After reading Book Six in the Harry Potter saga, millions of Harry Potter fans were devastated to learn that after it all (after all the warnings and signs) Severus Snape is, in fact, evil. And, even more devastating, he had killed Professor Dumbledore right in front of The Boy That Lived. Or did he?
Not able to stomach Snape’s betrayal and, even more so, Dumbledore’s death, and only hours after the book’s release, hopeful Dumbledore lovers began theorizing that Snape in not evil and killed Dumbledore using the Avada Kedavra (Killing) curse, on Dumbledore’s own orders. There is only one problem with this theory, it completely conflicts with the doctrine we have regarding the killing curse and cannot be the case.
As an attorney, part of my profession is in using logic to find truth. Using logic here, there are only three possibilities in all of this. The first is that Snape is truly evil and killed Dumbledore using the Killing curse, without Dumbledore intending to die. Naturally, no Harry Potter or Dumbledore fan can accept this. The second is that Snape is good and could not have killed Dumbledore using the killing curse, which will be further explained latter, but killed Dumbledore using a non-verbal curse and Dumbledore is gone forever. The final possibility is that Snape is good, on Dumbledore’s side, and used a non-verbal spell either to actually kill or make it appear like he killed Dumbledore (on Dumbledore’s own orders), and Dumbledore is either alive and well or will soon be alive again.
Regardless of what proves to be the case in Book Seven, one thing is absolute. Severus Snape CANNOT be good and have killed Dumbledore using the Killing curse (even on Dumbledore’s own orders), as so many have theorized. To explain this, I will quote from David Haber’s article on this site titled “Dumbledore Clues“:
5. 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)
Bellatrix’s statement to Harry is most important. She explains that you have to want to “ENJOY” it. That is, you have to want to enjoy causing the pain and/or the death. If Snape is on Dumbledore’s side, by definition, he could not have enjoyed killing Dumbledore. If Snape would enjoy doing so, he would be working for the Dark Lord. The argument that if Snape is on Dumbledore’s side, he could not have wanted to kill or harm Dumbledore, is further supported by all of the arguments that we learned about that took place between Dumbledore and Snape through the school year in Book Six. It is very likely that the subject of these arguments included Dumbledore insisting that, if it became necessary, Snape kill Dumbledore, or, at very least, use extreme and dangerous measures (meaning some spell, potion, or other harmful magic) to make it look very convincing that Snape had killed Dumbledore.
One might ask “why would Snape argue over making it look like he killed Dumbledore so long as Dumbledore didn’t actually die?” I think the answer to this is that the measures necessary to make it look like Snape actually did kill Dumbledore, would be so sever and so dangerous that Snape would resist using such measures. In my mind, this parallels Wormtail’s suggestion to the Dark Lord (in Book Four) that the Dark Lord not insist on using Harry Potter to regain a body, but use another instead. In response, the Dark Lord adamantly demands that Harry Potter is the only option. Likewise, I’m sure that Dumbledore adamantly insisted that Snape do as he was told and use the most extreme measures possible to make it look as if he had actually killed Dumbledore. Furthermore, Snape may not have wanted to utter the words of the unforgivable Killing Curse while his wand was pointed at Dumbledore. After all, there would be no positive assurance the spell wouldn’t work. This result would only be expected and hoped for.
In short, and from what J.K. Rowling has firmly informed us of, Snape cannot be good and have killed Dumbledore using the Killing Curse.
Having reached this point, I cannot see that Dumbledore would permit his actual permanent death, unless he was convinced that his actual permanent death was absolutely necessary to pull off his own plan. The only problem with this is that Dumbledore’s actual permanent death would have done nothing to further any plan Dumbledore could have spawned. This is due to the fact that it is apparent that the key to Dumbledore’s plan (assuming one existed) is not that Dumbledore be dead in fact, but that Snape remain in appearance to be loyal to the Dark Lord. And, the only piece of evidence that would lend itself to the Dark Lord determining this (Snape’s loyalty to him) is whether or not Snape actually used the Killing curse on Dumbledore. Imagine the Dark Lord’s reaction (whether or not Dumbledore lived) upon learning that Snape uttered the words of the Killing Curse, but, in-fact, used another curse non-verbally. The Dark Lord would most assuredly see this as a sign of deception and deceit and Snape’s cover would be utterly blown and Dumbledore’s plan out the window. Therefore, I believe that Dumbledore would not have elected for Snape to actually kill him for the simple reason that Dumbledore’s actual and permanent death would accomplish nothing. All they needed to accomplish was the unquestionable appearance that Snape had killed Dumbledore using the Killing Curse.
