Divination One: Snape Alone
‘Kill me, then’ panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. ‘Kill me like you killed him, you coward –’
‘DON’T –’ screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them, ‘- CALL ME COWARD!’
Into the Pensieve: The beginning of this book is set in the immediate aftermath of Dumbledore’s murder, bearing out JKR’s claim that Books 6 and 7 are two halves of one whole. A few hours after this event, the brother and sister (Amycus and Alecto) and the enormous blond Death Eater accompany Snape and Draco Malfoy to Voldemort’s lair – the Riddle House – for questioning in the presence of Voldemort’s remaining circle, including Bellatrix Lestrange and the snake Nagini. The former can barely contain her jealous rage that Snape has stolen Malfoy’s task. Although angered by the Unbreakable Vow, Voldemort is gratified to learn of Dumbledore’s death. [Edited - with thanks to Carrie-Ann - see comments below!] Draco Malfoy is either killed outright for failing in his task or (more likely) he is pardoned on the understanding that he will not disappoint again, whereupon Snape requests that Draco stays with him and Wormtail, but Bellatrix intervenes to claim her nephew. The Death Eaters are permitted to Disapparate and Snape collapses in an alleyway in Spinners’ End, where he finally allows his mind to relax. Snape is in a terrible state: still in shock from the terrible events of that night, he is bleeding from Buckbeak’s attack and wounded in his very soul by the Avada Kedavra he performed on Dumbledore. As the Occlumency begins to wear off, his mind is invaded by flashbacks: a panicky Flitwick bursting into his office, duelling Death Eaters and Fenrir Greyback, Malfoy frozen with terror, Dumbledore’s pleading face, Hagrid’s hut in flames and the savage hatred in Harry’s eyes – Lily’s eyes. Snape is overwhelmed with grief and horror, gasping, retching and shaking, he curses Dumbledore for forcing his hand, convinced that he has lost his one friend in the world. Suddenly, there is a flash of fire and Fawkes appears at his side.
Omens & Portents: Canonical Clues & Questions
1. Concerning Draco…
- Where, Harry wondered, was Malfoy now, and what was Voldemort making him do under threat of killing him and his parents? (HBP3) What happened to Snape and Malfoy immediately after they left Hogwarts?
- ‘This is vengeance for Lucius’s mistake, I know it!’ (HBP2) Will Voldemort consider that Draco (by smuggling Death Eaters into Hogwarts and luring Dumbledore back to the school so Snape could finish him off) has sufficiently repaid his father’s debts? He forgave Wormtail twelve years as a rat; can he forgive Malfoy?
2. Concerning Riddle…
- ‘Reckon Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn’t dare try takin’ the school, not jus’ then, anyway.’ (PS/SS4) How will Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort) respond to the death of Dumbledore? What new evil is he planning?
- ‘It’s ideal for Headquarters, of course,’ Sirius said. ‘My father put every security measure known to wizardkind on it when he lived here. It’s unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call – as if they’d ever have wanted to – and now Dumbledore’s added his protection, you’d be hard put to find a safer house anywhere.’ (OOtP6) Where is Voldemort and how has he managed to remain hidden for so long?
3. Concerning Bellatrix…
- There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, ‘Ah … Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?’ ‘I’m not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don’t want you butting in!’ (HBP15) Why was Bellatrix teaching her nephew to resist the help of the very person whom Narcissa had chosen as Draco’s protector? How does she feel about Snape now?
4. Concerning Snape…
- ‘Severus … please…’ (HBP27) Given that both Dumbledore and Snape are powerful Legilimens, was there some hidden communication between them at the time of the murder? What would Dumbledore have realistically expected Snape to do in these circumstances? Why was Snape so angry and does this recall their earlier, mysterious quarrel overheard by Hagrid? ‘Well – I jus’ heard Snape sayin’ Dumbledore took too much fer granted an’ maybe he – Snape – didn’ wan’ ter do it any more –’ (HBP19)
- ‘Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.’ (HBP27) Is Snape’s anguish in the Astronomy Tower comparable to Harry’s agony in the cave? Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing, Harry forced the goblet back towards Dumbledore’s mouth and tipped it, so that Dumbledore drank the remainder of the potion inside. (HBP26)
- ‘Blocked again, and again, and again, until you learn to keep your mouth shut and your mind closed, Potter!’ sneered Snape, deflecting the curse once more. Now come!’ he shouted at the huge Death Eater behind Harry. ‘It is time to be gone, before the Ministry turns up –’ (HBP28 ) What was the meaning of Snape’s last exchange with Harry? Why did Snape apparently intervene to save Harry’s life yet again at the end of Book 6?
