Was Severus Snape Ever Really a Death Eater?
Sirius stared at the cave wall, then made a grimace of frustration.
“There’s still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn’t, but I just can’t see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he had ever worked for Voldemort.”
Ever since I read these lines way back in July of 2000, I haven’t been able to rid myself of suspicions about Snape’s loyalty, Dumbledore’s trust in Snape and Snape’s behaviour where he goes out of his way to be misunderstood. The suspicions grew more and more as the next two books released, and by the end of Half-Blood Prince, I am thinking that Severus Snape in fact may never have been a real death eater!
Of course I have a theory and nothing more, but the theory helped me solve a few important questions apart from proving Snape’s loyalty.
- Why does Dumbledore trust Snape?
- Where do Snape’s loyalties lie?
- What makes Snape hate Harry?
- Why does Dumbledore with hold the truth about Snape from Harry?
To answer these questions let’s take a look at a few events, timelines and facts…
By now, we know that the entire Harry Potter series is really based on two things. Prophecy and choices made around the prophecy. I have been thinking about this, ever since I read the Half Blood Prince, and it had taken me a number of re-readings and then some more to get something right. I am sure I am not the first one to come up with this, but all the same.
Professor Dumbledore tells Harry that while Trelawney made the prophecy, there was an eavesdropper who heard first half of the prophecy, but due to sheer luck, he was identified and thrown out of the building. This is impossible. And we have 2 solid proofs and common sense to back us up here. Let’s deal with the proofs here. The pensive which Dumbledore shows Harry, shows Professor Trelawney saying the whole prophecy in one go. We do now see anyone getting up, identifying the spy and throwing him out of the building. Two, professor Trelawney tells Harry in HBP that while her interview with Dumbledore was on, she started feeling a little odd, but then she was interrupted rudely by Severus Snape. Since the pensive doesn’t show anything, we can easily conclude that Snape interrupted after the whole thing was said because Trelawney was aware that they were interrupted. These are proofs. Now let’s turn to common sense. We found out first in Prisoner of Azkaban that Trelawney doesn’t remember anything she has said when she makes these “genuine” predictions. It will be impossible for Professor Trelawney to go into a trance, utter the first half of the prophecy, then be interrupted, wait for the eavesdropper to be thrown out of the building, then go back into trance and finish off the prophecy. This means that no one interrupted Dumbledore and Trelawney until the entire prediction was over. So we can safely conclude that if Snape heard the prophecy, as Dumbledore confesses he did, he heard the entire prophecy. The questions that arise now are:
- Why did Dumbledore lie to Harry about the intruder?
- Why did he deliberately gave Harry half, incompletely and misleading information?
- And finally, why did Snape provide only half the contents of the prophecy to Voldemort?
To answer this question, let’s take a look at a few timelines. There are several timelines thrown in the entire Harry Potter series. Closely examining these timelines reveals that some of them simply don’t match. I agree that JK is not particularly keen on keeping tracks of the accuracy of the dates (September 2 can’t always be a Monday for six consecutive years after all!), but her timelines don’t go off hand and miss out years! Take a look at these timelines listed here and then go on to the text for the theory.- Harry Potter was born on July 31, 1980. (He just celebrated his 26th birthday on July 31, 2006.).
- Professor Trelawney made her prophecy on a cold wet night, 16 years ago. So I am assuming somewhere around the New Year of 1980. Since Harry was born in July 1980.
- Voldemort came to the Godric’s Hollow on the Halloween of 1981 and killed Harry’s parents. So Lily and James died in October/November 1981.
- Lord Voldemort also disappeared in October/November 1981.
- Harry started school on September 1, 1991.
- Lord Voldemort returned to power in June of 1995. (Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts in GoF)
- Around Christmas of 1995, i.e. OotP, Umbridge asks Snape how long he has been at Hogwarts and he says 14 years. So Snape joined the staff on September 1, 1981. James and Lily were still alive. And Lord Voldemort was still alive too.
- Same time in 1995, in OotP, Umbridge asks Trelawney how long she has been at Hogwarts and she says sixteen years. So we can safely assume that she joined the Hogwarts staff in the second term of school after Christmas in January 1980.
- Harry turned 16 years old on July 31, 1996.