Of course, all of what I have said presents a problem in the fact that J.K. Rowling has affirmatively stated that Dumbledore “IS DEAD”, and that he will “NOT PULL A GANDALF”. [See the article on this site titled “New Revelations“.] Let me be clear here on what I believe regarding these statements. I believe that J.K. Rowling was telling the truth when she made those statements; however, I also believe that J.K. Rowling very carefully and deliberately prepared a pre-though-out canned answer to the inevitable question regarding whether Dumbledore is really dead. Furthermore, I believe that J.K. Rowling’s very carefully pre-prepared answer was prepared such that it would cause fans to believe that Dumbledore is permanently and forever dead, when possibly he is not dead permanently. I will fully address J.K. Rowling’s statements, and my belief as to their meaning, at the end of this article.
At this point, it should be apparent what I believe happened to Dumbledore. I believe that Snape is good. One further evidence of this, in addition to all the other evidences discussed on this site, is when Harry is chasing Snape and Malfoy down the lawn of the castle after Snape seemingly killed Dumbledore. Harry repeatedly kept trying to use unforgivable curses on Snape and/or Malfoy. In response, Snape foiled all such attempts and once stated “No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!” If Snape is evil, it is likely that he would revel in Potter using an unforgivable curse, which would assuredly land him in Azkaban, which would render him utterly unable to assist the Order of the Phoenix in fighting the Dark Lord and would cause him to be utterly defenseless against attacks against him from the Dark Lord. It is most likely that the meaning of Snape’s statement is that he would not permit Potter to throw away his ability to assist the fight against the Dark Lord and/or remain alive himself. Though Snape is seemingly a snake of a person, he is yet intelligent and understands that Harry Potter must survive in order to successfully bring the Dark Lord down.
It should further be apparent that I believe not that Snape faked Dumbledore’s death, but rather actually caused his death with a combination of a non-verbal spell in conjunction with the tremendous fall from the uppermost tower in the castle.
The question here becomes why if Dumbledore’s actual permanent death is not key to any plan Dumbledore could have cooked up (as I stated above), why would Dumbledore permit his actual death being caused by Snape? The simple answer to this question is two part: Dumbledore’s actual death was necessary to fool the Dark Lord, and Dumbledore’s death is not permanent.
We know that Voldemort has always feared only one wizard: Dumbledore. Why is this? He is seemingly the only wizard or witch more magically and personally powerful, knowledgeable, or intelligent than the Dark Lord. With this, consider what Voldemort accomplished in relation to death. He figured out how to cheat death, but by avoiding death altogether, not through coming back from death after having died. If it holds that Dumbledore is, in fact, more magically and personally powerful, knowledgeable, and intelligent than the Dark Lord, would it not make sense that Dumbledore would one up Voldemort by finding a way to cheat death, even after he had died?
We have been repeatedly, constantly, and continually indoctrinated by J.K. Rowling through the Harry Potter books that the dead cannot come back from the dead, which I will call the “Death Doctrine”. In response to this indoctrination and as it applies to Dumbledore’s death, I think J.K. Rowling “doth protest too much.” In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Queen Gertrude speaks these famous words in response to another character’s repetitive statements of loyalty and love for her first husband. In other words, the Queen is saying that she doesn’t believe what the other character is saying because the other character is trying too hard to be convincing by the use of repetitive statements. In the case of J.K. Rowling repeatedly teaching her readers that the dead cannot come back from the dead, I believe that she has purposely and intentionally built up a belief in the Death Doctrine, which Dumbledore (as the most powerful wizard or witch of all time) will shatter by coming back from the dead.
Though the Death Doctrine may have been true in the past, it is only true until proven wrong or until a witch or wizard finds a magical way around it. Consider the fact that until Nicholas Flamel invented the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone, it was not possible for a witch or wizard to remain alive indefinitely without drinking a Unicorn’s blood, which causes a witch or wizard to have only a cursed or a half life.
Though the Death Doctrine has likely been true up until this point, we now have a new and distinguishable possibility. This is that Dumbledore (the most powerful and gifted wizard or witch of all time) found measures, steps, or actions that can be taken prior to death that allow a witch or wizard to die and then return from death. In this, Dumbledore will have maintained his status as the most powerful witch or wizard of all time, as well as his status as being more powerful than the Dark Lord.
Finally, I will now explain all of this in relation to J.K. Rowling’s comments that Dumbledore is dead and that he will not pull a Gandalf.
If the theory explained above, or something similar, is the case, J.K. Rowling would, in all truth, be able to claim that DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD, because he is. However, this does not forestall the possibility that he won’t return from the dead. Furthermore, this fits with Rowling’s comment that Dumbledore won’t pull a Gandalf. Consider what occurred to Gandalf. He never died. He fell and fell along with the fiery beast. Then he battled the fiery beast for what seemed ages and eons, but was eventually victorious in the battle and then transcended to another plane of existence. In short, Gandalf never died and never came back from the dead. It only appeared to his companions that he came back from the dead. Therefore, if Dumbledore comes back from death somehow, he will not have “pulled a Gandalf.”
If what I suggest comes true, Dumbledore will have gone one step further and will have conquered death from the other side of death’s veil, something that no other literary hero, save possibly Jesus Christ himself, has accomplished. Thus we see a true Christ like character in Dumbledore.
Of course, I could be miles off.
