Requiescat in Pace, My Dark Phoenix

[Najwa]

No: HPFGUIDX 151358

Talisman wrote:
<snipped>
> No, tis Snape who is already dead.  He's not exactly gone, though.
> There is little doubt that Book 7 will reveal him in all his dark
> and posthumus glory.
(snipped)
> As for the greater WW, there is no hurry to convince them of Snape's
> integrity.  There is nothing more they can do to him, now.
> 
> From a meta standpoint, this preserves Snape's ever-elusive nature.
> By the time Harry (and the average reader) comprehends the totality
> of Snape's heroism, he will be far beyond their effusive, and
> meaningless, regrets.

Najwa's response:
I do see Snape proving that he is actually a good guy and perhaps
dying eventually, but i don't think that has already happened. He's
got too much to answer for as it is, and for him to already be dead
would not work for the plot. He is necessary for book 7 I think. The
whole scene where Snape runs away and blocks Harry's attacks and so
forth is just too Snapish to be Dumbledore. I would think that even if
it were Dumbledore, he would not have added the snide remarks.
Dumbledore is known for his power and his esteem, but I highly doubt
he was known for impersonating anyone. The both of them are very
different people. I do not mean that I think the DD and SS switch
never happened, because your theory makes sense in many ways, however
the tower scene would not fit. I do think the whole death scene is
dodgy though, so perhaps your theory along with the theory that DD
somehow pretended to die and Snape pretending to kill him might work.
I do also feel that DD is dead, but he's different when it comes to
death. He has his own portrait, so we could still hear from him. If he
did die, I highly doubt he died happy or comfortable, because he has a
lot to worry about when it comes to the Wizarding world and Harry, so
he might end up being a ghost. I wonder if he has a will and has left
anything to Harry, but I digress. So I don't agree about SS dying in
place of DD. DD just won't let that happen, regardless of if SS was
going to die or not, and DD doesn't hate Snape enough to AK him.

Talisman: 
> Certainly DD's death was a fake.  The series explores and signals
> the ruse of death in nearly every book.

Najwa:
True, I do agree with what you are saying, and it would absolutely
delight me to know that DD is still alive, and that he wasn't an old
fool for trusting Snape, but he can still be around even though he
isn't alive. 

Talisman:
> 
> Then there is the matter of impersonation.  Again, it's everywhere
> in the series, and I well expect it to play a continued role in the
> plot.
> 

Najwa:
Yes I agree, and I'm sure with all the time they've spent together
they could impersonate each other marvolously, but when it comes to
true emotion, I can't see them mimmicking one another. Like in DD's
office for instance, right before he asks Harry if he wanted to go
with him to the cave, I could see that being Snape. He was very
irritated with Harry for not seeing the unimportance of the prophecy.
DD usually doesn't lose his patience, regardless of what he is
feeling. I can understand why he'd be annoyed either way, but that
scene makes me feel like it your theory could be a possibility. It
would be a little bit of Snape's annoyance with Harry's ignorance that
would cause him to lose his patience. The real DD drags things on for
ever and ever as we all know, such as how his hand became black, etc.
He just can't sit down and get to the point for the most part, IMO. So
for him to lose his patience sort of makes it easier to believe the
switch theory in my own head.

Talisman:
<snipped>
> It gives a whole new force to Switched!DD roaring at Harry not to
> call Snape a coward.

Najwa:
I see what you mean with that one. DD would definitely be upset with
Harry if he called Snape a coward after he did something that noble.
If the switched SS and DD thing was true to that scene, I still can't
believe that whoever was in DD's body was actually killed nor whoever
was in Snape's body was actually killing DD. DD just simply cannot be
a murderer, nor can he be a fool. 

Talisman:
> For general evidence, there is, of course, that oft-quoted line
> about how *...with the sudden agility of a much younger man,
> Dumbledore slid from the boulder, landed in the sea, and began to
> swim, with a perfect breaststroke, toward the dark slit in the rock
> face, his lit wand held in his teeth* (HBP 557). Nice touch, the
> wand in the teeth. 
(snip)
> The knife Switched!Snape uses in the cave is *a short silver knife
> of the kind Harry used to chop potion ingredients* (HBP 559).
> 
> It's the kind specifically recommended by the HBP for smashing
> snarlgaluff pods.  Slughorn may be a potions master, too, but the
> literary connotation is with Snape.
> 
> Moreover, the incantation Switched!Snape uses to heal his arm is the
> same one Snape used earlier to heal Draco's wounds.
> 
> *You are very kind, Harry," said Dumbledore, now passing his wand
> over the deep cut he had made in his own arm, so that it healed
> instantly, just as Snape had healed Malfoy's wounds* (HBP 560).
> 
> I don't know how many have noticed all the corollaries between
> Books 2 and 6. They are rampant.

Najwa:
That does give me an extra push in the switched DD/SS theory, I'll
admit. I do see how you have come to your conclusion and it is
definitely very interesting. I agree with the idea of it being
possible, save the actual death scene. I do not agree that Snape is
dead, but I do think that this was definitely an excellent post
talisman, kudos to you :)