<p>Question: Is Severus Truly Good or Inherently Evil?</p>
<p>I personally think he is evil and that DD was foolish to trust him...</p>
<p>FYI you might want to change the thread title...</p>
<p>To what? What's wrong with it?</p>
<p>Eep it won't let me change the title.</p>
<p>What's wrong with the title?</p>
<p>You might not even want to mention Snape at all in the title.</p>
<p>I've heard from a friend with reasonable justification that Snape may indeed be good. I'll have to get her permission to post it, but it's the best explanation I've heard.</p>
<p>Well, actually, from a quick trip around the HP forums, it seems like the theory that "Snape is good and Dumbledore ordered him to kill him" is very popular. BIG HINT in Snape's defiance when Harry calls him "cowardly".</p>
<p>The thread title is a problem because it's not till the end that we know that this is a question to ask, or how important Snape becomes in this book.</p>
<p>I disagree - I was asking this question throughout the entire book, as was Harry. There was even some development of this subject in the 5th book.</p>
<p>Personally, I think he's good, and I think the reason DD trusts him is because of a deep dark secret - something crazy like's he's Harry's father (although I'm pretty sure this isn't it) or something.</p>
<p>I think there's still a good chance that Snape is good. I've posted in two other threads on CC already, so I won't bother to post them again.</p>
<p>Have you guys heard the theory yet that Snape was in love with Lily Evans? That would make sense. They both rocked at potions (as Slughorn kept commenting on in this book). Snape hated James so much because Snape couldn't have Lily, but James could. Dumbledore keeps making "love" out to be the strongest weapon there is...suppose Snape turned to the good side, NOT because he regretted sending Voldy after James, but sending him after Lily. </p>
<p>The only counter to this however, is that Snape calls her a "Mudblood" in the pensieve scene in book 5, which is...er, not the nicest thing to do. Perhaps, however, Snape was feeling too abashed and angry at that point and just lashing out, humiliated that Lily had to save him. Or he was hiding his feelings for her, because he's embarassed. (Hey, I've seen boys in high school do similar things...) In the pensieve scene however, we also see Snape following the 4-some and a group of girls..."deeply absorbed" in his exam paper...perhaps he was tailing Lily while pretending to look over his work? Doesn't make sense he would follow the foursome. Harry thought it was just a lucky thing at the time, but maybe Snape was deliberately following someone.</p>
<p>Finally, this COULD explain why JKR says the fact that Harry's eyes are green is important -- not because they give him any wonderful magical power, but because every time Snape "bores into them," he is wounded, reminded of Lily and his hatred for James. (Yeah, this last part is sappy....).</p>
<p>I think the major thing supporting this theory is that JKR DID say we'd learn more about Lily's background in future books, and book 6 revealed she had a knack for potions.</p>
<p>LOL...Harry's father...RIIIIGHT...you have to remember in the last few pages of the chapter in which Dumbledore died....he was like "...Severus....Help me..." And it said Snape had "hatred in his eyes." He merely snapped at the prospect of being a coward, because Sirius taunted him in 12 Grimauld Place in Order...Read their argument again.....he is inherently evil...and a good Occlumens....remember he attacked Flitwick...Dumbledore was too willing to give second chances....although...i must say...i was convinced it was actually Snape who was gonna die when Dumbledore told Harry "we have never been able to retain a DDADA teacher for more than a year after I turned Voldemort away..." You must also remember that Snape used the AK curse....to use an unforgiveable, you must be purely intent on causing pain (also mentioned by Bellatrix in the Ministry in Order)...you must feel hatred and be determined to complete the curse with all of your heart...which is why Harry can't use the Cruciatus curse...because he's not low enough to cause pain</p>
<p>Snape gives me the creeps. I hope he's bad.
I think Dumbledore can come back though...maybe?</p>
<p>I've been linking this post all over the place: <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/garlandgraves/3409.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.livejournal.com/users/garlandgraves/3409.html</a></p>
<p>I desperately want him to be good, and it contains the most credible argument I've seen so far.</p>
<p>It may also be a question of 'expecting the unexpected'. It was rubbed in repeatedly in the book that Snape is EVIL. EVIL, EVIL, EVIL. Oh, and by the way, he's EVIL. Somehow I don't think she'd be so obvious about it if he truly were--but that may just be wishful thinking.</p>
<p>Well if you want to go with expect the unexpected, perhaps Voldemort will be good! :p</p>
<p><em>sigh</em> im too obsessed for my own good, but here goes...</p>
<p>a) you have to remember in the last few pages of the chapter in which Dumbledore died....he was like "...Severus....Help me..."