Welcome to Beyond Hogwarts!
Beyond Hogwarts is a site primarily about the Wizarding World, including the Harry Potter franchise and Fantastic Beasts but also covers a wide variety of other series including The Lord of the Rings.
You can also find news, editorials, features, list, and reviews for other movies, TV shows, and books!
Our Communities
I think there are some really good points in this article, but I actually disagree in regards to the Snape-not-using-Avada-Kedavra-on-Dumbledore theory. It is true that JKR has explained the Killing curse’s requirements to us through characters like Bellatrix and fake Moody, but I think we need to take into account that these characters will each have their own spin on the curse based on their own experiences. All we know for sure is that you need to have enough force behind the curse to make it work…as proven the many times Harry tries to use it against Voldemort and Snape but is unsuccessful -you have to mean it. But you do not necessarily have to enjoy it. Bellatrix is mad and hardly a good reference in this case. We can safely assume that Snape, however, has the ability, and at one point had the desire to use the unforgiveable curses.
I think that the revulsion on Snape’s face when he killed Dumbledore is the clearest marker of his allegiance to good. He wasn’t disgusted with Dumbledore either for evil reasons or for being forced into participating in a fake-death plan, but with the act itself. Clearly, he knew how to perform the curse, was well aware of the power he held, and was disgusted by it.
That being said I do not believe that Avada Kedavra was responsible for Dumbledore’s death (he’s definitely dead). I think it was a combination of his weakened state, the killing curse AND the fall from the tower that caused him to die. The closest thing to proof that I can find for this theory is that Harry wiped blood from Dumbledore’s mouth when he saw the body. This implies that he either bit his tongue, or had some kind of damage to his lungs prior to dying, and both of these things are not caused by the curse but are more consistant with physical trauma from the fall. As we well know, Avada Kedavra leaves no marks, that is what made it so alarming/disturbing to Muggles.
My final point is surrounding the idea that Dumbledore could actually be alive. He’s not. He died to protect Harry, Draco, Snape and whatever work Snape was needed to do while maintaining his close relationship with Voldemort. We already have it from his mouth that death is hardly the worst thing in the world, he’s said that twice. That is what makes his character so substantially different from Voldemort’s. Voldemort is obsessed with his fear of death, that’s obvious both from his name(Voldemort seems to be derived from vole-de-mort, or fly from death in French)and his actions (he’s gone farther along the line of immortality than any before him…Horcruxes!). Dumbledore on the other hand would be completely willing to give up his life simply to save another’s. Like Snape, Draco or Harry. Or the thousands of other who could be saved by Harry’s continuing fight and subsequent overthrow of Voldemort.
I know it’s hard to accept, but we need to accept that Albus is not coming back, and the closest thing we’ll probably get to seeing him again is the painting in his old office. He’s dead. Snape killed him, using the killing curse. Whether or not Snape is good or evil remains to be seen, but I think there is a very good chance that Snape and Dumbledore had planned that event and Snape will in fact remain true to the Order of the Phoenix, even if we don’t see it until the very end of the final book.
Hmmmm… Interesting well we will have to wait and see on July 21st then.
Interesting theory. Alot of people think that. that might be true. but didnt he fall off the 500 ft. tower?
Why do I feel like I’m the only one who thinks Dumbledore coming back to Hogwarts as a ghost answers the questions in a very simple way?
Dumbledore is stronger than anybody and if Harry could live from a killing curse given by Voldemort, then Dumbledore could have survived from a killing curse by Snape.
I agree very strongly with the first Reader Comment on several points.
The only thing that I would like to add is that I do not agree that Snape would have to be evil in order to cast Avada Kadavera. While Snape did block Harry’s attempts at unforgivable curses, he was still able to cast them. And Rowling has not explicitly stated any views of ‘good vs evil’ in any of the books. In fact, Voldemort himself insists that there is not such thing, only power and those too weak to seek it. In fact, by the posters logic, Harry would ultimately be unable to kill Voldemort in the end without becoming evil himself.
Yes Snape murdered Dumbledore, but he did not want to and was forced to by the vow he made (likely without fully knowing what Draco’s task was and simply was forced to make it to maintain his cover), and his promise to Dumbledore. Sacrifice is a common theme in the books, and Dumbledore’s death is the ultimate expression of this (unless, as some people speculate, Harry sacrifices himself to kill Voldemort)
But the poster did bring forward some interesting and well thought out ideas, and I agree with him in general.
In response to the ‘Dumbledore as a ghost’ post, I would guess that it won’t happen. Headless Nick confided in Harry that he is a ghost because he was afraid to die. I do not believe Dumbledore would be afraid to die, and nor would he intentionally chose a half-existence (even to help Harry), due to his beliefs on death.
i think snape is innocent because in the 4th book, voldemort has a coversation with harry. he tells harry that all his servants have been faithful to him. three are at hogwarts…one is too scared to return (Karkaroff), the second is his most faithful servant (Barty Crouch Jr.), and the third he believes has left him for ever (Snape)! it all fits in place!
