Is Snape good or evil? (longer)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 148775

Nora:
> 
> It may well be 'Dumbledore *really believed* Snape's tale of 
> remorse'.  That remorse may have been genuine, or it may have been 
> faked.  But I can imagine Dumbledore choosing to believe something 
> like that, and then refusing to tell anyone else because he knew they 
> wouldn't value it and treasure it as he did, and he's trying to 
> protect Snape from the slammer.  There's thematic connections there, 
> and the additional kicker (great setup for conflict) of the event 
> itself (confession, whatever) being somewhat unrecoverable.
> 
> Of course, it's potentially hochdramatisch if you imagine Some 
> Variation of Nasty Snape taunting Harry with this, too. :)
> 

Pippin:
Can you explain how  this would make dramatic or psychological 
sense? If Snape's betrayal on the tower was his big dramatic moment, 
it's awfully flat -- after sixteen years of treachery, or indecision, or
whatever non-DDM!Snape is supposed to be playing at, he blows
Dumbledore away without a word? Then somewhere in HP & the
Satisfying Conclusion he goes, "I didn't have a chance to say so
at the time, Potter, but let me tell you how good it feels to have
that meddling old fool out of my greasy hair at last. I can't believe
he bought my story about being remorseful over your poor 
father's death, but it's a good thing, because  I never would have 
been in a position to do him in otherwise!"  

The most powerful feeling Snape expresses in the concluding chapters
is *anguish*. Here's the passage, in case you've forgotten it

"DON'T--" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented,
inhuman, as though he were in as much pain as the yelping, howling
dog in the burning house behind them--"CALL ME COWARD!"

Do you expect Rowling to tell us that um, no, Snape wasn't really
in pain, he was actually very happy, er, deep down? I think, myself,
that the DON'T was like Myrtle's in chapter 24, meant to stand
alone, and the CALL ME COWARD was an afterthought meant to
hide what Snape was really upset about. But I don't doubt that
he was really upset, do you? 

It's strange that for all of Snape's gloating, we never hear him
say that it was satisfying  to fool Dumbledore, even when he's
telling Bella about how he did it. I'm curious why evil Snape
would pass up the opportunity.

Pippin