5. Concerning Fawkes…
- And he knew, without knowing how he knew it, that the phoenix had gone, had left Hogwarts for good, just as Dumbledore had left the school, had left the world … had left Harry. (HBP29) Where did Fawkes go after singing his beautiful lament in the grounds?
- ‘Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers and they make highly faithful pets.’ (COS12) Why did Fawkes not materialise on the Tower-top to help Dumbledore as he did in the DOM in Book 5?
- ‘First of all, Harry, I want to thank you,’ said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. ‘You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you.’ (COS18 ) Is it significance that Fawkes once came to Harry’s defence when Dumbledore was powerless to aid him? Will this assistance continue for Dumbledore’s supporters after his death?
- ‘Killing rips the soul apart.’ (HBP23) Might Snape be in need of the healing power of Fawkes after the events of HBP28? Dumbledore’s Phoenix is the embodiment of loyalty, a powerful creature that will not be hoodwinked, but uses precisely the same love magic that Dumbledore so values.
- ‘Phoenix song is magical: it is reputed to increase the courage of the pure of heart and to strike fear into the hearts of the impure.’ (FB) And Phoenix tears are symbolic of redemption. If Fawkes does appear to comfort Snape in the aftermath then his arrival will be a welcome reassurance not merely that Snape is on Harry’s side but that Dumbledore has not abandoned his faithful adherent.
6. Concerning Wormtail…
- ‘He has lately taken to listening at doors, I don’t know what he means by it (HBP2) What is Wormtail – well-known traitor and informer – doing at Spinners’ End? Has he been placed there to spy on Snape, in which case, might Voldemort have known of the Unbreakable Vow for some time? Might there be a rat in the gutter in my opening scene? Does this bode well for the future?
7. Concerning Harry…
- Before HBP we were used to seeing things from Harry’s POV; even the first chapter of GOF turned out to be Harry’s ‘dream’. The only difference was that we sometimes remembered things that Harry had forgotten or made connections that he missed … But the beginning of HBP changed all that. For the first time since PS/SS we were in possession of important information that Harry lacked – namely, that Voldemort had given Malfoy a task, which Snape had pledged to help fulfill. The reader’s tension was increased; knowing that Harry needed this information but being unable to help. (The tables were turned slightly, at the very end of the book, when we discovered that Harry was in possession of information that we did not know – namely, that his parents are buried in Godric’s Hollow. No one has even mentioned Godric’s Hollow to Harry in our hearing.) This makes me think, as someone who believes that Snape is still loyal, that we will be shown this very early in Book 7 – separating us from the main protagonists once again. This will increase the suspense as we anticipate what will happen when Harry and Snape meet again.
Legilimency… what is JKR thinking?
‘It is true … that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly.’ (OOtP24)
- As she writes Book 6, Jo feels as if Book 6 and Book 7 “are two halves of the same novel.” [JKR, website – Madam Scoop’s Index]
- JKR: “You really sort of skid off the end of six straight into seven” because you know at the end of six that the main plot line isn’t finished. [JKR, BBC Radio 4, 2005 – Madam Scoop’s Index]
- Harry believes that Draco would not have killed Dumbledore even if he had all the time in the world. Indeed he would not have; this will have implications for Draco’s future. [JKR, RCMH1, 2006 – Madam Scoop’s Index]
- JKR: “everyone should keep their eye on Snape, I’ll just say that, because there’s more to him than meets the eye….” [JKR, WBUR interview, 1999 – Madam Scoop’s Index]
- JK won’t answer if Snape is evil or not because it will have such a huge impact on what will happen when Harry and Snape meet again: “I love the theories.” [JKR, Mugglenet/TLC interview, 2005– Madam Scoop’s Index]
- JKR thinks that that the thought of Snape in love is a “very horrible idea” and is stunned that someone wonders if Snape might fall in love. We will find out why in book 7. [Read the exact quote from WBUR interview, 1999]
- When asked if Harry’s eyes are important, Jo agrees that they are mentioned again and again, but won’t say any more. [JKR, ITV, 2005 – Madam Scoop’s Index]
- Dumbledore is Fawkes’s only owner. JKR will not answer a question about Fawkes’s role in the next book “which probably gives you a big clue.” Fawkes is Dumbledore’s possession, not a Hogwarts possession. [JKR, ITV, 2005 – Madam Scoop’s Index]
Hi.
I think that your theories are very well thought out. I have to disagree about Snape revealing the location of the headquarters, because of JKR’s answer to an FAQ poll on her site. She says that when a secret keeper dies, the status of the secret remains the same…so only the people who already knew the location would be able to know.
Hello!
Yes, I’ve checked and you’re quite right, if Dumbledore takes his secret to the grave then those whom he has told (like Snape) will continue to know it, but they cannot divulge it themselves.
