Snape At The Lightning Struck Tower

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Hamlet¡¦s ¡§to be or not to be¡¨ may have been discussed for years, but right now it is ¡§is he or is he not.¡¨ The most ambiguous character in HP, I think, and his greatest ambiguity is which side are his loyalties really on. Yes, I am referring to the Potions Master, the dreaded darkness of the dungeons, Severus Snape. Probably the most mysterious of the main characters, Snape has been a subject of heated debates ever since DD told Harry in PS/SS that Snape wanted to save Harry so that he could go back to hating James¡¦ memory. Intrigued? You bet we were. Every time we think we are beginning to understand him, we learn something that throws it in our face. Every answer we get about him sparks a score of new questions. And there is, of course, the million dollar question ¡V ¡§Which side is he really on?¡¨

Post HBP, some fans could barely control their fury, hatred and loathing towards him. Others believe that he really had no choice, that he did what he had to do, or that he did it on DD¡¦s orders. There is of course also the group of fence-sitters, but as they do not sway the balance either way, I¡¦m ignoring them. The majority, however, are decided. To most, Snape¡¦s murder of DD has sealed him off as a bad guy, and there are mutterings of ¡§I could have told you that¡¨ from many corners. Many have switched sides from the I-don¡¦t-think-Snape-is-evil camp to Snape-is-a-slimeball, b*****d, #@&*!$.

Let¡¦s take a look at what exactly Snape does that night¡K

Our first look at Snape that night is up the Astronomy Tower, with a weakened DD, an invisible immobilized Harry, Draco and 4 DEs. Just before Snape kills DD, when DD is pleading with him (for life or death?),

¡¥Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face¡¦

This revulsion and hatred have caused quite a lot of confusion among fans. The Snape-is-evil group takes it at face value, that Snape is revolted by and hates the sight of DD, and is finally able to show it. The counterargument is that Snape was revolted, not by DD, but by what he had to do. Snape, at first sight can make out the following things:-

„« DD does not have his wand

„« Draco has lost his nerve

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