Counter: NO! He never, in fact, said "Help me"...he says, "Severus...please..."</p>
<p>b) And it said Snape had "hatred in his eyes."
COUNTER: Let's see what words JKR uses to describe Harry force-feeding Dumbledore poison: "Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing..."</p>
<p>c) He merely snapped at the prospect of being a coward, because Sirius taunted him in 12 Grimauld Place in Order...
COUNTER: "...as though he were in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog..." If he was truly super-evil, would you feel that way after you have just killed the greatest wizard alive, even if he were called a coward? </p>
<p>d) remember he attacked Flitwick...
COUNTER: why didn't he kill him? could've been easily done!</p>
<p>e) Dumbledore told Harry "we have never been able to retain a DDADA teacher for more than a year after I turned Voldemort away..."
so he KNEW for CERTAIN Snape would be gone after this year....</p>
<p>f) You must also remember that Snape used the AK curse....to use an unforgiveable, you must be purely intent on causing pain (also mentioned by Bellatrix in the Ministry in Order)...
COUNTER: I believe that's only for the Cruciatus curse...(someone can call me on that one...)</p>
<p>Dumbledore doesn't plead for his life. It would be fundamentally against his character.</p>
<p>zantedeschia, I believe we have sufficient evidence to be sure that Voldemort is evil ;) ... in Snape's case, though, there's always been a lot of ambiguity, and I think there's a fair chance that she might go for the less obvious alternative.</p>
<p>Argument for that possibility: She's done it before. It fits her pattern.
Argument against it: She's done it before. She'll want to throw us off guard.</p>
<p>Personally, I think it would be a horrible waste of one of the most complex characters in the series. Would she build up all that characterization, only to then say "oh, he was actually evil all along"? I want to say she wouldn't.</p>
<p>Oh and one more thing...</p>
<p>So let's say Dumbledore was very naive, so he trusted Snape 100%. BUT, he was SCARED that Snape would relapse if he worked with the Dark Arts in DADA (the reason that Snape gave Bellatrix) and he was SCARED that Snape would betray him on top of the tower. WHAT KIND OF TRUST IS THAT? You trust them 100%, but you feel they can easily betray you if given the chance. That's not trust! </p>
<p>Snape HAD to be making up the "relapse" excuse (DD obviously didn't put him there cuz he wanted Snape to stay at Hogwarts and not gone after a year!). And Dumbledore could NOT have been begging Snape for his life at the tower. Dumbledore trusted him with his life countless of times (whenever weakened beyond belief, he would go to Snape). He had to have an ironclad reason. And lastly, I think Snape was also flat-out lying to Bellatrix about not knowing that Quirrell was working for Voldy. He says something like, "decide where your loyalties lie" to Quirrell in book 1 -- I dunno, but to me, that sounds way too serious for if he believed Quirrell was just some unworthy punk of a teacher.</p>
<p>Then there's the matter of the argument between Dumbledore and Snape. Snape was telling Dumbledore he "didn't want to do it anymore" (I paraphrase), and Dumbledore was essentially telling him "you can't back out now". I think that points in favor of an agreement between Snape and Dumbledore.</p>
<p>Dumbledore knew he was dying--it was hinted at throughout the book. (The business with "your life is more important than mine"; the tying up of loose ends [e.g. the Dursleys]; his knowledge of Draco's assassination attempts.) Ordering Snape to kill him would accomplish a number of things: it would save Draco from having to commit murder, allow Snape to keep his Unbreakable Vow, and give Snape a place in Voldemort's inner circle. Dumbledore was no fool--he planned this, knowing that he was dying anyway. I think that's reasonably convincing.</p>
<p>wow, i uno where some of u guys get all these ideas but they actually work amazingly well. dumbledore planning for snape to kill him becuz he knew he was dying? that just might be it. o well, gotta wait like 5 years before we kno for real what snape's real intentions were.</p>
<p>i hope Rowling kicks it in to ultra high gear and finishes book 7...cuz i'm all antsey now</p>
<p>I'm with Harry and Sirius on this one. :D</p>
<p>Never did like Snape anyway</p>