I had thought that the conversation between Bellatrix and Snape, concerning the Secret-Keeper of the Headquarters in HBP2, meant that Snape would be obliged to reveal the location after Dumbledore’s death, as someone whom Dumbledore had told, but this was a mistake. So the impact of a (potential) traitor is lessoned… and the Order is safe for the moment.
Thanks for pointing it out, Carrie-Ann… my theory has been duly amended with acknowledgement to you!
Implications thereof:
a) The Death Eaters will not be able to extract the information from Snape – or anyone else (under torture). So Grimmauld Place just got a whole lot safer! Petunia & Dudley (with Dobby & Kreacher) could stay there for the duration, if necessary – it would certainly keep them (conveniently) out of the way of the main story.
b) Also, this would explain why Dumbledore visited Privet Drive in HBP3. It seems his most important purpose (as Secret-Keeper) was to inform the Dursleys (subtly) that the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at 12 Grimmauld Place… otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to use it as a safe house! (Under this rule, Harry is equally unable to pass on the information after Dumbledore’s death.)
b) Just as Snape won’t be able to return with Death Eaters, the other members of the Order of the Phoenix won’t be expecting him to return alone – although I’d risk it, if I were him! The Order, even in their current mood, are much less of a threat to Snape’s life than the Death Eaters, IMHO. Remember how Moody prefers to capture suspects rather than kill them? And how the judicious McGonagall was positively outraged (& quite right too!) by the ‘death’, in custody, of Barty Crouch Junior? For all Harry’s brave words, he gave Sirius Black a fair hearing and Sirius was convicted of mass murder as well as being the (then)
traitor-who-betrayed-his-parents. Lupin & Sirius would have killed Wormtail… but Harry stayed their hands. That’s a pretty good track record for returning ‘traitors’… and insane conspiracy theories. If Snape walks in with Fawkes on his shoulder (& the true Horcrux locket in his pocket!) then, well… but I doubt JKR would make it so easy. Snape’s ambiguity seems to require a dramatic resolution… though it’s worth noting that JKR has ‘left the door open’ for him to return in this way.
For further reference, here is the full quote from JKR’s website: http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_poll.cfm
(Therefore, it is relevant that Sirius would have died rather than betray the Potters because if he (or Lupin) had been made Secret-Keeper instead of Wormtail then the Potters would still be alive – though the Secret-Keeper might have perished & the secret with them. As for the problem of how Dumbledore & Hagrid were able to retrieve baby Harry from Godric’s Hollow without being given the location by Wormtail – whom they didn’t know was the Secret-Keeper – well, that’s one for JKR to explain! She’s hinted at a possible solution by giving Harry a note in Dumbledore’s handwriting (which he didn’t recognize) that revealed the location of number twelve, Grimmauld Place… but it is possible, perhaps more likely, that the deaths of James & Lily Potter broke the Fidelius Charm. Indeed, this might even have been a deliberate safeguard, to enable Harry to be found.)
I think Snape just said “Avada Kedavra” but did another spell (non-verbal) which cause Dumbledore to fly “over the battlements and out of sight”, because Avada Kedavra doesn’t make people fly, it just kills them. It was therefore the fall from the tower that killed dumbledore and not Snape. Therefore, Snape’s soul would still be intact. I think you should rephrase that his soul is wounded. Just a thought.
Yes, I’ve heard this one before… it’s an interesting theory, which I personally reject although I see how it arises. I think it was quite possible for the force from the AK Curse to have blasted Dumbledore off the Tower top – (don’t forget this was old man weakened by the effects of that terrible potion) – based on the previous behaviour of the Curse:
‘There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air—instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him.’ (GOF14)
I agree that JKR could have made it clearer (and it would have helped if Harry hadn’t closed his eyes when Cedric was murdered) but fundamentally I’m just not sure we’re meant to doubt this one.
JKR confirmed last summer that Dumbledore is definitely dead and (for what it’s worth) I think that Snape killed him with the AK Curse (as part of a prearranged plan) and that the conspiracy theories should be about ‘why’ rather than ‘how’.
P.S. For my take on the conspiracy, read divination nine. :–)
http://book7.co.uk/nine/
First of all:
I like this site. It contains the most plausible theories I’ve ever seen. Congratulations to Cassandra Vablatsky, keep the good work going.
