Harry's assumption VS Everyone's assumption

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 151605

Arief Hamid wrote:
> I just finished re-read the first 5 books in order to
> have a better insight before reading the sixth book. 
> One thing that's confusing me most, how come Dumbledore
> trusted Snape so much and seems like ignoring the
> statements and facts that given by Harry, that Snape
> is nothing more than a treacherous member of the
> order. What makes DD believes that Snape's is worthed
> every bit to be in the order and will protect the
> order with all his might. <snip>

Carol responds:
As Sherrie says elsewhere in this thread, Dumbledore hasn't told Harry
his reasons and so we don't know them. However, we do know that Snape
"rejoined our side at great personal risk," spying for Dumbledore
before he became Potions Master, two months before Godric's Hollow;
that he saved Harry's life in SS/PS (Hermione's intervention would
have been too late if Snape hadn't countered Quirrell's spell); that
he again risked his life on Dumbledore's orders to return to Voldemort
with prepared explanations for his actions against Quirrell and his
absence from the graveyard; that he sent the Order members to save
Harry and his friends when he (Snape) realized that they had indeed
managed to go to the MoM against all probablilty.

However, three things clinch his loyalty to Dumbledore for me (you may
see them differently, of course): his words to Quirrell about "where
your loyalties lie," which to me can only mean with Voldie or with
Dumbledore; his image in the Foe Glass along with Dumbledore and
McGonagall, revealing him as an enemy of the transformed DE who was
trying to kill Harry; and, especially, his pushing up his sleeve to
reveal his Dark Mark to Fudge in a courageous but futile attempt to
prove to Fudge that Voldemort had returned. He didn't have to do that,
and IMO, only Dumbledore's loyal man would have dared it.

There are other reasons, for example, his attempts to explain to Harry
what Occlumency is and why it's important without revealing the
existence of the Prophecy and his reactions when he sees LV- or
MoM-related memories in Harry's mind (if he were LV's man, he would
*want* Harry to go to the MoM). And I simply don't believe that wise,
150-plus-year-old Dumbledore knows less about Snape, or anyone, than
young, impetuous Harry, who has been known to misjudge even Cedric.

Snape is a complex, mysterious character, important enough to be in
all of the books and to have revelations regarding his backstory. I
have a feeling he'll be important in Book 7, too. IMO, Harry's
recognition of who and what Snape truly is and how much he has
sacrificed for Dumbledore will be crucial to Harry in the fight
against LV in the final book. As you haven't read HBP, I won't say any
more, but I would advise you to read the book before coming back here
or we'll spoil it for you if we haven't already! Once you've read it
and drawn your conclusions, come back and compare them with ours.

BTW (List Elves forgive me!), Alan Rickman is using Muggle!Occlumency
to conceal his feelings and opinions about Snape, but the reference to
"Severus" suggests (to me) that he views Snape with affection and sees
him as a good guy (not a *nice* guy, but Dumbledore's man through and
through, as he is depicted in the films so far. The OoP film will give
us additional hints, of course, and could prove me wrong on this!)

Carol, who thinks that Rickman knows something about Snape that we
don't and that JKR's remarks about Snape in Book 7 hint at redemption,
not love of Lily or anyone else