What Dumbledore trusts Snape to do? WAS: Re: High Noon for OFH!Snape

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 149582

> >>Sydney:
> > <snip> 
> > When JKR does a tricky-dicky, when you read back over it, it all 
> > lines up. Dumbledore assuring various Order members that they   
> > can trust Snape with their lives, when he actually meant, oh,    
> > no, just HARRY'S life, he'd totally sell YOU down the river, but 
> > I'm going to be coy about it, hee hee-- that doesn't really line 
> > up for me.  

> >>Alla:
> But he does not, Sydney, Dumbledore does not say that - that      
> various Order members should  trust Snape with their lives, or at 
> least I should say to cover myself that I really don't remember    
> him saying that. 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Well, I guess it depends on what sort of risk-taking the Order 
members are being asked for.  If they are risking their lives, then 
when Dumbledore tells them they can trust Snape it's implied that he 
means that they can trust Snape with their lives just as they trust 
their fellow Order members with their lives.

If you're looking for a specific moment where Dumbledore says, I 
trust Snape not to kill anyone of you, then, yeah, you'll be looking 
for a long time.  But I kind of think it's implicit in his whole, 
trust Snape, thing.

> >>Alla:
> Now, Dumbledore does not even say that he trusts Snape with HIS 
> life, no?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Again, I'm not sure Dumbledore ever says, "I trust Snape with my 
life".  However, he makes the point that Snape saved his life and 
when he's dying he specifically asks for Snape.  So again, I think 
it's implied.

> >>Sydney: 
> > And, (I don't have my books with me, but off the top of my head),
> > Dumbledore testifies in court-- the sort of thing I presume he 
> > swore an oath to -- that Snape came over to OUR side before V-   
> > morts fall, that "he's now no more a Death Eater than I am".

> >>Alla:
> <snip>
> Sure, it could be true that at that moment in time Snape was 
> not a DE, why not? 

Betsy Hp:
Right.  And Dumbledore is also vouching for Snape.  He's swearing, 
in a court like setting, that Snape can be trusted.  To suggest that 
he added in his mind "to not kill Harry, anything else goes".  Or 
that when he says Snape is not a Death Eater any more he means, "at 
least when it comes to Harry.  He'd kill or torture the rest of us 
at the slightest whim of his chosen master," stretches, I think, 
credibility. 

> >>Alla 
> But could it be that he was not completely loyal to DD either? I'd 
> say it could. Or could it be that the only reason why he was not a 
> DE was that he wanted to get rid of Life debt?

Betsy Hp:
If that is so, then it's not something Dumbledore is aware of.  (Or 
JKR for that matter.)  I think you could swing it as a fanfic, but 
there's little canon to support the idea that Dumbledore's trust was 
limited.

Unless you have canon where Dumbledore states that there are limits 
beyond which he doesn't trust Snape.  As far as I can recall 
Dumbledore's statements of trust where very open ended and all 
inclusive.

> >>Sydney:
> > And Harry asks him in HBP, "How can you be sure Snape's on OUR   
> > side?", and D-dore says, "I'm sure.  I trust Severus Snape      
> > completely".
> > <snip>

Betsy Hp:
There you go, Alla.  There is no limitation to the world completely.

> >>Alla:
> Dumbledore looks as if he tries to make up his mind and THEN says 
> that he trusts Snape, if I may bring it up again. Could it be 
> because he is NOT sure that Snape is on our side and he does NOT   
> say that directly, he just says what you quoted. "I am sure. I    
> trust Severus Snape completely" Could it be that he is not        
> answering Harry's question directly, but just reaffirms his trust 
> in Snape paying his life debt? I think it is possible, personally.

Betsy Hp:
Right, in fanfiction land, you could swing it.  You could make up 
all sorts of internal language where Dumbledore continues "to 
protect *your* life Harry, but nothing else.  And um, yeah, by 
competely I actually meant barely and mostly not at all, except when 
it comes down to killing you."

In the land of canon, Dumbledore takes a moment, thinks about his 
response, and then says, "I'm SURE.  I trust Snape COMPLETELY."  You 
also have to explain away all the times Dumbledore trusts Snape 
completely (walks alone with Snape in the forest, asking Harry to 
fetch Snape when Dumbledore is incredibly sick, etc.) and tell us 
how Dumbledore really expected Snape to snap at any moment and kill 
anyone not Harry. 

Honestly, I think trying to say that Dumbledore *doesn't* trust 
Snape completely is a bit like arguing that Harry will end up 
married to Hermione.  It's fun for fanfiction, but it's really not 
part of the text.  Like, at all.

Betsy Hp