Requiescat in Pace, My Dark Phoenix

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 151318

Talisman wrote:
>
> Talisman draws back her black veil, to tell you the sad truth:
> 
> Ah, fun theories about Slughorn or Pettigrew taking Dumbledore's
> place.  I wish I could subscribe to them, but, let us face facts:
> there is only one surrogate with the mighty cahones required for the
> action of the cave and the tower, Severus Snape.
<snip rest, as I'm not really addressing specific details of the theory>

zgirnius:
Well. Now THAT's a Dumbledore switch theory I had not encountered 
before. I agree that Slughorn has really not been shown to us as 
someone who would involve himself in such a plot, and ditto for Peter. 
Snape definitely makes more sense.

However, I really find it hard to believe that the man in the Cave was 
not Dumbledore. He's an important figure in the story with a particular 
sort of relationship to Harry. And probably the single most beautiful, 
moving moment in that relationship occurs during the Cave sequence, 
when Dumbledore tells Hary, "I am not worried, Harry, because I am with 
you." I just can't quite bring myself to believe that Rowling would 
write this moment in for an impostor. (I can imagine her writing some 
moving scene between Snape and Harry, that's not a problem-but with 
Snape as Snape, if you see what I mean. At that point in the story the 
line as a line from SNAPE to Harry, just does not have the same impact).

And on the other end--why would Dumbledore make such a point of 
revealing to Harry that Snape was the Half-Blood Prince (as the man who 
looks like Snape does in "Flight of the Prince"?) The COWARD moment, I 
will grant you, works.

But the final reason I remain convinced that Snape was Snape and 
Dumbledore was Dumbledore in the climactic scene is that DADA curse. 
Under your scenario, Snape made a plan with Dumbledore, and it WORKED.