Article contains some interesting ideas but I disagree. Dumbledore is dead. This genre of literature virtually demands that the mentor die so the hero can fulfill his destiny. JKR has clearly said Dumbledore is dead. But, she not only said that in response to a flood of speculation after “Half-Blood Prince”, she, through Dumbledore, has repeatedly let us know that the no spell can reawaken the dead and that there are worse things than death which Voldemort may be about to find out once and for all.
As for Snape’s action on the Astronomy Tower, I believe there’s more to what happened than met the eye. Did the curse Snape used produce the green light? I don’t recall that it did in which case it probably wasn’t the AK curse. But, there could be other killing curses. We don’t know definitively but JKR has repeatedly said that AK was unblockable. It’s possible that there are other killing curses which kill their victims just as dead as the AK.
Remember the meeting between Snape and Dumbledore in the forest that was partially overheard by Hagrid? They were arguing. My thoughts are that Dumbledore was insisting that Snape fulfill the Unbreakable Vow he made to Narcissa to protect Draco by killing Dumbledore if it became necessary and Snape was arguing against it.
Dumbledore has always been more than a role model for his students and colleagues. He has been a “deity” of sorts, a moral compass, a man of the highest ethical standards. More than anyone else, Dumbledore would do what is right and necessary to benefit the common good regardless of the cost to him. Dumbledore would not be afraid of the sacrifice needed from him to help deliver the wizarding world from the clutches of Voldemort’s evil.
I think the thing everyone is overlooking about Dumbledore really being dead is that they laid his body to rest in book six. Hagrid carried it to the stone table and then someone did a spell to encase him in the table.
I agree with the fact that Dumbledore is dead and although someone may have mentioned this but he died to keep Harry going in their fight against Voldemort. I think it was in book 6 when Harry said that he had been inquired by Rufus Scrimgeour and Harry had said that he was, indeed, Dumbledores man through and through. This would have been enough for Dumbledore to start his plan for his own death. When Dumbledore would have died, a thirst for revenge would have been born inside of Harry and he would of course be more engaged towards destroying Voldemort. I think this was the true reason why Dumbledore planned his own death.
if Dumbledore is somehow alive (which i think is possible) we also have to bear in mind that he must not contact harry or show any sign of life. after all, voldemort can enter harry’s mind….
i agree with alot of what people are saying but basically DUMBLEDORE IS DEAD and there is no coming back of him whatsoever apart from the painting in the office.
basically ALL the facts point to him dying and i have gathered facts to prove that snape is good as well. these are very subtle in book six but nevertheless they are there.
SNAPE IS GOOD. dumbledore has always trusted snape implicitly if not more so than most. his reasoning he gives is due to the remorse that he showed after voldemort went for parents as he had not expected that. now this sounds like a very stupid place of trust for such a lame explanation of his actions.
however if you look at all the books, he may have hated james but i believe he may have loved harrys mum lily. he has never once said anything mean about her and she always defended him in his school days. this is one reason he hated james as he got the girl, and another that he hates yet protects harry at the same time. he sees lily in harry sometimes and he is a constant reminder that she died and it was his fault. after all we know that voldemort actually tried not to kill lily even though she is a ‘mudblood’ and the fact that he went along and did it shows his betrayal to snape as i believe snape to have asked voldemort to spare her. thats why V says “get out of the way you silly girl!”
so that explains his change to the good side. he wants to aid in the destruction of voldemort. this also adds to dumbledores theory that love is the strongest type of magic as ultimately snapes love for lily will help kill voldemort.
it is blatant that snape killed dumbledore on his orders this is proved sightly way in in the book. HAGRID overheard dumbledore and snape in the woods talking. he tells harry of how snape was saying that he “doesn’t want to do it anymore” and that he’s “taking to much for granted” there is no explanation for this whatsoever in the book so i believe that him not wanting to do it is the killing of dumbledore and the taking to much fr granted is that harry will kill voldemort.
it also states at the beginning of the book 1. how he has performed the unbreakable vow so has to and 2. how he is voldemorts most trusted servant. after voldemorts betrayal in killing lily he has no affections for voldemort as a master and doesn’t trust him back.
also when harry is chasing snape he does not hurt harry in the slightest saying “leave him for the darklord.” he also does not hurt any of the other students and gets all the deateaters to leave as soon as possible therefore trying to protect the students. he did not know harry was up at the tower otherwise he might not have killed dumbledore so nastily with hatred etched in his skin.
now i come to my next theory based on fact. dumbledore has never feared death ever. this is stated in the sixth book between his battle with voldemort when he says “there are things worse than death, that has always been your greatest weakness tom!” whatever this may be we will find out in the next book. maybe he will haunt voldemort somehow i dont know, but i am sure his death will spawn more followers on the good side as people will want to avenge his death, most specifically harry.
and voldemort does not believe it or know it it seems snape is very similar to Voldemort, he is a half blood, gave him a new title like Voldemort, likes DADA like Voldemort. which helps prove that Snape is good. he was the DADA teacher that year employed by Dumbledore and Dumbledore knew there was a curse on that job so must known that snape would be leaving at the end f the year, i.e. by killing him.
i know this has probably been confusing but if you read carefully, im sure you see where im coming from and must believe it slightly.
