Snape Survey, Snapeity, Dumbledore's sacrifice.

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 149220

Eggplant wrote: 
> Draco tells Dumbledore that Snape is a double agent and has been
> helping him with his project all year long, we know for a fact
> Dumbledore was astonished Draco was so successful and had actually
> managed to get Death Eaters into the school. Dumbledore may have
> wondered if Draco could have done it all by himself and started to
> suspect he had inside help, so when he mentioned the Unbreakable Vow
> again he took it more seriously than the first time he heard it; and
> if not then he did when Snape entered the room looking mean.  
> 
> And you have not explained why a loyal Snape would fail to tell
> Dumbledore he made that vow even after a year. Shame at admitting
> doing something so incredibly stupid? 


Carol responds:
Harry told not only Dumbledore but Lupin and Mr. Weasley (in "A Very
Frosty Christmas") that Snape had made an Unbreakable Vow. Not one of
them considered it a reason to doubt Snape's loyalty to Dumbledore.

You are interpreting the "but--" in "Of course that is what he would
have told you, Draco" to fit your view that Snape is a traitor. But we
don't know what it means. As I see it, Dumbledore is right. *Of
course* Snape would have told Draco about the part of the UV that
related to his protection and used that as his reason for watching
over Draco, concealing the second reason, that he was acting under
DD's orders. That's how a double agent operates, using partial truths
suited to the listener and concealing inconvenient truths. (See
"Spinner's End," where Snape conceals the nature of DD's injury and
his role in healing it, among other things.)

So "Of course that is what he would have told you, but--" is not in
itself evidence that Snape didn't tell Dumbledore about the
Unbreakable Vow. *Harry* told Dumbledore what he had overheard in the
conversation between Draco and Snape, including that Snape had made a
UV to protect Draco (HBP 323). It's inconceivable that DD would not
have asked Snape about it if Snape had not already told him, and DD's
remark to Harry that he knows more about the situation than Harry does
indicates that he does know about the UV and its possible dire
consequences for both himself and Snape--just as he knows that the
DADA position is cursed but has given it to Snape despite near-certain
dire consequences to them both. (The DADA curse, IMO, was always
intended as revenge against Dumbledore.)

And note that Snape has *not* been helping Draco with his project all
year long. Draco has refused to tell him what it is, as DD know from
Harry's information if not from Snape's. So Dumbledore, who knows more
than Draco about Snape's role as double agent, deftly turns the
conversation from Snape to Draco's real helper, whom he discovers is
the Imperio'd Madam Rosmerta.

And Snape does not "enter the room looking mean." He enters the room
and looks around to see what's happening. He does not look angry and
full of revulsion until *after* Dumbledore speaks his name and
exchanges a look with him, and even then he doesn't raise his wand
until Dumbledore says "Severus, please."

We see these events from the outside, as Harry does, and colored by
his emotions and reactions. But what's important is what's left
*unsaid.* I could argue that DD's "but" means "but that's not the only
reason he was watching you," but I'm not going to argue that. We quite
simply don't know what Dumbledore left unsaid. All we can do until
Book 7 is published is supply words that fit our own interpretation of
events. Those words fit mine. I don't expect you to agree with them,
but they are certainly consistent with the canon that we do
have--Dumbledore knew what Snape had told Draco in their unproductive
little interview and he trusted Snape completely. Draco is telling him
nothing he doesn't already know, and in fact, is not quite accurate in
what he reveals. 

The interview occurs just before Christmas. Snape's "help" at this
point consists of trying to get Draco to talk to him and putting him
in detention. During the interview, he advises him not to use
"amateur" tactics like the cursed necklace and to be careful. It's too
late to stop the poisoned mead from nearly killing Ron, but at least
Draco makes no more attempts of this sort, so possibly Snape's words
have had some effect. There is no evidence of further conversations
between the two (Draco is still asserting rather feebly that Snape is
trying to steal his glory, an idea that also derives from the
Christmas party interview), and it's clear that Snape had no more idea
than Dumbledore what Draco was doing--Draco uses easily detectable
Occlumency to prevent him from knowing. The only "help" we know for
certain that Snape gives to Draco in HBP is saving his life from
Harry's Sectum Sempra curse--which is consistent both with the UV
provisions to help and protect Draco and with DD's orders to keep an
eye on the boy. Snape heals Draco and gives Harry multiple detentions
but does not expel him even though McGonagall states that he had
grounds to do so. Surely these events are consistent with Snape being
Dumbledore's Man and with Dumbledore's continued trust in him.

Carol, who finds Snape's skills as a Healer the most interesting
revelation in HBP