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Reader Comments: (Page 16)

I don't think that Snape is truly evil, although I do believe that he ed Dumbledore. Unless I am mistaken, he had to Dumbledore if Malfoy failed - he made a pact in blood with Malfoy's mother at the beginning of the sixth book stating that should Malfoy fail, he Snape would carry out the 'plan' ie to Dumbledore. We all know that breaking such a pact results in the of that person, and I believe this to be significant.

However, the problem remains that if Snape was good, he would have sacrificed himself knowing that his life was less important than Dumbledore's. The only expanation is that Snape ed him out of cowardice and fear of . Dumbledore is not afraid of - as he explains to Harry in the first book about Nicolas Flamel after the destruction of the Philosopher's Stone, calling just the next step.

In any case, Dumbledore may be , but he's not gone, as such. He once said that he only truly have left Hogwarts when none left are loyal to him, so he remain in some form at least. Also, we are forgetting the talking portraits. Every headmaster has a portrait in their office, so should Harry talk to his portrait, he may still be able to take advice from it, as well as continuing to find his memories in the pensieve.

I think it would be too devastating if there was absolutely no Dumbledore around for the seventh book, he just wont be there in person.

Posted by Lizzy from Oxford on June 5, 2007 11:19 AM

I trust Severus Snape 100%. I put a post on this thread a while back suggesting that Dumbledore received fatal injuries from the ring Horcrux and it was only Snape's ss that were keeping him alive. I believe Dumbledore was kept alive long enough to pass on information to Harry and then he sacrificed himself (seeing as without Snape he was anyway) for the benefit of Snape, Draco and others. I now believe though that there is more to his sacrifice, and that he didn't just do it to save lives - he did it to gain information - information from beyond the veil.

Numbers are always coming in to play in Harry Potter, and the number 12 is yet another number that appears all over the place. The chapter in which Dumbledore s is called The Lightning Struck Tower - which is a tarot card, the 12th tarot card is known as The Hanged Man.

The Hanged Man is a card about suspension, not life or . This is a time of trial or meditation, selflessness, sacrifice, prophecy. The Querent stops resisting; instead he makes himself vulnerable, sacrifices his position or opposition, and in doing so, gains illumination. Answers that eluded him come clear, solutions to problems are found. He sees the world differently, has almost mystical insights. This card can also imply a time when everything just stands still, a time of rest and reflection before moving on. Things continue on in a moment, but for now, they float, timeless.

Sacrifice to gain insights?

The Hanged Man symbolizes the suspension between the physical and the mystical worlds. Dumbledore needs to understand the mystical world of beyond the veil in order to help Harry to defeat Voldemort in the physical world.

"In order to gain, you must give. Sometimes you need to sacrifice cherished positions, open yourself to other truths, other perspectives in order to find solutions, in order to bring about change. One thing is certain, whether the insight is great or small, spiritual or mundane, once you have been the Hanged Man you never see things quite the same."

is but the next great adventure, and I think Dumbledore took it so that he could continue to help Harry is his quest to defeat Voldemort. Snape knows this, Snape helped - and Severus Snape, like Harry, is Dumbledore's man through and through.

Posted by Orlando from England on June 5, 2007 4:43 PM

Lizzy,

I believe that Dumbledore made the choice to be "Sacrificed" in order for Harry to have the advantage, thus gave Snape the DADA job he always wanted, because he knew that as the job was Jinxed, Severus would be out of the school by the end of the year.

It might not sound quite right, but let me elaborate.

If Snape d there would not be a trustworthy spy for the order in Voldemort’s inner circle, but if Severus ed Dumbledore, he would be assured a place among The Dark Lord’s favorites, thus being able to obtain and relay important information.

You might think that relaying information would be impossible, as Harry informed Professor McGonagall and other members of the Order that it had been Professor Snape the one to Dumbledore, so nobody in the order, and especially Harry, would believe a word Severus said.

Here is where I think that Abeforth, Albus Dumbledore’s brother come in. As we know, Abeforth was in the original Order of the Phoenix, and even before the order was founded, he was in constant contact with his brother, that is how Albus knew of the Eaters in the Hogs Head (when Tom Riddle went to ask for the DADA job for the last time).

If my assumption is correct, Abeforth knows more about the Horcrux search and the reasons why Albus had to be KILLED BY Severus, that any other in the order, and be Snape’s contact outside the Eaters circle.

Posted by Emilio from Mexico City, Mexico on June 6, 2007 08:51 AM

Snape's one of the Good Guys!