I don’t think he can sacrifice himself for hogwarts. I mean lilly loved harry and her love runs in his veins, I don’t think dumbledore can protect hogwarts by sacrificing himself.
As I was reading all these comments I got this idea… Maybe during the final fight between Voldmort and Harry, Snape gets a chance for the last time, to choose which side he wants to be on: Harry’s or Voldemort. The side that he chooses will be the one who lives… Voldmort is trying to talk Snape into his side, but in the nick of time, he sees Harry in the eyes, which reminds him of lily, and thus he finally chooses to take Harry�s side and finish of Voldemort. (This kinda makes sense as JKR told us lily�s eyes are going to play a major role).
In JK Rowling’s books, it seems like everything that seems obvious is not right.
In the first book, it was quirrel who was evil, not snape.
In the second book, Ginny (of all people) was the one that opens the chamber of secret.
In the fourth book, mad-eye moody was the one that was helping voldemort (well, not technically, but still).
Everything is exactly different from what we are told to believe. But Rowling leaves one clue in the beginning of the book that has a direct explanation to the end of the book.
1st. Quirrel not shaking Harry’s Hand, and at the end, Harry touching Quirrel is what gets him out of the situation. 2nd Malfoy picks up Ginny’s books and puts them back into her cauldron while they were in diagon alley. 4th Mad-Eye Moody’s trash cans “attack” him, but it is actually Crouch kidnapping Moody.
But through the book, we are made to feel pity for the character that actually is bad in the end- 1st quirrel, 2nd ginny, 4th crouch, while we don’t like the character who is actually innocent in the end- 1st- Snape, 2nd- Malfoy.
Similarly, in the 6th book, we are told that Dumbledore actually trusts snape, next we are made to feel pity towards malfoy in the book (moaning myrtle, the scene with dumbledore on the lightning-struck tower), and so, doesn’t it fall to reason that although snape is shown in bad light throughout the entire book, he is actually right?
The AK curse that Snape gave to Dumbledore is described almost the same as the Stunner Spells that were piled onto McGonagall in OOP. Except the stunners were red. But the reaction McGonagall had was identical to the reaction Dumbledore had to Snapes “AK”. So is it possible that Snape “thought” a stunner?
i agree with you smanvi from windsor
that is very good, but i want to add snape could have let harry ron and hermione die in PoA but he guarded them in the movie he pushed them behind his back so i think that proves he picked harry’s side.
Dark Prophet, I’m with you. There is a lot that was unsaid between Snape and Dumbledore. They are both very powerful wizards and it seems likely that they were communicating with Legilimency. It also seems likely that Dumbledore could perform magic without his wand–and non-verbally.
If Malfoy was able to assess the tower when he arrived–noting the 2 brooms–I’m sure Snape did too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Snape unfroze Harry nonverbally as he was leaving.
Last night I was rereading the chapter in HBP where Harry obtains the memory form Slughorn. When he returns he is locked out of the Gryffindor common room. Nearly Headless Nick tells Harry that Dumbledore has returned. He claims heard it from The Bloody Baron who was “groaning and clanking up on the Astronomy Tower” (p493 HBP, US) Did anybody else catch that? It kind of goes along with Dobby’s comment about throwing himself off the highest tower. Is JKR just toying with us? Or do these characters know what’s going to happen between Snape and Dumbledore? Again, I go on the assumption that this “death” was all pre-planned and faked.
Bottom line–Snape is good.
During the chase at the end of the book, Snape kept on saying, “do not kill (Harry)! He belongs to the dark lord!” Then uh, why didn’t he just kidnap harry? If he was really evil, his cover would have been blown, and well, he really wouldn’t have cared if people saw him kidnap Harry.
dc: You’re right about the fact that Jo often leads us on the wrong track, just like Asimov did in the Foundation trilogy, and Agatha Christie used to do almost everytime in her books. What’s more, we see people through the eyes of Harry. Harry hates Snape, fears Filch. Then we are lead to consider Snape and Filch as the bad guys. Barty Crouch attacks Malfoy, we feel sympathy for him. The same for Quirrel. Three major couterexamples though, up to now: Dumbledore and Hagrid are really nice people, Umbridge is really a terrible witch.
Heather–Dave…
I have to add that Snape keeps reminding people on the ‘Hogwarts Raid’ not to kill Harry because it is their ‘instructions’… This would make sense if Snape had been informed of the raid/plot and what ‘instructions’ there are for the raid.
