation was hopeless with regard to
tactics it would not matter in any way, shape, form, or fashion.  If
DD asked/begged/ordered Snape to kill him it would not matter in any
way,  shape, form, or fashion.
> 
> Now, if, as has been theorized by some, what happened was an
elaborate ruse that went south in a catastrophic way, then Snape would
have some workable defense.  But that is the only situation in which
Snape would  have a defense.

Carol responds:
Unless, of course, the WW's legal system operates differently from
American military justice, as I rather expect that it does. And if
Snape were arrested rather than killed, he would be in a perfect
position to do some plea bargaining, as he would know a great deal
about Voldemort and the Death Eaters (assuming that any are still at
large).

I *do* think it will matter that Snape had no choice but to kill
Dumbledore or die himself--and in so doing allow the DEs to murder
Dumbledore, Draco, and possibly Harry and to roam Hogwarts freely
(after Fenrir Greyback had savaged Dumbledore's body). There are, of
course, degrees of murder (at least in the RW)--probably second
degree, in this instance, as the killing apparently wasn't
premeditated, or possibly voluntary manslaughter as opposed to murder,
as well as extenuating circumstances that would affect the sentence,
even if they didn't affect the verdict. [It *would* matter whether
Snape used Avada Kedavra, which *always* kills the victim (unless he's
HP or Voldemort) or another curse that merely sent DD over the
battlements but would not necessarily result in the death of such a
powerful wizard--unless he *chose* to die from other causes on the way
down. It certainly matters to some readers, including me.]

It all depends, not on what we as readers firmly believe or hope will
happen, but on what JKR decides Snape's fate will be (and how she
defines WW justice, assuming that he survives to stand trial). Whether
we consider that fate (or that sentence) to be deserved or not,
whether we find it intellectually and emotionally satisfying or not,
will still depend on our reading of Snape. Even if, as I fully expect,
JKR shows Snape to have been loyal to Dumbledore all along, even in
the tower scene and afterwards, readers will still differ in their
attitudes toward and their feelings about Snape and the fate JKR
chooses to assign him. I, for one, will feel cheated and betrayed if
he is condemned to a life sentence in Azkaban or worse, has his soul
sucked out by a Dementor (not likely with the Dementors outside MoM
control, fortunately). I *would* be happy if, after helping Harry in
some way, he came to an understanding with Harry--and with Lupin, his
fellow DADA curse victim, with whom he has a lot in common if he could
only see it. (If, however, Snape goes OoC to apologize to Harry for
"abusing" him, I'll believe that JKR has lost all artistic integrity
and knuckled under to the wishes of the PC contingent. But that will,
of course, be only my opinion.)

Carol, expecting that she and Lupinlore will be equally surprised by
JKR's revelations about Snape in Book 7 and certain that at least one
of us will be severely disappointed in the outcome of the Snape arc