- During the same time, in HBP, Snape tells Bellatrix that he gave Voldemort 16 years worth of information on Dumbledore, as a welcome back gift. This means, Snape is claiming that he has information on Dumbledore since 1980. If Snape joined Hogwarts in 1981, how does he have one extra year of information?
- Secondly, as we believe to know, Dumbledore provided testimony regarding Snape to the Ministry of Magic in GoF, that he in fact joined Dumbledore before the fall of Lord Voldemort, Snape joined him in 1981 and James and Lily were still alive. So his story about regret and remorse at James and Lily’s death as the reason to join Dumbledore can be trashed and it definitely doesn’t hold true.
- And finally, if as Snape himself claims, he has been around Dumbledore for 16 years, i.e. since 1979-1980, then has Snape been around Dumbledore during the time Trelawney made her prophecy, helping Dumbledore?
The question then arises is, if Snape knew the contents of the prophecy, why did he pass on half information to Voldemort? Here comes the crux. And here’s where Sirius’s words hit me, again and again.
My theory is, Snape joined Voldemort as a death eater on Dumbledore’s orders. Snape was friends with most prospective death eaters, knew and loved dark arts and was most definitely not popular. And yet, Snape was never portrayed as being cruel. Evil, impartial, unfair, yes, but never cruel. “But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater!” – Sirius says in “Padfoot Returns” in Book 4. Which somehow points to the fact that Snape may never have been a genuine death eater. I think Dumbledore planted Snape as a death eater to spy on Voldemort.
When Dumbledore heard the prophecy, he saw a plan. Dumbledore knew that Voldemort wanted to be immortal. So he also knew that Voldemort would go on the trail of the boy who might vanquish him, and try to kill him. Then, did Dumbledore use the prophecy to lure Voldemort into some sort of a trap by sending Snape to Voldemort with half information? Think about it. Almost a year passed between the prophecy proclamation and the death of the two Potters. It most definitely couldn’t have taken Voldemort a year to hunt them down? In Prisoner of Azkaban Fudge tells Rosmerta that not many people were aware that the Potter’s knew that Voldemort was after them. Fudge also tells them that Dumbledore had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped Dumbledore off regarding Voldemort’s hunt of the Potters.
This is very important bit of information missed. Who was the spy who tipped Dumbledore off that it was in fact the Potters and not Longbottoms who Voldemort is after? If as Dumbledore said, there was no way for anyone to know who Voldemort might “mark as his equal,” then how did he have a tip off regarding the same? And think about it, why did Voldemort mark out the Potters?It probably was a well thought out plan between Snape, Dumbledore and the Potters to use the prophecy as a bait to trap Voldemort. Pettigrew turning a spy ruined the plan for the three. If this theory has even a slightest truth in it, then it answers a lot many questions.
- Dumbledore trusts Snape because Snape is and has always been Dumbledore’s man!
- Snape’s loyalties always lay with Dumbledore!
- Snape hates Harry because Snape was jealous of the attention Dumbledore gave Harry, the attention which was prior to Harry’s entry, Snapes’.
- As for why Dumbledore lied to Harry, the answer is two-fold. Telling Harry such important information always came with a risk that Voldemort may find out about it, in which case Snape’s life would be in danger. Secondly, in confessing to Harry that he used the prophecy as a bait to lure Voldemort to attack the Potters, indirectly makes Dumbledore responsible for the death of Harry’s parents, which is something that Dumbledore wouldn’t want Harry to know yet!
Well that’s about it! I am a self-confessed Severus Snape fan. Call it the sinister attraction or the bad boy, good girl phenomenon. Severus Sinister Sexy Snape is my favourite character of the book, and I shall try to prove his innocence!!!
posted by hermionegranger | 1:55 am
14 Comments:
What do you mean try? You already are hell bent on doing that. :)
- Sriram
Those are some really interesting things u have pointed out in this post. In fact, that gleam in Dumbledore's eyes in Book 4 still bothers me. Let's hope JKR sheds some more light on this mystery soon.
Of course I am hell bent on defending Snape!! In a crazy twisted way, he represents evilness, which I wish I had in me! :)
The gleam in Dumbledore's eye, is really really mysterious! It should be fun to see what JKR weaves!
oh my god, u can do a phd on harry potter, i have read and re read the books atleast 50 times but i still dnt remember when harry potter waz born :-). hats off!!!!
thtz a reeaaly good theory you have there, lets see how it goes.