So often it goes undiscussed that Snape did not even know the date and time or other details of the ‘raid’. He had to be awakened by Flitwick or he would have missed it altogether. Snape was never briefed or given ‘instructions’ about this event. Snape cannot possibly know if what is to happen to Potter has changed or not. I have always seen the ‘flight of the prince’ as containing clue after clue to Snape’s ‘goodness’. He gives Harry clear instructions and warnings about fighting Voldemort, he saves Harry.. by passing on ‘instructions’ to Death Eaters that he was not given. (yes, these could be ‘standing orders’ but Snape cannot be certain of that. He chooses to save Harry.. and, as pointed out above, chooses not to kidnap him either. )
It is, after all, our ‘choices’ which define who and what we are…
Even if we see them trhough harry’s eyes, we still know what they do. It is not like harry makes these things up.
Charlie,
I haven’t even seen it in this regard. You gave me the ultimate reason why Snape is good. It is so true what you say.
I really enjoyed reading this article. I think that J. K. Rich made a very intelligent argument and found the lawyer’s perspective especially interesting.
The fact that a person can only perform an Unforgivable Curse if they mean it indeed a very important factor to consider. Did Snape “want” to kill Dumbledore? There’s always the argument that if Dumbledore planned his death and told Snape to kill him, Snape may “want” to kill Dumbledore, not to help Voldemort but to help Dumbledore. Although Snape would not want Dumbledore to be dead, he may want Dumbledore’s plan to succeed, which may have provided the necessary intenet to perform the killing curse. That’s just a theory, of course.
I have to admit that I’ve always believed Rowling’s statements that no one can come back from the dead, but this article made me think. Of course, there are lots of fans out there — including myself — who hope that this statement isn’t true, because we want our favorite characters, such as Sirius and Dumbledore, to come back. J. K. Rowling has surprised us before in each book, so it is not unreasonable to think that there may be some tricky wording in her statements to lead us off-track. Also, it would make for an important message in the book if Dumbledore is able to “conquer death from the other side of the veil.”
An especially good point, I thought, was the fact that Snape has to appear to be a Death Eater so that he can continue spying for the Order. While Dumbledore’s death may not be necessary, it would help his plan. Snape made the unbreakable vow. Snape has to be alive to continue his work, so therefore he had to kill Dumbledore. Also, Dumbledore appearing dead may make Voldemort feel safe, since Voldemort fears Dumbledore.
While I can’t, of course, know whether or not Dumbledore will come back from the death, I think it’s possible, since the unbreakable vow was fulfilled when Snape killed Dumbledore. Snape is not in danger if Dumbledore comes back from the dead, since Snape upheld his promise.
Anyway, great article!
ginny was posessed by voldemort when she opened the chamber of secrets. voldemort used the diary to do it. for another thing, snape is good, you are right about that, but the fact of the matter is dumbledore is dead. but his spirit and genius in the the picture.
Okay, so here’s a wild thought.
We know that the night James and Lily were killed, there is a span of time that we aren’t sure where Harry was. There is also the question of WHY does Dumbledore trust Snape? What IF…Snape is the one who took care of Harry during that time, and delivered him to Dumbledore for protection? If he and Lily used to be friends then it seems it would be possible for him to feel some compassion towards the baby, and knowing that Voldemort just killed Lily was ready to turn his back on Voldemort. Just a thought…I think maybe the way Dumbledore offered protection to Malfoy might compare to what he did for Snape.
But as we have seen in in snapes worst memory, they weren’t friends. He thought she was a filty little mudblood.
While I think that the article is extremely well written, it is also troubling as well. The reason that Rowling has been so adamant in telling her readers that death is forever was to prepare fans for Dumbledore’s eventual demise. Even Sirius’ death, not just for Harry, but for the readers, is an attempt acclimate the fans that death is going to happen and when it does it will be real. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Dumbledore is still alive, therefore there’s almost no way to discuss it without inventing wild conspiracy theories that attempt to psycho-analyze the artist and not the art, which is what this article has done.
On the Snape being good note; I understand why people seem to think this is true, I understand that some of the evidence is interesting maybe even compelling, I even understand that most Snape apologists aren’t really even arguing on behalf of Snape’s innocence, they are arguing on behalf of Dumbledore being right, what I never could understand is why Snape took that UV. I’ve heard every theory out there and none of them comes close to explaining why a good Snape does this. Every reason that can be given as to why Snape would take the vow, in regards to him being good, would be true if Snape hadn’t taken the vow. There’s only one thing that the Vow actually does from a practical standpoint, it forces Dumbledore to let Malfoy’s actions go unchecked. If Dumbledore knew it was Malfoy that was responsible for the attacks on Katie and Ron, then Dumbledore was obligated to remove Malfoy immediately, unless he knew that to do so would mean the life of Malfoy, Snape and by proxy, Harry, and by further proxy, the entire wizarding world. It’s my supposition that Snape made the vow to lock Dumbledore into a certain set of rigid actions that ultimately culminated in Dumbledore’s death.
omg you are so right AMY i think snape gave the baby to hagrid to give to dumbledore to give to the dursleys for protection. there is an enchantment on the house untill harry turnes seventeen. snape is good once i read this site i believed that. i still think dumbledore’s picture will be a big help in DH. Oh and i think that aberforth will play a big part as well.
