Depth? Things to take on their face value

[n_longbottom01]

No: HPFGUIDX 139869

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cathy Drolet" <cldrolet at s...> 
wrote:

<major snip>

> 
> On thing, one incident, makes people forget everything Severus 
*has* done and done well.  One well placed - yet not so easily 
explained - AK.  However, this AK reacted in no way similarly to the 
others we have witnessed.  The results of this AK - apart from death -
 were in no way similar to those others we have witnessed.  Do I 
believe Dumbledore is well and truly dead? YES.  Do I think this AK 
killed him? NO.
> 

<snip>

n_longbottom01:

I enjoyed your post, Cathy.  I don't have my mind made up as to 
whether Snape is a hero or a villian or neither or both, but I like 
the way you laid things out in his defense.

As to whether or not Snape's AK killed Dumbledore, I will be 
surprised if we get an explaination in book 7 that says that it was 
something other than the AK that killed him.  I sort of think this AK 
behaved differently so Rowling could send off a great character with 
a spectacular death.

Rowling may have intentionally chosen to leave room for doubt as to 
whether or not Snape was able to kill by casting AK on Dumbledore... 
clues like the existance of non-verbal spells... but I'm not certain 
we will hear Snape explaining that he knew he could never use AK 
against Dumbledore, so he cast a non-verbal spell at the same time 
which caused Dumbledore to be blasted off the top of the tower.

If Snape turns out to be ever-so-good, I don't need to explain away 
the AK.  I can forgive him for using the unforgivable curse, if he 
had no other choice.

If ESG!Snape was trapped by his unbreakable vow into completing 
Draco's task, he would have told Dumbledore what was going on.  
Dumbledore could have responded that, if it came down to it, Snape 
was going to need to kill him.  If Snape killed Dumbledore, it may 
save Draco's life, which would save Snape's life, and it would keep 
Snape in place next to the Dark Lord for completing whatever ESG!dead 
he is supposed to eventually complete.  So, in this scenerio, 
Dumbledore is willingly alowing himself to be killed, and Snape is 
following Dumbledore's orders when he AK's him.

If this (or something along these lines) is the situation Snape has 
found himself stuck in, then I read Snape's meeting with Dumbledore 
where it is reported that he said he "doesn't want to do this 
anymore" as meaning that he sees that he is going to have to kill 
Dumbledore, and he doesn't want to do it.  Dumbledore tells him that 
what they are trying to accomplish is more important than 
Dumbledore's life.  Snape continues playing his part in the plan... 
which eventually leads him to the top of the lightning struck tower.

My other possible excuse for Snapes behavior in this scenerio is that 
Snape, as potions master and the Half-Blood Prince imediately 
recognizes that Dumbledore is poisioned beyond hope of saving.  He 
uses AK to kill the as-good-as dead Dumbledore, saving Draco's life, 
his own life, and securing his position at the Dark Lord's side, as a 
part of Dumbledore's plan.

I can forgive Snape for being able to use AK, if he is doing it for 
the reasons I list above.  He knows more about the Dark Arts than 
most any wizard, I'm certain he knows what it takes to successfully 
cast AK.  If he was able to do it, I don't hold it against him in 
this situation.

Now, as to "this one incident" being the reason that I forget about 
all of the good stuff that Snape accomplishes throughout the series, 
I don't think that is true.  I forget about the good stuff Snape 
accomplishes because of his persistant nastiness.  Some of the 
nastiness may be an act, as a part of his cover, but I feel like a 
lot of it comes from the heart.  The idea of Snape being able to use 
an evil, unforgivable spell, doesn't really change my opinion of 
him.  I'm not trying to totally discount the idea that Snape only 
pretended to AK, but I for one don't doubt that Snape has it in him 
to use the spell.