Snape's Final Straw

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 150840

Angie asked:
> 
> 1) How do you think JKR will reveal Snape's true character in Book 
7? 

Finwitch:

Well, to me she already has, in a way. She has described Snape as 
a 'horrible person.'

Dumbledore trusted Severus Snape. None other did.
Dumbledore stood by Severus Snape.
Dumbledore loved Severus Snape. (JKR did say Snape was loved and that 
mad him more culpable than Voldemort...)
In a way, Dumbledore was Severus Snape's salvation from his DE-past. 
And then what happened?
Severus Snape killed Dumbledore.
That deed - well, can you grasp just how horrible a person must be in 
order to be able to kill someone who trusts you? Someone who loves 
you? Someone who believes in you? I wonder if Bloody Baron's wandering 
soul bleeds because he did something like that...

And as to Dumbledore's trust... no, there IS no secret reason. Sure, 
many believed so. Maybe if it was someone else. But not with 
Dumbledore. You know, the man whose idea of few words is "Nitwit!
Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"  

Remember the reply to Harry's "Sir? Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask 
you something?"

'Obviously, you have just done so,' Dumbledore smiled. 'You may ask me 
one more thing, however.'

Or later, with the question of saying Voldemort: 'Always use the 
proper name for things.'

That's what Dumbledore does - and in so doing, he's very *literal*. 
So, when he says 'I trust Severus Snape' - quite often - that's 
precisely what it is. Trust. In the deepest possible sense. To give 
any reason here would be trust to that reason, not Severus Snape.

As to why Dumbledore would do so, well -- think of the people you 
trust. Could you explain the 'why' to anyone who doubts? It's between 
me and him is quite possible the truest answer there is when you think 
about it, and Dumbledore certainly does think.

Dumbledore has this life-principle, "Innocent until proven guilty." He 
truly lives by that by trusting first. Most often, his trust remains 
trust as it's not tested - Dumbledore being one of the most powerful 
wizards, but those who prove faithful - like Fawkes (how many times 
Fawkes has taken AK for him?) - he greatly appreciates. I think that, 
well - Harry's true loyalty (shown by his ability to summon Fawkes in 
CoS) is the most important reason Dumbledore always loved Harry so 
much.

In addition, I think that only a wizard as trusting as Dumbledore is 
able to tame a Phoenix. (Explains why so few of them can).

Finwitch