Trusting Snape

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 149072

> PJ:
> You're 100% right.  The first "Severus" was, to my mind, relief
from a very
> weakened man that now things are ok.  Snape is on the scene and
will take
> care of everything.  This works just fine if, as I expect,
Dumbledore
> doesn't know about the 3rd provision in the UV.
>
> The second "Severus... please" is where he's expressing his
realization that
> no, things are definitely NOT ok and that the man he's trusted and
defended
> to everyone for so long is, after all, going to betray him.
...

> No need for Dumbledore's moment of horror, just a deep abiding
sadness in
> his own folly

Magpie:
But I think it does have to be there.  If Dumbledore thinks the
Snape who's come through the door is going to save him, and then
realizes, based on the look of revulsion and horror on Snape's face,
that in fact he's going to betray him, then we're talking about
probably one of the worst moments and most tragic mistakes of
Dumbledore's life.  I just don't think there's any way those two
lines can contain such a huge moment between them with no sign of it
from Dumbledore.  Dramatically, it's a huge shift in the scene.  I
imagine it would be very hard for an actor to play it this way
without clearly showing the betrayal.  The first "Severus..." isn't 
relief, it's already pleading.  The second "Severus, please..." has 
no description, no change in tone noted.

So I do think JKR has purposefully left the door open to an
interpretation where Snape is a DE (it's Harry's interpretation,
after all), I don't think she'd just have the moment of DD's
realization happen "offscreen" to also leave the door open to the
DDM!Interpretation. Her way of writing peoples' motivations and the
signs of those motivations has always been very clear and
straightforward.  She sometimes makes something look like one thing
when it really is something else, or throws in things that aren't
explained (Snape's sudden move, DD's gleam, etc.) but I don't think
she'd cheat by leaving it out.  This scene, to me, is written as
intentionally ambiguous from Harry's pov.  Without knowledge of the
true relationship between DD and Snape Harry can't really know
what's going on before his eyes here, and I think one of the reasons
for that is that what's going on seems to point to DD being wrong
about Snape, but DD not quite acting like that's what's going on
while Snape seems intentionally neutral in all his actions, strictly
business except for that look of hatred.  (And in the past I think
Snape has been established as someone who would take the opportunity
to speak up if he was really betraying DD here.)

-m