Dumbledore as a judge of character (Was:Why DD did not ask Snape to kill him

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 165959

> Alla wrote:
> > <snip>
> > For me Snape pettiness, childishness and immaturity did not go
anywhere.
> >
> > I mean, of course he is a powerful wizard, who can argue with
that?
> >
> > I just do not think that it precludes him from being stuck in his
> emotional development, being powerful that is.
> >
> > And of course Dumbledore being a good judge of character is
amusing
> to me as well and disagreeable too. :)
> >
> Carol responds:
> Dumbledore also trusts another powerful wizard who demonstrates
> pettiness, childishness, and immaturity: Sirius Black (still using
the
> schoolground nickname "Snivellus," still wishing that Severus had
died
> in the so-called Prank, etc.). Clearly, Snape's inability to get
past
> not one but two humiliating incidents, the "worst memory" and the
much
> more dangerous and traumatic exposure to a werewolf, followed by the
> humiliation of having his life saved by his worst enemy) is not a
> reason to mistrust him in DD's view, nor is being stuck in
adolescence
> because of twelve years in Azkaban a reason to mistrust Sirius
Black.
> The immaturity, which shows up in Snape only in relation to the
> Marauders but in Sirius Black also in relation to Harry (wanting him
> to take risks for the fun of it) is a side issue. Whatever
> Dumbledore's reason(s) for trusting them both, he does so in spite
of
> their shared fault.
> <BIG SNIP>

Alla:

Huh? Nowhere in my post I claimed that Snape's immaturity should
**not** be the reason to trust him. Although now that you mentioned
it, certainly I can see that it should play a role too. But to me
there are plenty of other reasons to not do so.

But the issue of Dumbledore not being a good judge of character (
which I am not going to argue now) is in my mind totally independent
from Snape's childishness, pettiness and immaturity.

I addressed two different points in the same post, that's all.


ETA:

Reposted to change this sentence:

Of course I meant that Nowhere in my post I claimed that Snape's 
immaturity should **be** the reason to trust him.