Why leave Harry/Snape and Lily

[exodusts]

No: HPFGUIDX 148625

> > Dung:
> > Ok, I'm with you on this one, Bah Humbug!
> > "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had 
not 
> > known how to act?"
> > Can someone please explain to me why on earth Snape is unable to 
> > fake a large bout of remorse and pretend to be in love with Lily? 
> > How does it provide a watertight reason for DD to trust him? Why 
> > couldn't a very clever DE fake this? 

> zgirnius:
> No strong opinion on Snape/Lily here (though I think Sydney has it 
> right, if JKR goes there, it WILL be FUN!). However, I think the 
> reason for Dumbledore's trust is also in what he already told Harry 
> in HBP. Snape felt remorse BEFORE the Potters were dead. (When he 
> learned how the Dark Lord had interpreted the prophecy, NOT what he 
> did. This is also consistent with Dumbledore's testimony in the GoF 
> Pensieve scene of Karkaroff's hearing).  Which almost certainly 
means 
> HE was the spy who warned Dumbledore that the Potters were 
> Voldemort's intended targets. (And then went on to continue spying 
on 
> Voldemort 'at great personal risk', GoF). The whole Lily thing is  
> the *reason* why he did this. That Snape loved Lily (if in fact he 
> did) was just PART of that conversation. Snape's actions as a 
result 
> of his love/remorse are also a part of the reason for Dumbledore's 
> trust.

Exodusts:
The other point is that DD very probably knew that Snape was in love 
with Lily even before Snape ever did. If DD was teacher at Hogwarts 
when Snape and Lily were students, he could have observed the boy 
Snape when he was around Lily, and known that there was partiality. 
Even as the time went by (and maybe Snape was the "awful boy") and 
they went their separate ways, a wise man like DD might know the 
secrets of Snape's heart without needing to be told, and, crucially, 
long before Snape would have had any incentive to fake the affection, 
to pretend he was reformed. So when Snape did break down with guilt, 
and switch sides, DD was ready to accept it. He didn't need to be 
convinced, because he already knew it was true, and he was even half 
expecting it, because of what he knew about the boy Snape.