A Cold Equation (was Re: The Trial Of Severus Snape)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 141349

Sherry wrote:
<snip>... here's a hypothetical for all of you who believe that
Dumbledore's death was for the good of everyone.  What if it's proven
that Snape did indeed murder Dumbledore for his own reasons?  if you
can say that the death of Dumbledore was for the greater good and
calmly believe that, then if Snape is shown to be a murderer either
for Voldemort's sake or his own, what should happen to him?  Would you
then also advocate for his death as just punishment?  i do
> not.  As I said in an earlier post on this subject, I am for life in all
> situations.  Dumbledore should have lived.  Snape should not be
executed, if
> he did commit murder.  

Carol responds:
Okay, I'll play along even though you didn't accept my hypothetical
proposition and consider the possibility that *if* Snape had no choice
and was acting for the greater good he should be forgiven. (It was
only an "if.") <smile> 

Anyway, here goes:

*If* Snape turns out to be just a murderer and a traitor who's been on
Voldemort's side all along, I'll burn my books. Oops. That wasn't what
you asked. *If* he's ESE! (which I obviously don't believe) he should
be sent to Azkaban and be denied access to books or any other form of
intellectual stimulation because he's a complete idiot. Or forced to
read Witch Weekly or the Quibbler and knit socks for house-elves
without magic. Or better yet, scrub chamber pots without magic.
Seriously, in the unlikely event that he's Voldemort's man through and
through, he should be left to himself in Azkaban with Bellatrix
Lestrange in the next cell over--a choice between talking to a
madwoman through a chink in the wall or talking to no one for the rest
of his life, thinking about how he wasted his intelligence and his
powers through service to evil instead of loyally following the only
man who ever trusted him. Throw in a few worries about the
consequences of a split soul in the afterlife for good measure. If
he's lucky, he'll die before his mid-forties.

*If* he's OFH! and killed Dumbledore for no other reason than to save
himself (and saved Draco only to prevent the UV from kicking in rather
than because he cared about him), then everything depends on whether
he redeems himself later. I'd want him to feel remorse and die, or at
least risk his life, protecting Harry. But OFH!Snape has messed
himself up pretty badly already, having lost his job, his income for
the year (McGonagall's not going to owl him his galleons for the
year), his position as spy for either side, his freedom, the trust of
everyone in the WW . . . . So the DEs are afraid of him and LV is
convinced he was never Dumbledore's man but retains his suspicions
nonetheless. What kind of life is that? He's in more danger now than
he ever was as a double agent, and he's killed his own protector to
boot. If LV loses (which he will) and OFH!Snape is still on the run
(rather than dead), I suppose the best punishment would be for him to
have to live for the rest of his (short) life as Sirius Black did, on
the run, hated by everyone, without the advantage of being able to
transform into a dog. Or he could turn himself in and choose Azkaban.
Best bet for OFH!Snape is definitely to die defending Harry and face
whatever the afterlife has in store for him.

But *if* he's Dumbledore's man, trapped into a terrible choice by the
UV and by Dumbledore's decision to fly to the tower rather than
remaining at the Three Broomsticks while Harry ran to Snape for help
(*that* IMO is Dumbledore's huge mistake), then I think his own
remorse will be sufficient punishment for all his misdeeds, and I
believe and hope that he'll be allowed to play a significant role in
the downfall of Voldemort (not replacing Harry as hero, of course!),
but redeeming himself and earning Harry's forgiveness. Whether Snape
lives beyond that moment and how he'll earn a living having earned a
reputation throughout the WW as a murderer is for JKR to decide. At
least I hope that redemption would heal his torn and spotted soul and
give him peace, even if it's only for a moment before his death. 

At any rate, I believe that Harry will have to forgive Snape in order
to defeat Voldemort through love, and I don't see how that can happen
if Snape is ESE!. Whatever happens, IMO, Snape has to be redeemed.

Come on now, Sherry. *If* Snape was acting for the greater good when
he killed Dumbledore and *if* he really had no choice, wouldn't you
forgive him? It's only a hypothetical proposition, and I went along
with yours. <smiles sweetly>

BTW, the Leaky Cauldron now has a Snape poll with choices ranging from
serving him up salted to the Dementors to giving him a hug:

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/

Carol, voting for the private potions lab on a private island but
hoping that he also has recourse to books, food, wine, parchment and
quills (to write new Potions and DADA texts), an owl to correspond
with Lupin, a wand, and, erm, shampoo