Transitions on the Tower (was Re: Will the Real Severus Snape please step forwar

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 167794

Ceridwen:
If Snape knew that Wormtail was Pettigrew's nickname, and if he was
reasonably certain that this was the same "Wormtail" who worked for
LV (given that he was considered important enough to know), then he
would have seen Pettigrew's death as the end of that particular spy
or danger to the Order. I don't think that he would have put
Scabbers' magically long life down to his being an unregistered
Animagus.

Magpie:
Doesn't Sirius say that *Peter* will have told LV about Sirius being 
an Animagus? It seems pretty established that it was a secret only 
known by the four of them, period, whatever Snape knew about 
nicknames. 

Also, of course, if you start claiming that Snape knew about Peter 
important parts of PoA fall apart, because Snape is accusing Sirius 
of being the spy who betrayed the Potters, where later on he still 
hates Sirius, but no longer says he was the spy. Of course one can 
say Snape was making the whole thing up just trying to have a reason 
to get Sirius, but I think that's cutting out some emotional legs 
from the book and from Snape. If Snape were lying there, I think 
there'd be some signs of it. 

> Goddlefrood:
> 
> Here's somewhere we differ. I do have a little snippet for you:
> 
> '... the door to the ramparts burst open once more and there 
> stood Snape, his wand clutched in his hand as his black eyes 
> swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped against the wall, to 
> the four Death Eaters, including the enraged werewolf, and 
> Malfoy.'
> 
> ...
> 
> 'Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore and there was revulsion 
> and hatred on etched in the harsh lines of his face'
> 
> Both from p. 556 - HBP, Bloomsbury Hardback Edition.
> 
> The pleading occurs between the two. The possibility, although 
> perhaps slight, exists that when Snape swept the room Dumbledore 
> caught his eye for just long enough to read the hatred in Severus 
> at that time. The mask of Occlumency had slipped for those few 
> moments on the tower due to Snape's boiling anger, which he 
> contained to the extent of showing it in no more way than the 
> revolted, hating look on his face. There was no time for his
> trademark tirade, IOW :)

<snip>

> Perhaps, perhaps not, see above for my view on this matter. 
> Snape only needs a fleeting moment for the mask to slip to allow 
> DD, one of the acknowledged two greatest Legilimens to see his 
> thoughts.

<snip>

> Goddlefrood:
> 
> When have we ever really seen Dumbledore with a less than calm
> expression. Only one time I can recall when he looked slightly
> perturbed in the battle with LV in the MoM Atrium. As he himself
> has said "to the well organised mind, death is but the next great 
> adventure."


Magpie:
Tragically, I already wrote out a reasponse to this and then 
stupidly lost it--you'll get the short version now--lucky!:-) 

Basically, no, imo.:-) I think the fact that you've added things 
like Dumbledore picking up Snape via Legilimancy and catching his 
eye and Snape's boiling with rage is further proof that there are 
things that we *need* in the scene in order for it to make sense as 
what it's claimed to be, and they're not there. You have to argue 
that they are there, only they're not written in, which I don't 
think JKR would ever do. (I doubt you could find a single scene in 
canon where you couldn't clearly map that sort of thing out.)

Whatever happens in the scene, we need to have cause and effect and 
transitions from one emotional state to another-even if they're not 
always described in the same amount of detail. Dumbledore may 
canonically react to stress by going still and not changing his 
expression, but we certainly have seen Dumbledore show emotions 
other than calm. He's been angry and agitated and sad and pleased 
and touched--a whole range of emotions. He has his own style of 
showing emotions, but he certainly has them, or he'd be a cypher to 
whom we couldn't, imo, relate. 

Here are two scenes in canon where Dumbledore is allegedly getting 
new, bad information. In the first scene, JKR, in her usual style, 
makes every beat in the scene clear and lets the conflict rise 
naturally and logically through cause and effect, attack and counter-
attack etc. 

Harry has just learned that Snape was the eavesdropper. He runs to 
Dumbledore's office, furious at Snape. Dumbledore has been waiting 
for Harry, because he's found a Horcrux.

HBP (UK ed. p. 510):

'Well, Harry, I promised that you could come with me.'

For a moment or two, Harry did not understand; the conversation with 
Trelawney had driven everything else out of his head and his brain 
seemed to be moving very slowly.