Two things which i think will play some role in the last book. one in the order of the phoenix sirius body falls behind some kind of curtain and is never recovered. i think luna gives kind of explanation also, alwayz wondered wht was the story behind that, maybe sirius isnt dead and harry will have the family he always desired. two neville shares is bday wt harry, maybe he ends up killing voldie u never knw.
i found this kool website called beyondhogwarts.com chk it out if u havent already. cheers
The theory is plausible. However, there are a couple of more points that may help/hurt theory. The barman of the Hog's Head is Aberforth, Dumbledore's younger brother. So, he should have been the one who stopped Snape. He may, therefore ,be the only living person who knows the truth. That may explain why he suddenly left OOTP
JKR keeps no track of time. So a lapse of 1 year cannot always be taken seriously.
And yes, it's an ever-haunting question - what did Snape do that made Dumbledore trust him so unconditionally?
Voldemort is the best legilimens. Is Snape so good at Occlumency that he was able to block out Voldemort? And won't a legilimens know he's being blocked out when all he sees is a blank mind? An occlumens doesn't substitute what's truly in his mind with other trivial, fabricated thoughts. He just blocks his thoughts from the legilimens. period. So wouldn't Voldemort have sensed the deception if there was one?
And the Dark Lord never forgives. What made him make an exception in Snape's case? 16 years' worth of information? Sounds weak. He cut Pettigrew's hand and made him a slave to Snape even though he helped Voldemort revive. Surely, Snape doesn't deserve such a rosy treatment if Voldemort really thought he was betrayed by him.
hmmm i can't help but hate snape even more because i know he must be on the good side.it's as if you can't hate him in peace,esp when you consider dumbledore must've trusted him with the task of killing him!and another thing i noticed,at the the end of HBP,he made sure harry was unhurt before escaping from hogwarts-he stopped the other DE's from hurting him,(saying the dark lord wants him alive)and only deflected harry's spells,never really attacking him.
damn you snape!!:D
I don't know about Sirius being alive or not Mavster, but there is definitely some mystery about the veil... :)
Nenlos... I agree with you... it's something I had thought of too. I just have one thing to say actually... the wording with which that scene between Snape and Albeforth has been described is very, very cleverly worded. Reread that scene... the wording can be interpreted in many ways! :)
Amrita... you hate Snape because you think he is on the good side? Hehe... that's well new!! As for me... I am a huge Snape fan! I don't think you can find a greyer character than him!!!
seen your comments on my blog.
care for an introduction?
I HAVE ALWAYS TRUSTED SEVERUS SNAPE. I THINK THAT HE IS LOYAL TO DUMBLEDORE. HE KILLED DUMBLEDORE ON DUMBLEDORES ORDERS.
I too believe that Snape is a good character.
These are some things that I think you have missed.
1.
In the 5th book, THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Snape warns the Order that Harry had gone off to the Department of Mysteries, when he knew that the Death Eaters will be there. If he was on Voldemorts side, he could have pretended that he didn’t understand Harry, when he said,
“He’s got Padfoot!” he shouted. “He’s got Padfoot at the place where it’s hidden!”
He could have just ignored Harry… Once he informed the Order of the Phoenix, that Harry had gone to the Department of Mysteries. This goes to prove that he is loyal to Dumbledore.
2.
Dumbledore is one of the most powerful wizards ever. Voldemort is also on of the most powerful wizards ever. Snape must also be a really powerful wizard in order to fool one of them…
1. Dumbledore's Big Chill
Harry and Dumbledore are up on the top of the tower underneath the Dark Mark. Harry is wearing his invisibility cloak, Dumbledore ordered him to put it on before they mounted their brooms to ride to the top of the tower. Harry hears footsteps and looks around, but Dumbledore orders him with a gesture to retreat. Harry draws his wand and backs away:
The door burst open and somebody erupted through it and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Harry's body became instantly rigid and immobile, and he felt himself fall back against the tower wall, propped like an unsteady statue, unable to move or speak.(HBP pg 584/545)
It's interesting to note that things are happening so fast, even Harry is momentarily confused:
He could not understand how it happened -- Expelliarmus was not a Freezing Charm -- Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore's wand flying in an arc over the edge of the ramparts and understood... Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilzed Harry, and the second he had taken to perform this spell had cost him the chance of defending himself. (HBP pg 584/545)
Why did Dumbledore freeze Harry? Harry was already invisible to their attackers and in no danger.