I don’t think it is possible that Snape took care of Harry during the aftermath. Hagrid clearly states that he (Hagrid) rescued Harry from the ruins of Godric’s Hollow.
Amy from P.Kentucky – It is a possibility that Severus took Harry for a time after Voldemort attacked, but there are certain things that we know about the situation that seem not to fit with the rest of your theory. First, we know that Hagrid was the one who removed Harry from the wreckage and delivered him to Albus; we see this in the very first scene of Philosopher’s Stone. Second, Severus turned to Dumbledore’s side BEFORE Voldemort attacked; Albus says so in the Pensive trial of Igor Karkaroff. I’m not saying that Severus wasn’t there protecting Harry, but it was not Severus to deliver him, nor was Vodemort having just killed Lily his reason for turning (regardless of whether or not he loves her).
I just read the article for the 3rd time and I was shocked by my own idea. What if Dumbledore had to die for a great plan?
J.K. Rich said:
“[…]I cannot see that Dumbledore would permit his actual permanent death, unless he was convinced that his actual permanent death was absolutely necessary to pull off his own plan. The only problem with this is that Dumbledore’s actual permanent death would have done nothing to further any plan Dumbledore could have spawned.”
So I thought, why would Dumbledore accept his own death? The only reason I could think of is that Dumbledore is, in fact, a Horcrux.
I know this sounds real silly and I don’t like the idea either, but it’s the only thing I can think of.
But there is a time gap…So who was with Harry at the house? Was it Snape? Did Snape deliver Harry to Hagrid, or keep Harry safe until Hagrid arrived, who in turn took him to Dumbledore?
Claudia,
The fact that it was Snape�s worst memory is the clue.
Have you ever been so angry or embarrassed that you shout to or insult a friend or family member who is just trying to help you?
I believe it was Severus� worst memory not because he had being humiliated, but because he had been humiliated in front of Lily, and when she tried to intervene he reacted in a way that he regretted afterwards, because this is what caused their “friendship” to end, thus his chances of ever being with her also came to an end.
Sometimes, when we are angry, we say things that we regret afterwards.
Emilio! 100% perfect reading and explination of why it is ‘Snape’s Worst Memory”… (needless to say I agree)
I agree with most of his ideas but also have to agree with Emilio and the first comments. But i think one thing is being forgotten here, the unbreakable vow, it had to be snape that killed Dumbledore, Snape made that vow.
I also think the author of this article is underestimating Snapes power as a wizard. The killing curse would be no problem for him. Think about it, he is the only one to ever fool the dark lord, and he is still doing it and this act will just make the dark lord love him and put him above suspicion.
I believe the fact that Snape is good is pretty obvious and that everything that takes place up on the tower and that his remarks to Harry as he chases him are crucial to understanding this.
I just want to jump back and say once again that Dumbledore is dead, he has to be, the unbreakable vow. Snape obviously told Dumbledore about it and this is his plan. This is the only way that Snape can continue to fool the dark lord and dumbledore knows that at this stage it is more important to have a man inside who can pass on crucial inside information.
Finally one last comment i have is about the ghost, theory. That isn’t going to happen but Dumbledore will still be a character. The picture in the head masters office, we already know its there. And also we can not forget the pensive with all his memories. Those two things are going to come into play at least some and will help Harry on his Quest to end this once and for all.
ok i think dumbledore planned his own death flat out he needed to place extra protection and that is what his death accomplished
I apologize I wish it were possible to keep all of the facts straight in my head from the books but with 6 books that is proving quite difficult. So Snape turned good according to Dumbledore before Voldemort attacked the Potter’s? okay then…certainly puts holes in my theory doesn’t it?
Poe (from May 16th)
I can think of one reason that Snape would make an Unbreakable Vow — to find out Draco’s task, in order to report back to Dumbledore. When he used Legilimency to discover what Narcissa was thinking, his hand twitched as he realized what he had committed himself to do. Dumbledore knew there was no way out of the Vow, and accepted his death.
I have a new idea about Dumbledore planning to die.
What if the soul fragment which is released from a horcrux seeks out a living being to “inhabit”. Dumbledore’s hand wearing the ring horcrux was inhabited by Voldemort’s soul fragment once the horcrux was destroyed. In order to get rid of this piece of evil soul, Dumbledore had no choice but to “kill” his hand before the soul tried to take over the rest of him. ( I see foreshadowing in the possession of Ginny by Riddle, Quirrel by Voldemort, and Harry by Voldemort.) When Dumbledore and Harry left for the cave, perhaps Dumbledore expected to be “inhabited” by another released soul fragment. Taking advantage of his inescapable death at the hand of Snape, he had planned to kill two birds with one AK — release Snape from the UV, and remove another horcrux from Harry’s list. I believe the timing was extremely unfortunate in that Draco finally succeeded in opening Hogwarts to the Death Eaters, just as Dumbledore and Harry returned with the fake locket.
