Twist JKR?

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 141749

Alla:

 Of course Tom Riddle had not committed that many sins at eleven as 
> what Snape probably did when  he came back, BUT what he did to 
those 
> children in the cave WAS pretty bad, no? Hadn't Dumbledore owed to 
> his other students to keep  them safe from someone who showed the 
> potential to be the psychopath already at such early age?
> 
> I am sure Dumbledore thought about all of this, right? And still 
he 
> CHOSE to disregard all of it in order to give Tom Riddle second 
> chance?
> 
> Don't you think that it may not be such a stretch to assume that 
in 
> case of Snape, Dumbledore operated the same way? That Snape COULD  
> be dangerous, but as long as he is remorseful, let's take him in?
> 
> Had I mentioned that I LOVE ESE!Snape too? :-)

Magpie:

Actually, Dumbledore does the *opposite* thing with Snape as he does 
with Tom Riddle, imo.  With Tom he simply keeps the uneasy feelings 
he had at first meeting him to himself and lets other people come to 
their own conclusions about him.  When he's still uneasy (more so) 
later on he refuses to let him teach at the school, but when Tom's a 
kid he lets other people make up their own minds.

With Snape Dumbledore doesn't keep his opinion to himself.  He 
vouches for him again and again: "He's no more a Death Eater than I 
am."  Anybody who has a problem with Snape working on their side 
winds up just trusting Dumbledore's public assurance that he's 
okay.  That's a rare thing with DD, to step in and direct someone's 
feelings that way, and it seems to me he usually has a good reason 
for it when he does it.

That's why I assume the question of exactly why DD trusted Snape was 
going to be in book VII.  Harry jumps to the conclusion it's because 
he showed remorse after Harry was targetted, Snape himself claims to 
have "spun a tale of remorse" but these things (as opposed to plenty 
other things in canon) struck me as things I obviously shouldn't 
take at face value.  Especially with Dumbledore, iirc, seeming to 
almost give Harry more information about why he trusts Snape and 
then deciding against it.

That doesn't mean Snape couldn't be DDM, ESE or OFH, but I'm going 
to have to hope that ultimately this makes for a good story where 
Dumbledore didn't have any other reason to believe him than the one 
Snape gives to the DEs, who are evil and so lack the imagination to 
understand good.  Yes, this is the guy who hoped Snape could teach 
Harry something about Occlumency (not knowing Harry would look in 
the Pensieve), but he's also the guy who sometimes talks us through 
the mindset of the bad guy.

-m