The only explanation could be that Dumbledore already knew, had already planned, that he would die this night and not only did he not want Harry to become involved and possibly be injured himself, he needed Harry to be a witness, to be able to tell everyone else what happened.
Dumbledore might have also promised Snape that he would make sure that Harry would not be able to interfere, knowing how Harry feels about Snape and what Snape was about to have to do.
The supposition that it was Dumbledore's plan to do this all along is supported by the fact that he acted so quickly to do it, almost without thinking, when Draco burst in on the scene.
Harry's own assumption that the Freezing Charm was done by Dumbledore is supported by the fact the curse lifted when Dumbledore left the tower minutes later.
2. The Flying Avada Kedavra
As soon as I read the description of exactly what happened the moment that Snape killed Dumbledore, little red flags were popping up in my brain, but I didn't pay attention to them at first. This was actually the very first clue that alerted me to this whole thing.
Every other time we've seen the Avada Kedavra performed, the victim simply falls over dead:
He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in the chair spoke as it raised a wand. There was a flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumbled. He was dead before he hit the floor. (GoF pg 15/19)
From high above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, " Kill the spare." A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to ground beside him. Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead. (GoF pg 638/553)
However, in Half-Blood Prince, when Snape curses Dumbledore with the same spell, Dumbledore violently flies up and away from the tower:
Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry's scream of horror never left him; silently he was forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. For a split second, he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull, and then he slowly fell backward, like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight. (HBP pg 596/556)
Why would this application of the Avada Kedavra be so different from every other time we've seen it?
Perhaps his spell was different because even though those were the words Snape said, he didn't perform the killing curse at all. Remember all the importance this book gave to "nonverbal" spells? Perhaps Snape said Avada Kedavra, but the curse he was really thinking, the nonverbal one, was a different curse, one that only made it appear that Dumbledore was dead.
The possibilty that Snape said one curse and cast another nonverbally might not be as likely if we couldn't recognize the curse that was really cast, but we can!
Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. (CoS pg 190/142)
Harry made up his mind in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward him, he had raised his wand. "Expelliarmus!" he yelled -- except that his wasn't the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out. Harry looked around. Both Ron and Hermione had tried to disarm Snape at exactly the same moment. (PoA pg 361/265)
In these examples from Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, different wizards are issuing the Expelliarmus spell with the results being described almost exactly the same way, the victim being voilenty blasted up and backwards. This also happens to be similar to the description of when Dumbledore is attacked up in the tower. So, even though Snape said Avada Kedavra, the evidence from the books shows that the nonverbal curse he cast was Expelliarmus!
Even the title of the chapter this all takes place in is suspicous, "The Lightning-Struck Tower". Even though this is the name of the ominous tarot card that Trelawney was worried about back on page 543/507 in chapter 25, is it possible that J.K. is hinting here that the spell was not Avada Kedavra, but some other spell that had lightening-type effects instead?
But there is even another clue that Dumbledore's flying off the tower that night was a prearranged ruse between himself and Snape. Back in chapter nineteen, when Harry orders Dobby and Kreacher to follow Malfoy around in an effort to figure out what he was up to, Dobby replies:
"Yes, Harry Potter!" said Dobby at once, his great eyes shining with excitement. "And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower, Harry Potter!" (HBP pg 422/395)
Notice, Dobby says "throw himself", not something like "you can throw me". Also, Dobby specifically mentions "the topmost tower", exactly the place where the " death" of Dumbledore later occurs in the same way.
Now, even though we know Dobby gets around and probably hears a lot of things he shouldn't in the castle, we're not suggesting Dumbledore could so easily slip up and let Dobby be privy to such a secret plan. But what we are suggesting is that J.K. is not above using something Dobby says to plant a clue for us that later on in the story it would be Dumbledore, himself, who planned the whole death cherade, and caused himself, or arranged for himself, to be thrown from the top of the tallest Astronomy tower.
3. Don't Point That At Me Unless You Mean It
Several times in the course of the Harry Potter books, J.K. has told us that the Avada Kedavra is not a curse you can make lightly.
