Snape's allegiance (Was: A couple of little theories!)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 162191

kmalone1127 wrote: 
<snip>
>   In regards to Snape's allegiance, in GoF there is one thing that I
think is, if not incontrovertable still very good, evidence that Snape
is a good guy.  The Foe-Glass.  It shows the enemies of whom ever is
in possession of the mirror, and if I may quote the american ed.:
"Harry, still staring at the place where Moody's face had been, saw
Albus Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Professor McGonagall looking
back at him out of the Foe-Glass."  And: "Snape followed him, looking
into the Foe-Glass, where his own face was still visible, glaring into
the room."  Pg. 679, Am. Paperback Ed.
> 
> Now, some might argue that Snape was indeed, at that time, an enemy
of Voldemort's servant, but changed after he went back to his old
master. However, later on in the book, DD says to him, "You know what
I must ask of you."  To which he replies, "I do."  He also talked to
DD about the Dark Mark.  It had been growing clearer all year, both he
and Karkaroff knew V was coming back.  He would have had plenty of
time to choose sides.  If he was still on V's side, he would not have
shown up in the mirror.  I do not believe that he could have faked his
allegiance to the mirror, because mirrors, in the books, are very
powerful, and cannot be fooled.  I.E. the Mirror of Erised.  I believe
that JKR uses mirrors to reflect the true nature of things.  So, Snape
is a good guy in my book, vindicated by the Foe-Glass.  By the way, I
 apologise for the rambliness of this post and if this has been
brought up before.

Carol responds:
No need to apologize for bringing up arguments that have been
presented before. It's difficult not to do so on a list with in excess
of 162,000 posts, and besides, we're always acquiring new members who
haven't read our old posts and providing links to them (out of the
goodness of our hearts, you know, but also to avoid reiterating old
arguments). As for citing the American edition, some of us have no
alternative (I'm one), and in most instances, the differences are
minuscule. (And the notorious "he can't kill you if you're already
dead" has been omitted from the American paperback edition of HBP, so
that they now match in that respect.)

I agree with you about the mirror. There's other evidence of Snape's
loyalty to Dumbledore in GoF as well, starting with "returning to our
side" and spying "at great personal risk" before Voldemort's fall (and
clearly before he began teaching at Hogwarts, as well, since spying
would be difficult if not impossible once he was inside Hogwarts's
walls). Dumbledore's words, "If you are ready, if you are prepared,"
indicate that he and Snape have been planning his return to Voldemort
for some time, probably from the time that Snape revealed to
Dumbledore that his Dark Mark was returning and perhaps for much longer. 

For me, the most convincing evidence that Snape is on Dumbledore's
side is his rolling up his sleeve and showing his Dark Mark to Fudge
as incontrovertible proof that Voldemort is back--in front of HRH,
McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Molly and Bill Weasley, none of whom,
as far as he knew, knew that he had been a Death Eater before that
time. (Nor did Sirius Black, whose presence he's not aware of since
he's still in dog form.) Fudge's shock and revulsion indicate that he
didn't know, either. That action required courage and conviction.
Snape didn't have to do it; it was his choice to try to persuade the
recalcitrant fudge and demonstrate solidarity with Dumbledore. 

His return to Voldemort, on Dumbledore's orders but also part of a
long-standing plan, is also an act of remarkable courage, whose danger
only Dumbledore fully appreciates. He stands silent, aparently unable
to speak, for several minutes after Snape leaves. I think he's
concerned for Snape as a person, a friend for whom he feels real
affection, not just for his chief spy and ally, who serves his
purposes in a way no one else can.

At any rate, those are some of the reasons that I believe Snape is
Dumbledore's man through and through, regardless of the curves that
HBP throws at us. I could cite other evidence from other books, but
you get the picture.

Carol, who will be severely disappointed if Harry doesn't learn in
Book 7 that Snape's loyalties, like his own, lie with Dumbledore