Snape: Beyond Good and Evil (long)

[lunamk03]

No: HPFGUIDX 149192

<snip>   
Sophie <sophierom at ...> wrote:
>> I do have one question regarding this theory of a Snape motivated
by love and vengeance: How do you explain Dumbledore's interactions
with Snape in HBP (both in the forest and in on the tower)? Is
Dumbledore pleading for his life? Was his trust in Snape ultimately
misplaced? Did he underestimate Snape's desire for vengeance? Or did
Dumbledore understand what was happening in Snape's mind?

In other words, I think the idea of a Snape "beyond good and evil" is
brilliant, but I also think it might neglect other characters' agency
and motives. <<


Luna here:

Thanks for your message Sophie!

To answer your questions:

Dumbledore knew about Snape's feelings. He was more aware of his 
story than anyone else.

To a certain extent, I think that DD believed, or wanted to believe, 
that Snape was over his desire to revenge Lily himself. Snape's 
sincere desire for revenge was the reason why DD trusted Snape in 
the first place. What DD didn't want Snape to do was to allow 
himself to be consumed by his hate to the extent to go and do a 
foolish thing as to attempt to kill Voldemort by himself. DD knows 
that Snape doesn't have the power to kill Voldemort, in consequence, 
he knows that Snape will be killed in the attempt.

In a way, DD made the same mistake with Snape as he did with Sirius 
and Harry in OOTP. He tried to shut them down in order to protect 
them, but he cannot make them go against their nature. He has been 
doing this with Snape for the last 16 years, it was a matter of time 
before Snape blew up on his face. 

DD's interaction with Snape in the forest is an example of this. It 
sounded to me as a parent that is giving orders to his child because 
he knows better and when the child protests, the parent 
responds 'you do as I say.' DD wants to protect everything and 
everyone, his worst fear is to have people die because he didn't do 
enough to protect them, this is at least what I get from his 
reaction to the poison in the cave. 

I also believe that DD, after realizing about his mistake at the end 
of OOP, might have decided to finally give Snape the DADA job as a 
way to lower the control level he's been putting on Snape during all 
these years. 

In the tower scene, DD wasn't pleading for his life. I believe it 
would be very out of character for DD to do so. He is aware that 
there are more terrible things than death. DD pleaded Snape not to 
go down the hate road and attempt to kill Voldemort himself. I 
believe that in that scene, Snape opened his mind to DD. Snape was 
full of resentment against DD for having him shut down for so many 
years, for being in his way to finally achieve his ultimate act. 
This explains Snape's expression on his face. This also explains why 
he got so angry when Harry called him a coward. As Snape is seeing 
it, he's actually about to give his own life to revenge Harry's 
mother, so being called a coward by Lily's son is pretty much enough 
to make anyone who's going to revenge her, angry, mad, mad, mad, to 
say the least. 

As I see it, this scenario does not neglect other characters' agency 
and motives. On the contrary, it explains and reinforces them.

As an add on, this also explains why Snape made the magical promise 
to Narcissa; When she kneeled down and cried for his help, she 
reminded Snape of Lily begging for her son's life. This was a 
turning point for Snape, this was the moment that moved him into 
action towards his desire to revenge Lily himself.  

Luna, who apologizes for her English (my mother tongue is Spanish)