In Goblet of Fire, the fake Mad Eye Moody tells his DADA class:
"Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it -- you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed." (GoF pg 217/192)
And in Order of the Phoenix, we learn more about Avada Kedavra when Harry tries to curse Bellatrix:
Hatred rose in Harry such that he had never known before. He flung himself out from behind the fountain and bellowed "Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed. The spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe or shriek with pain as Neville had -- she was already on her feet again ... "Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy?" she yelled. "You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain -- to enjoy it ..." (OotP pg 810/715)
If Snape was really working on Dumbledore's orders to make it look to the world as if Snape had killed him, even if he had used the real Avada Kedavra, if he had not really meant it, if he really didn't want to kill Dumbledore, then isn't it possible that the curse didn't kill Dumbledore, but only injured him badly?
Thanks to:
http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/articles/dumbledore-clues.html
I changed some things. JKR has told the public that Dumbledore is really dead, so I took off the parts which suggested that he is still alive.
Snape Clues
1. Snape Lies to Narcissa and Bellatrix... Twice
During the meeting that Snape has at his house with Narcissa and Bellatrix in chapter 2, Snape tries to explain to them why he never killed Harry all those years at Hogwarts when he had ample opportunity:
"Of course, it became apparent to me very quickly that he had no extraordinary talent at all. He has fought his way out of a number of tight corners by a simple combination of sheer luck and more talented friends. He is mediocre to the last degree..." (HBP pg 31/36)
But we know Snape knows this is a lie. We know Snape knows that Harry is a powerful wizard. We know he knows Harry is a parselmouth. We know he knows Harry could conjure a corporeal patronus when he was just 13 years old. We know he knows Harry has stood up to and prevailed against Voldemort five times!
But not even one whole page later, Narcissa is crying to Snape she has something she wants to say, but has been forbidden to talk about by Voldemort. Snape immediately replies that she should follow Voldemort's orders, and sister Bellatrix agrees. But Snape appears troubled by the conversation:
But Snape had gotten to his feet and strode to the small window, peered through the curtains, and then closed them again with a jerk. He turned around to face Narcissa, frowning. (HBP pg 32/37)
What happened to make him jerk the curtains closed all of a sudden and turn back to the women, frowning? Has he had a revelation?
It is only at this point that he confides in them that he already knows the plan, that Voldemort has already told him. He's lying again!
If he already knew the plan, why would he have taken the position, just one moment earlier, that she should follow Voldemort's law and not speak of it?
We know Snape is a powerful Legilimens, we learned that in the Occlumency scenes with Snape and Harry in Order of the Phoenix. Just in case we forgot about Legilimency, J.K. mentioned it just a few pages ago. Questioning Voldemort's trust in Snape, Snape interrupts:
"You think he is mistaken? Or that I somehow hoodwinked him? Fool the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?" (HBP pg 26/31)
Having just been on the verge of spilling the beans to Snape, Draco's assignment must have been top-most in Narcissa's thoughts, and in the quiet moment at the window, Snape saw it in her mind. He then lies to them about already knowing the plan, to gain their trust.
So, at the same time that Snape is trying to convince Narcissa and Bellatrix that he's worthy of Voldemort's trust, we can see he is lying to them, several times. That can only mean that Snape isn't as loyal to Voldemort as he'd like Bellatrix and Narcissa (and us!) to believe.
2. What Hagrid Overheard
Harry is talking to Hagrid after the poisoning of Ron, and Hagrid lets it slip that he overheard something he shouldn't have:
I was comin' outta the forest the other evenin' an' I overheard 'em talking -- well, arguin'. ... I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an' maybe he -- Snape -- didn' wan' ter do it anymore ... Dumbledore told him flat out he'd agreed ter do it an' that was all there was to it." (HBP pg 405/380)
This clue comes right out and tells us that Snape is following the orders of Dumbledore, although we now see whatever Snape has promised to do for Dumbledore is difficult or unpleasant.
We also now have comfirmation that Dumbledore has a plan, which involves Snape, and Dumbleore is confident that the plan that Snape has agreed to will proceed.
3. No DADA Teacher Has Lasted More Than 1 Year
For every Hogwarts year that is documented in the Harry Potter books so far, it stands out prominently that there has been a different Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher each year.
