Originally Posted by masamune1600
Could Snape have killed Dumbledore to carry out the Headmaster's own orders?
I really doubt it. While most of the books have, on some level, seemed to imply that Snape really was supporting Dumbledore, there is simply too much in Half-Blood Prince that points to Snape's ultimate duplicity.
First, there is the matter of the Unbreakable Vow. It's been suggested that Snape had been told to do whatever was necessary to convince the Death Eaters of his loyalty. However, Snape had already formed a convincing argument for his Death Eater loyalty; even Voldemort was convinced. Moreover, Snape's partial revelation of the Prophecy and subsequent "remorse" seems to have been Dumbledore's primary reason for trusting the "erstwhile" Death Eater. If Snape were truly sorry, it's unlikely that he would have abused Harry so mercilessly throughout the six books. James and Sirius may have abused him at Hogwarts, yes, but he played an obvious role in both their deaths.
Further, page 604 suggests that Snape's face was "suffused with hatred" as he looked down on Harry. Snape reacts with undeniable anger when Harry attempts to use Snape's Sectumsempra spell against its creator.
Originally Posted by page 604, American edition:
[...]Snape's pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore.
"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them—I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, wouldn't you? I don't think so . . . no!"
The significance of this will be addressed momentarily.
At first, I had believed it possible that the "revulsion" and "hatred" etched on Snape's face when he murdered Dumbledore were indicative of self-loathing. The passage immediately after the one I just quoted has Snape screaming at Harry for calling the murderer a coward. I thought it possible, however unlikely, that Snape felt that he had showed courage in killing Dumbledore, staying true to Dumbledore's plan, even though it meant murdering the world's greatest Light wizard. However, this possibility is absoluted "riddle"d with thematic flaws.
First, I cannot see Dumbledore urging, under any circumstances (no matter how dire), an Order member to murder another person. Killing in combat is acceptible; Dumbledore seeks for Harry to strike Voldemort down. However, there is a difference between self-defense and open murder. Dumbledore had no fear for his own life obviously, as he didn't fear death. But Dumbledore did not want Malfoy to murder him, as it would have inextricably tied Malfoy to the Dark. It's clear that one can potentially return from the precipice of moral ruin; Snape had, after all, ostensibly turned his life around after Death Eater activity. But in cold-blooded murder, Snape would have again lost himself. Remember that the Horcrux, the very embodiment of Dark, can only be achieved through murder. It seems to me that it would be particularly galling to Dumbledore for Snape to kill him with Avada Kedavra. This spell, after all, represents the ultimate submission to the Dark.
Further, the series seems to imply that self-sacrifice is, at least on some level, a component of redemption. Having made the Unbreakable Vow, Snape would have died had he turned on the other Death Eaters. Well, I think Sirius said it best in Prisoner of Azkaban:
Originally Posted by 'Prisoner of Azkaban', page 375, American edition:
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Black, with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
As important as Dumbledore may have thought it for Snape to remain a "spy," I don't think that could have possibly extended to Snape's betrayal of the precepts of Good. In any case, Snape had to realize that, compared with Dumbldore, his contributions to the war against Voldemort would necessarily be small. By saving Dumbledore, by sacrificing himself, Snape could have unquestionably redeemed his shadowy past. He did not.
Returning to the page from 604, however, Snape's hatred for Harry is suggested to bear similarity to the hate on his face when he killed Dumbledore. When Snape looks at Harry, though, there is no self-loathing. There is only rage at the remembered impertinences of the father. This suggests two things: his hatred was directed at Dumbledore, not himself when he murdered him; and revenge and duplicity are the true characteristics of his identity as a Slytherin.
Throughout the series, Slytherins are noted to posess numerous negative traits. These include an unseemly lust for power, a willingness to bend the rules to get what they want, a certain petty (or sometimes profound) cruelty or malice, and a willingness to betray, backstab, and otherwise double-deal.
Snape has never seemed overly ambitious (and, it's important to note, ambition in itself is not suggested to be negative or wrong in any way) to me. Rather, his Slytherin traits are embodied in said malice and duplicity. I don't think it's accidental that Snape's personal history bears such close resemblence to Voldemort's. Even as we saw Draco take small steps toward Good, we finally saw Snape for what he always was: completely and perhaps irredeemably evil.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that Snape murdered Dumbldeore because he was a Death Eater and was evil, not out of some distorted desire to carry out Dumbledore's plans.
