You have no idea how upset I'd be if that didn't happen. That relationship was a long time coming, and I can't believe it's going to end so abruptly. Harry deserves his happy ending.Originally Posted by Garnie
Also, Garnie, I think it's abundantly clear that Sirius is dead in the sense that once you fall beyond the Veil, you're stuck there. I never doubted that. While Rowling never gave details about Sirius's death, she did say that he died. If the two-way mirror is indeed making a return, I'm willing to bet it's going to allow Harry to contact Sirius from beyond the Veil. I still think that the Veil is going to be very important, and I know some people seem to think it has to do with the Deathly Hallows, whatever those may turn out to be.
I refuse to believe that Snape is evil. Dumbledore does say that he does make mistakes, and when he does make a mistake, it tends to be much worse than normal ones. However, I do not believe that Dumbledore would trust Snape without a very good reason. Harry seems to believe that Dumbledore trusted Snape because after he told Voldemort about the prophesy, he rushed to Dumbledore and apologized, explaining that he hated himself for it, blah, blah, blah.
Dumbledore may always try to see the good in people, but he's not an idiot. Dumbledore wouldn't just accept an apology as an unwavering bond of trust. There's something else there. All of Snape's actions in HBP are consistent with a good bluff. If he had refused the unbreakable vow, his loyalty would have come into question. I'm absolutely sure that Dumbledore knew of the vow, and I also believe that Dumbledore's argument with Snape in the Forbidden Forest was about whether or not Snape was to complete his vow.
The whole scene when Hogwarts is attacked is a little bit off anyway. I know I'm not the only one who would never peg Dumbledore as the type of guy to plead for his life. I think he was begging Snape to kill him. Also, right before Snape kills Dumbledore, he's described as having a look of pure hatred. I actually believe this is even more proof of his loyalty. As others have mentioned, in the cave, when Dumbledore orders Harry to keep feeding him the potion no matter how much pain it causes him, Harry is also described as feeling utter hatred toward Dumbledore because Dumbledore has forced Harry to cause him pain. The similarities are too uncanny for a coincidence.
Also, as Snape runs away, he taunts Harry, but there are more to these taunts. The way I look at it, the taunts are advice. Snape tells Harry that he can't (and shouldn't) try unforgivable curses. He also says that Harry will never win if he can't shut his mouth and close his mind. Seems like good advice to me. Practice wordless magic and occulmency.
Rowling has also stated that she cannot tell us the form of Snape's patronus or what his boggart is as it is too revealing about his character. Another thing of note regarding Snape is that when Harry accuses him in front of Dumbledore, Fawkes squawks angrily.
Yup... more later maybe?