They even joked about it at the beginning of the previous book, when the kids are looking over their just arrived book lists for the year, and they're wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book, as it meant Dumbledore had found a new DADA teacher:
Fred told Harry ... "Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year." "Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" said George. "One sacked, one dead, one's memory erased, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean." (OotP pg 161/146)
And in Half-Blood Prince, Harry, Ron and Hermione talk about this again when they are surprised at the sorting feast that Snape will be DADA teacher that year:
"Well, there's one good thing," [Harry] said savagely. "Snape'll be gone by the end of the year." "What do you mean?" asked Ron. "That job's jinxed. No one's lasted more than a year...Quirell actually died doing it..." (HBP pg 167/159)
Ironically, it turns out, Harry was literally right. When Tom Riddle returned after a ten year absence to again request to be a teacher at Hogwarts, Dumbledore rejected him, and upon Harry's questioning, Dumbledore gave us some important insight into the Hogwarts DADA teacher situation:
"Was he after the Defense Against the Dark Arts job again, sir? He didn't say..." "Oh, he definitely wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job," said Dumbledore. "The aftermath of our little meeting proved that. You see, we have never been able to keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for longer than a year since I refused the post to Lord Voldemort." (HBP pg 446/418)
So, Dumbledore himself is admitting he knows that Voldemort cursed the DADA teacher job. This means he knew about the curse when he assigned Snape to the job this year. But he never intended Snape to be in the job for longer than a year to begin with, as his plan for Snape to kill him and flee at the end of the year must have already been in place.
4. Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover
When Snape comes into the bathroom after being alerted by Moaning Myrtle, he knows instanly that the Sectumsempra curse was used to injure Draco, because he goes right to work on him using the proper countercurse to reverse the damage. He then takes Draco to the hospital wing, ordering Harry to wait for him there.
When Snape returns, he asks Harry where he learned the curse, and Harry says he saw it in a book in the library. Snape puts his Legilimency to work again:
"Liar," said Snape. Harry's throat went dry. He knew what Snape was going to do and he had never been able to prevent it... The bathroom seemed to shimmer before his eyes; he struggled to block out all thought, but try as he might, the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion Making swam hazily to the fore-front of his mind. (HBP pg 524/490)
Snape then demands Harry bring him his books, Harry makes a detour and hides the book in the room of requirement, bringing Snape Ron's copy of the book instead.
Snape must know Harry's trying to pull a fast one on him, he knows Harry has the book, he saw it in his mind. But instead of pressing the point, Snape just gives him a dozen detentions.
Why would Snape do this if he wasn't still working for Dumbledore? He lost his temper with Harry when he demanded Harry bring him the book, but then even though Harry lies to him about it, Snape remembers who's side he's on, and backs off.
5. Severus... Please...
If you believe that Snape is acting on Dumbledore's orders to kill him (or possibly just make it look like he killed him, although he'd probably still be hurting him), then Snape's demeanor and Dumbledore's final words take on a whole new meaning.
...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. Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. ... Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. "Severus... Please..." (HBP pg 595/556)
In that passage the reader is supposed to believe that Snape hates Dumbledore and feels revulsion for him.
But to help us understand the real meaning of Snape's feelings of revulsion and hatred, J.K. used almost the exact same words for what Harry was feeling just one chapter previous:
"You...you can't stop, Professor," said Harry. "You've got to keep drinking, remember? You told me you had to keep drinking. Here..." Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing, Harry forced the goblet back toward Dumbledore's mouth ... (HBP pg 571/534)
Even though Snape was to kill Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, it must have been something that was still really emotional and difficult for Snape to do, exactly as it was for Harry to make Dumbledore drink the potion.
The feeling of revulsion on Snape's face was not for Dumbledore, but the act he knew he had to commit. The hatred was not for Dumbledore, but for what Dumbledore was making him do.
And when Dumbledore said, "Severus... Please..." he wasn't begging "please don't". What he was really saying was, "Severus, please kill me, as you promised you would."
Way back at the end the first book, when Dumbledore confirms for Harry that Flamel would die now that the philosopher's stone was gone, Dumbledore explained:
"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure." (SS/PS pg 297/215)
Does that sound to you like someone who would beg to save his own life?
With thanks to:
http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/articles/snape-clues.html
buck up,sriram is right.u are a very good detective as well a reader
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