Magpie:
That's logical. Harry has arrived with a specific agenda and 
Dumbledore has a different agenda. It takes a transition to get 
Harry onto the same track. 

HBP:
'Only if you wish it, of course.'

'If I...'

And then Harry remembered why he had been eager to come to 
Dumbledore's office in the first place.

'You've found one? You've found a Horcrux?'

'I believe so.'

Magpie:
Now Harry's caught up to Dumbledore. Dumbledore, otoh, has not yet 
noticed that his own agenda isn't the only one in the room, because 
he's not yet got a reason to realize it.

HBP:
Rage and resentment fought shock and excitement: for several 
moments, Harry could not speak.

'It is natural to be afraid,' said Dumbledore.

Magpie:
Dumbledore has no idea that Harry has changed since he saw him last, 
so when Harry does not speak he assigns a motive that fits what he 
knows: Harry is afraid about the Horcrux, since that is what he is 
talking about. Dumbledore may be quick on the uptake and therefore 
able to usually be a few steps ahead of people or at least not far 
behind, but with no reason to think things are different than they 
were the last time he saw Harry, he can't jump to the correct 
conclusion, even with several moments of silence to work it out. If 
Harry is not speaking, it must be because of the new information 
Dumbledore has introduced.

HBP:
'I'm not afraid!' said Harry at once, and it was perfectly true;

Magpie:
Dumbledore's got Harry completely wrong here, though he did still 
react to Harry's silence. 

The two of them then have a quick discussion about the Horcrux. 
Dumbledore warns Harry it will be dangerous.

HBP:
'I'm coming,' said Harry, almost before Dumbledore had finished 
speaking. Boiling with anger at Snape, his desire to do something 
desperate and risky had increased tenfold in the last few minutes. 
This seemed to show on Harry's face, for Dumbledore moved away from 
the window, and looked more closely at Harry, a slight crease 
between his silver eyebrows.

'What has happened to you?'

Magpie:
Now THAT'S a transition. Dumbledore has something to react to: the 
expression on Harry's face. And even then he doesn't leap right to 
the answer. Just as Harry needed a moment to rid himself of his 
initial mindset, so Dumbledore needs a moment to really take in the 
information before him. Harry's expression really *doesn't* match up 
with the situation they're in. He figures out something's wrong, 
that something is going on he doesn't know about. 

HBP:
'Nothing,' lied Harry promptly.

'What has upset you?'

'I'm not upset.'

Magpie:
Now Dumbledore is on the offensive and Harry is trying to block him, 
but he keeps coming. And we can follow this because Dumbledore had a 
transitional moment that believably moved him from the important 
topic of Horcruxes to What Is Bothering Harry. Harry and Dumbledore 
are now in a stalemate. Harry will lie forever and Dumbledore will 
keep pressing, unless something happens to change one of them. 

HBP:
'Harry, you were never a good Occlumens--"

The word was the spark that ignited Harry's fury.

'Snape!' he said, very loudly, and Fawkes gave a soft squawk between 
them. 'Snape's what's happened! He told Voldemort about the 
prophecy, it was *him*, *he* listened outside the door, Trelawney 
told me!'

Magpie:
Not only does the word Occlumency fit naturally into Dumbledore's 
dialogue, but it gives Harry the believable trigger we needed to go 
up a notch and start raging at Snape--which JKR calls our attention 
to in case we don't get it. Note that even though Harry's mind is on 
Snape, JKR knows she has to up the ante to break the stalemate once 
Harry has chosen to lie. Harry has to have a reason to blow. It 
didn't have to be Occlumency--she could have written something else, 
even if she just had Harry get more irritated and want to break the 
stalemate himself. But there's something.

HBP:
Dumbledore's expression did not change, but Harry thought his face 
whitened under the bloody tinge cast by the setting sun. For a long 
moment, Dumbledore said nothing.

'When did you find out about this?' he asked at last.

Magpie:
And here's the biggest transitional moment of all, because 
Dumbledore has just received the blow. Not quite as big as learning 
his trusted lieutenant is a traitor who's going to kill him, but a 
big blow nevertheless, because Harry learning this about Snape 
changes the whole emotional landscape Dumbledore's got to deal with. 
He keeps his expression neutral, as is his instinct, but JKR still 
clearly shows him reacting to it. He whitens (Harry thinks). He says 
nothing for a long time. Then, only after processing the 
information, can he decide on a response.

