Draco, the UV, and the First Time (was: re: Trial of Severus Snape - UV)

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 141668

Jen: 
> If Book 6 gave us information about Dumbledore's boggart as 
> JKR said it did, could it be in that moment of pleading? Is 
> Dumbledore's greatest fear Harry dying before Voldemort, and his 
> plea to Snape was to finish the job Dumbledore started and can't 
> complete? 

houyhnhnm:

This is the only interpretation of Dumbledore's pleading that makes
sense to me.  It is the only one that doesn't ring false to my ears in
some way.

We know of one argument between Snape and Dumbledore only because it
was partially overheard by Hagrid (who may or may not have interpreted
correctly what he heard).  If they took such pains not to be
overheard, there may have been any number of other arguments, none of
which left Dumbledore completely satisfied that Snape would not go his
own way after DD was gone.

As someone else pointed out, Dumbledore almost nevers says "Please",
but face to face with Snape on the tower, he knew it was his last
chance to have any influence.

Even on the first read through HBP, I didn't buy Snape's "Have you
forgotten our orders.  Potter belongs to the Dark Lord--"  I thought
it was just Snape improvising on the spot as usual.  If so, then he
did prove loyal to DD even after DD's death, and that would account
for Dumbledore's closed eyes and his peaceful expression in the
portrait, without having to resort to fake AKs or double silent spells.

What I've been coming around to is a view of Snape in which he is both
OFH and DDM.  That is to say, there is an underlying loyalty to
Dumbledore which has been in conflict with his alienation and
anti-social personality throughout the six books, but at the end of
HBP, he makes his choice.  And it is for Dumbledore.