I doubted it a lot the first time I read the book, but the second around I noticed something. Chapter 2. Bellatrix's asking Snape questions because she doesn't trust him. The last question is why Snape never ed Harry in the last five years. Snape says he did it because he needed Dumbledore's protection, to stay out of Azkaban.
Well, at the end of HBP Dumbledore's , Snape even did it himself. No mather what he does next, it doesn't matter anyway, if he's caught, he going straight to Azkaban. So why doesn't he Harry at the end? His hatred for Harry is genuine, I'm sure of that. But instead he even saves Harry from being tortured with the Cruciatis Curse. Why? Orders from Lord Voldemort? Lord Voldemort would't mind a little pain. So I really don't believe Snape saving Harry, because Lord Voldemort said so.

Posted by Teinz from The Netherlands on June 7, 2007 07:53 AM

I think Dubledore became a Horcrux when he drank the potion in the cave, so he had to have Snape him, to destroy another of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes.

Posted by Srinath on June 7, 2007 1:22 PM

Part of me wants to believe that Snape is a good guy--primarily because if he isn't, he has clearly duped Dumbledore, the greatest wizard ever, and I find it hard to believe that Dumbledore could be so easily fooled. I have seen comments that Snape feels remorse for having played a hand in the of Harry's parents and that is why he foresook Voldemort and moved over to Dumbledore's side. However, I find that very hard to reconcile with the way Snape has treated Harry from the very first book through to the sixth--even/especially when they are alone. I just can't believe that Snape would be able to treat Harry as he does if he truly feels remorse for Harry's parents.

Posted by Place from Tokyo on June 7, 2007 9:11 PM

To add to the proof on your side, in Goblet of Fire, in the chapter on the House Elf Liberation Front, Dobby does say "Dobby likes Proffessor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets for him." I didn't give this sentence much importance, but in the wake of the way things have gone, this may turn out to be extremely important.

Posted by Adithya Raghavan from Chennai,India. on June 9, 2007 09:56 AM

I always hoped dobby would play a role in book 7, and I think he . Now dumbledore is , and dobby is a free-mind elf, he may share some secrets to harry.

Posted by Claudia on June 10, 2007 03:17 AM

I think that Harry might be a horcrux of Dumbledore's. And that he may return in that manner.

Posted by Jacob from Smyrna, Tennessee on June 11, 2007 07:43 AM

I think Dumbledore is . I am forced to look back on Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope. Ben kenobe tells Vader, if you me I become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. He becomes one with the force and still appears to Luke. I believe Dumbledore still mentor Harry possibly through the picture in the office and offer guidence.

I think Snape is still on the side of good. The argument overheard by Hagrid was never cleared up in book 6 and JK has a habit of leaving little clues. I am sure that Draco may still have a chance to redeem himself. None are incapable of being saved.

Posted by Adam from Lancaster, Ohio on June 11, 2007 7:56 PM

I was thinking about what Dumbledore has said about Snape. Never, to my recollection, does he say that Snape is a good person. Sure, he became a double agent and earned his salvation from Azkaban, but is it possible that he actually is as bad as Harry has always thought?

What leads me to believe this is how Dumbledore always expressed his trust. "I trust Severus completely," he'd say. But I wonder, trust him to do what exactly? The forest conversation as per third-person recall didn't make clear that Snape was ready to do Dumbledore's bidding. It could have been as much double (or triple) agent fatigue as anything else.

Perhaps when he says "I trust him completely," we shouldn't look at the word trust as a guarantor of goodness. Maybe he trusted Snape to doublecross him ultimately, that Snape's allegiance to two masters was doomed to fail.

Posted by Snape mighty be on June 12, 2007 11:42 AM

Claudia,

I too would like Dobby to be back. He is one of the recurring characters in the story and an "atypical" House Elf. I doubt that JKR has developed this character throughout the series just to keep him out of the conclusion. If we remember the fountain of magical brethren included a Wizard, a Centaur, a House Elf and a Goblin. I think all these magical beings be important on DH. We have seen Dobby, Winky and Kreacher, with very different personalities, and even caring for or fighting each other, we have seen Firenze and the other Centaurs in action, and we have heard a lot of the boring class about Goblin Wars. All this must have been building up for the great battle that must come at some point during DH, and let us not forget about Giants, Werewolves and Dragons.

Posted by Emilio from Mexico City, Mexico on June 12, 2007 1:33 PM

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