I hope this all doesn't sound like a lecture--I'm just truly excited 
by going through this stuff and seeing how it fits together step by 
step.:-)

But now here's the scene on the Tower, which imo lacks the 
transitions it needs to have. Dumbledore has been chatting with the 
DEs, again in a stalemate since Draco isn't acting. And then:

HBP (UK ed., p. 556):
'Draco, do it or stand aside so one of us--' screeched the woman, 
but at that precise moment the door to the ramparts burst open once 
more and there stood Snape, his wand clutched in his hand as his 
black eyes swept the scene, from Dumbledore slumped against the 
wall, to the four Death Eaters, including the enraged werewolf, and 
Malfoy.

Magpie:
What an entrance! So Snape changes the scene by entering. He had no 
way to know what exactly he'd find up there, so he, too, needs a 
moment to take it in and process. He just looks around. There's no 
boiling anger. He's just ready. He hasn't yet decided on a course of 
action. Snape doesn't come up and fix his eyes on Dumbledore as his 
intended victim. His attention comes back to him when Dumbledore 
begins to plead.

HBP:
'We've got a problem, Snape, said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and 
wand were fixed alike upon Dumbledore, 'the boy doesn't seem able--'

But somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly.

'Severus...'

The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all 
evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading.

Magpie:
Dumbledore has nothing to react off of from Snape to make him think 
of betrayal if he wasn't a moment ago. Snape has done exactly what 
he would be expected to do. Compare it to Harry's entrance in the 
earlier scene--Dumbledore took far longer to register something 
different about Harry, and Harry's the one who isn't an Occlumens 
and is broadcasting his feelings plainly. Even if it were a case of 
Dumbledore "breaking through" Snape's Occlumency, or the 
Occlumency "slipping" (conveniently) that would need some effort 
(and some reason for Dumbledore to even think he needed to use 
Legilimancy, probably). From what we know Dumbledore would need a 
long moment to look him in the eye and then he could only gradually 
understand how Snape was not what he expected him to be. 

Instead all he gets is the sweep of Snape's eye as he takes in the 
whole scene. So Dumbledore has nothing to trigger a worry that 
something is different, nor does he have a moment like the two he 
had with Harry for his thoughts to change or a sign that they have 
changed. Snape's look around is followed quickly by the DE's 
explanation and Dumbledore's pleading, which overlap--are possibly 
simultaneous. 

It's Harry who registers something different--in Dumbledore's voice.

HBP:
Snape said nothing, but walked forwards and pushed Malfoy roughly 
out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. 
Even the werewolf seemed cowed.

Magpie:
The DEs have noted a change here as well, one that's set up from 
their perspective. They know DE!Snape has been undercover, working 
for LV all this time. They're waiting for a revelation from Snape to 
Dumbledore about his true loyalties. They know he is the one to 
break the stalemate.

HBP:
Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and 
hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.

'Severus...please...'

Magpie:
Dumbledore does not change in response to the look of hatred and 
revulsion in Snape's face that's only appeared now, because he 
already started pleading (quite specifically, so there's no 
confusion over that). Whatever Dumbledore's final mindset is, it's 
in response to Snape's entrance and stays firm through Snape's look 
of horror and revulsion.

And what's happened to Snape's transition? If the pleading is 
Dumbledore's way of asking Traitor!Snape not to be a traitor, 
where's Snape's realization that Dumbledore knows he's betrayed him? 
That's why to so many people it looks like whatever is going on 
between Snape and Dumbledore has been gone through somewhere else, 
because there's no sign the two of them are surprising each other at 
all. (Nor has Snape had any change that shows him deciding to go 
from ally to murderer in the scene, and certainly no trigger to 
bring the Marauders to his mind the way that Occlumency triggered 
Harry's outburst about Snape--and Harry was already all about Snape 
in that scene to begin with.)

So that's why it's very hard for me to read a scene as having much 
at all about Snape betraying Dumbledore. It seems far more about 
Harry's reaction to what he's seen and can't understand--and that 
even though he's a ESE!Snaper himself. Afterwards he's had no 
trouble believing that Snape was evil all along, but within the 
scene it was Dumbledore's pleading that struck fear into his heart, 
not Snape was going to kill Dumbledore before he did it because he 
sees Snape revealing himself to be a DE at last.

-m