Snape Survey, Snapeity, Dumbledore's sacrifice.

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 149216

eggplant:
> I'm sorry but that just doesn't any sense. If Dumbledore had thought
> Snape really had made an unbreakable vow to watch over Draco there
> would be no point in giving orders to watch over Draco.
 The only
> interpretation I can come up with is that until a few minutes before
> his death Dumbledore didn't think Snape had really made the vow; 

Magpie:
First, if DD knows about the vow he would still give Snape 
instructions on watching and handling Draco.  In fact, Dumbledore 
could have given him those orders BEFORE Snape made the Unbreakable 
Vow (but after Snape learned of Draco's task).  Which would mean 
Dumbledore is being even more straightforward--no, he is not watching 
out for you because he made the UV, he made the UV because he had 
orders to watch over you.  

But even if we take it as a given that Dumbledore did not know about 
the UV you still haven't explained the most obvious question: if 
Dumbledore didn't know about the UV, and when Harry told him about it 
he dismissed it as just Snape making up a story for Draco, then WHY 
would he suddenly start to doubt himself just because Draco, the 
person to whom he knows Snape told this story, tells him Snape is 
watching over him due to a promise to his mother?  Not only is there 
no sign there that Dumbledore is distressed by Draco's words (and JKR 
constantly shows outward signs of inward distress--she's doing it 
throughout the scene), but there is no reason for Dumbledore to find 
Draco's words any more believable than he found Harry's.

All this, then, seems to be about giving Dumbledore some arc that 
leads to him realizing when Snape comes in that Snape has betrayed 
him.  But again you've given no reason for Dumbledore to suddenly 
grasp this when he hasn't before.  It's totally arbitrary.  If 
Dumbledore didn't believe Harry's story about Snape making an 
Unbreakable Vow, he's got no reason to believe Draco's story of the 
same Unbreakable Vow.  And Snape does nothing before Dumbledore starts 
pleading with him to make him change his mind either.

So it basically comes down to Dumbledore's motivations being 
completely random and invisible throughout the book--his saying he 
trusts Snape completely sometimes means he trusts him, sometimes that 
he doesn't quite trust him, sometimes that he's on his way to not 
trusting him--all without us having any clear idea as to why he'd be 
changing his attitude.  He can hear the same information three times 
from equally (un)reliable sources and believe or not believe it 
according to his mood.  It just sounds like the basis of all of this 
is more this:

eggplant:
after
> all, he would have to be a complete fool to trust someone he knew had
> made an Unbreakable Vow to aid the enemy and murder him.

Magpie:
Which is your conviction, not necessarily Dumbledore's.  It seems like 
Dumbledore must not believe in or know about the UV because you can't 
reconcile his claims to trust Snape with it, so Dumbledore's actions 
must then be made to fit that storyline.  Just as the moment before 
Dumbledore's pleading must be made to fit the storyline where Snape 
betrays him.  That just doesn't seem like JKR's style to me.  To me it 
seems like she usually lays things out very clearly so you can see it 
step by step--only you need all the information to do that.

-m