Snape and Dumbledore were communicating via Legilimens on the tower. In front of witnesses and compelled by the UV, Snape had no choice but to kill Dumbledore, but knew it was a wasted death, and so had the look of revulsion on his face.
Good stuff from the previous poster.
A common theme in the 6th book is Dumbledore insisting that Harry’s life (or blood, but same thing) was more important than his, and he mentioned this several times. He was ready to make a sacrifice for the benefit of the cause for the entire book. If he felt that Snape had to either kill him or have his cover blown, he would choose to die. I believe that we will see in the 7th book that Harry will not be able to get to Voldemort without Snape’s help (but he won’t realize it), and that is why it was important for Dumbledore to keep Snape alive. Either that or he is just a great man and would rather sacrifice himself than see one of his compatriots die.
I don’t think it was like that. I think if you destroy the horcrux, that the soul is also gone. The soul isn’t a thing that just floats around the universe, it is a complex thing.
i dont understand why snape used the avada kedavra curse out loud if the book was about non-verbal curses, unless it was because snape uttered another spell non-verbally. I believe that snape is good, but our main problem is if harry will believe snape is good.
I always found it curious why Snape’s potions book was left at the school. I still have my text books, unless they were from the library, but I would not let go of one with so much important information in it. Is it common practice for lots of students to leave their books for students to come? Did Snape leave it on purpose as part of his plan with Dumbledore? Is this just another coincidence that the Dark Lord shares with his most faithful servant?
If Dumbledore is not dead, then JK Rowling will be seen as a hypocrite. That’s not to say he won’t manifest or reveal himself in some way we readers know not.
If he does pop out of the woods, however, the whole series goes down the drain, especially the last few chapters of Half-Blood Prince. It was really difficult to let go of such a rock of a character like Dumbledore, I highly doubt Rowling toys with our emotions like that.
MMC…I think that Snape kept his book in the cupboard of the potions class because he was the potions teacher for a long time and kept the book there for reference. Apparently when he went to teach DADA, he did not take his book with him.
Claudia,
I agree the soul is a complex thing, but what happens to it when released from a living body, that is when someone dies?
It passes on to whatever comes beyond death. I don’t think a fragment released from a horcrux would just vanish. But what would it do? Wouldn’t it need somewhere to go?
I see three possibilities, it passes to wherever a complete soul goes upon death, it returns to the soul it was ripped from, or it finds the nearest living being to possess.
I feel that as Voldemort grew in power and knowledge, his horcruxes became more sophisticated and deadly. He might have found a way to enchant his soul fragments to possess whoever destroyed the horcrux, so now the soul is not just released, the soul must also be dealt with.
I see this as the reason Dumbledore’s hand was blackened, and he did not ask Fawkes to heal it. Something which is dead cannot come back to life. And this could be the reason he brought Harry with him to the cave. If Dumbledore were possessed by Voldemort’s soul, who better to have by your side than he who is marked as the equal of the Dark Lord. I think that throughout book 6, Dumbledore knew of his impending death, and planned to use it to his advantage as I mentioned in my previous post, but thanks to RAB, Snape’s hand was forced, over a fake horcrux.
Enjoyed the post from Poe which is the same line of thinking I�ve had about Snape being good. The tendency for the majority of readers is to bend over backward in their interpretation of the reading material to prove his innocence because in their minds he HAS to be good so Dumbledore isn�t proven wrong, Snape is not such an unsavory, unredeemable character and ultimately so there is justification to Dumbledore�s death. But unfortunately the truth is, there are bad people in the world that will twist their way into your confidence and ultimately betray you. And the books have been making a journey in this direction from a childlike perception of the world to having to confront harsh realities.
Additionally, does it make sense to have the success of your grand plan rely on an individual that is going to be hunted by the Ministry of Magic almost as hard as Voldemort? Not to mention hated and gunned for by nearly every other member of the wizarding world. And that probably goes double for Harry, the person this plan is supposed to help. Risky. Real risky. I just can�t see Dumbledore placing any Order member in such an untenable position if they were as close of a confidant as Snape would have to have been.
Patty
Well argued points on Horcrux/Possession. We know that a soul fragment could posses someone as was Ginny in CoS, unless that possession was due to special magic endowed into the Diary for distinct purpose of opening the Chamber.
The one �hole� in the theory is if a released soul fragment wants to inhabit/possess the nearest living being, why didn�t we see an attempt on Harry when he destroyed the diary. Or better yet, on Ginny who was unconscious, defenseless and had been possessed previously?
JK Rowling said herself that Snape is GOOD! If you accept that he is good it will bring everything to light for you and you will suddenly be able to figure out many other clues as to why and what’s coming. You’re holding yourself back by not believing JK Rowling and you’re making it harder on yourself to figure out storylines by not accepting this fact.
Sharon; it was such an obvious answer, I missed it! Keeping the book for teaching purposes or self referencing and forgetting it in the move would make sense.