Reason Dumbledore trusted Snape.

justcarol67 justcarol67 at yahoo.com
Fri Jul 13 18:44:15 UTC 2007


No: HPFGUIDX 171686

Carol earlier:
> >I've said this before, but here I go again. Trust is not based on
>compulsion. 
> 
Bart responded:
> Tell that to Bill Gates. 

Carol again:
Sorry. I don't understand. In any case, we're talking about DD.
> 
> Carol earlier:
> >It's the belief that the other person will do the right thing of
his own volition. 
> 
> Bart:
> And compulsion is a great way to ensure that. <snip>

Caraol again:
Compulsion is a great way to ensure that some does something *of his
own volition*? Sorry. No. They're opposites. Voldemort uses compulsion
to ensure that his DEs do his will specifically because he *doesn't*
trust them. Narcissa, for all her tears and flattery, uses an
Unbreakable Vow because, much as she hopes that Snape will protect
Draco, she doesn't fully trust him. (Bellatrix doesn't trust him at
all, with or without the UV) Dumbledore, OTOH, trusts Snape
completely. To me that suggests something in snape himself that makes
him *trustworthy.* "I know he'll do what I want him to because he's
compelled to do so by a vow that will kill him if he breaks it" is not
the same as "I trust him." ("I would trust Hagrid with my life"
certainly doesn't suggest that he made a UV with Hagrid to protect
him. The basis for his trust in Hagrid is Hagrid's loyalty (and
gratitude) to him. I suspect that his trust in Snape has a similar
basis. He *knows* that snape is loyal to him, or at least he *knows*
that Snape is adamantly opposed to Voldemort and therefore determined
to protect the Chosen One at all costs.)

Again, compulsion and trust are opposites. A trustworthy person does
not require compulsion, nor does a person who trusts use compulsion as
a motivator. If you trust your kid to do his homework, you don't stand
over him threatening to take away his computer privileges if he
doesn't do it right now. And if he's trustworthy, he'll do the
homework without compulsion. (If he's not trustworthy, of course, you
both have a problem.)

Carol earlier:
> >Nor do I think that Dumbledore, who believes in Love as the most
powerful form of magic and in the importance of choices, would bind
anyone* with an Unbreakable Vow, which not only involves compulsion
but, AFAWK, the death of the vow breaker. 
> 
> Bart:
> I don't think DD would trust an Unbreakable Vow. He makes it quite
clear that, from his point of view, there are worse things than death.
Which implies that, whatever reason DD has for trusting Snape is
STRONGER than an Unbreakable Vow.

Carol again:
Hm. I guess we agree here, sort of. At least, neither of us thinks
that DD would resort to an Unbreakable Vow. But my point is that DD
would not force another wizard to do his will. That isn't trust; it's
compulsion, a Voldemortian tactic. And DD is all about choices, second
chances, and trust--the antithesis of Voldemort.

Carol, who thinks that DD had a good reason to trust--really trust,
not compel--Snape, which we'll learn about in DH, and that Snape was
indeed worthy of his trust





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