Second:
About Divination One (which corresponds to chapters 1-3, according to Cassandra). I think it is unlikely for JK to reveal Snape’s true allegiance so early in the book, which he reveals by “cursing Dumbledore for forcing his hand” and Fawkes appearing at his side. If it is ever revealed, it should be around the end of the book, possibly before the big confrontation HP vs. LV., or, as Cassandra has said in a later Divination, when he, Snape, dies). Also, I think that Dumbledore’s murder was to ensure that 12 Grimmauld Place, the HQ of the Order, remained hidden from Voldemort, because he was Secret Keeper. LV would never obtain the Secret now that DD is dead, allowing Harry to retreat with the Dursleys to 12 Grimmauld Place as Cassandra has said. I might be overlooking something here, my memory not being too great, but I support something along those lines, because Harry needs to be safe even if the Protection over 4 Privet Drive should wear off, and that’s _why_ DD asked Snape to kill him.
Third:
I don’t understand _why_ Hogwarts isn’t safe anymore. Is it because DD undid his enchantments on the castle before he was killed? Couldn’t McGonnagall redo those enchantments and destroy the Vanishing Cabinet? Why do all of then say in the Chapter “The White Tomb” that Hogwarts is just as safe as anywhere else now?
Hope this helps.
Thanks for taking the time to reply in detail, Sava – your points definitely merit further discussion!
I particularly like your interpretation of Dumbledore’s death and the situation with Grimmauld Place – another reason why DD’s timing was impeccable, IMHO. Dumbledore really was the presiding genius behind HBP…
On the early resolution of Snape’s loyalties, we’ll have to agree to disagree – personally, I think it would create good dramatic tension if JKR gives us the answer before Harry (preferably at the start of the novel). My reason is that I think ‘the loyalty question’ really belongs to Book 6 – in which Snape is an eponymous hero – and that Book 7 will be about Harry’s ability to assimilate that information (which the careful reader has already done). But then I speak as someone who is 99.9% behind Snape!
On the subject of decreased security at Hogwarts, there is no obvious answer. I agree that Dumbledore undoing the enchantments before his death was symbolic – but like you, I feel sure that he would have given this information to McGonagall. Perhaps it’s more of a psychological factor: that Dumbledore was the only one Voldemort had ever feared. As Hagrid said (of Voldemort’s first reign of terror): ‘He was takin’ over. ‘Course, some stood up to him — an’ he killed ‘em. Horribly. One o’ the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn’t dare try takin’ the school, not jus’ then, anyway.’ (PS4) Bodes ill!
This is a wonderful site, I love it. You’ve written a plan B for Book 7!
One thing, regarding Snape: Voldemort is a very skilled Legimancist (sorry, or Occulemencist, I don’t know how to spell either, but you know what I mean) he might be the best that there is. How could Snape have hidden from him that he was actually on Dumbledors side? Yes, I know, Snape had the art down too, but who could beat Lord V. at it? And, how would you explain the look of hatered that is always in Snapes eyes when he looked at Harry?
Thank you, Love the site, great theories,
Emma
Good questions. :–)
Answers to be found (hopefully) in subsequent divinations.
I’ll just say this (unpleasant thought): I wouldn’t take it for granted that *Voldemort* trusts Snape…
I finally settled down to start from the beginning. Loved the Fawkes comments in particular – did Fawkes go to Hagrid? Or to Snape? The idea is appealing that Fawkes may have a connection to Snape because Snape is loyal to Dumbledore – someone had a fun idea that Fawkes comes to heal Snape after Harry has injured him in book 7.
But it also might be fun to learn Snape actually did hate Dumbledore for his ‘softness’ towards people like James, Sirius and later Harry. Would this interfere with the Fawkes ideas? Perhaps not, Snape could still have been ‘loyal’ to Dumbledore’s goals and think Dumbledore is the greater wizard. Does Fawkes require love? I have no idea.
Hi HPSpec, it’s great to hear from you!
Poor Hagrid was *very* distraught after the murder – reducing his chances of surviving DH, IMHO – but I think that Snape’s need at this moment is probably even greater. Plus, Fawkes’ presence would be a good way of symbolizing Snape’s continued loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix.
My feeling is that Snape is torn between love & hatred for DD at the end of HBP … arising from the fact that Dumbledore first ordered Snape to kill him as planned (at least that’s my interpretation of the argument overheard by Hagrid) then, when Snape refused, effectively engineered the situation so that he would have no choice. (See divination nine for more!) Ironically, this would seem to be Dumbledore’s endorsement of Snape’s own philosophy: the end (sometimes) justifies the means. So if Snape curses Dumbledore for making a murderer of him, he also knows that it was the only way.
Otherwise, I think it’s telling that Snape has always spoken of and to Dumbledore with respect (even when talking to Draco Malfoy). And it strikes me that he would be capable of intense love & loyalty. Dumbledore has given him a second chance and that means everything to Snape – witness his wounded response to the fake Moody in GOF: “Dumbledore happens to trust me”, spoken ‘through clenched teeth’ (GOF25). (Very clever psychological warfare on the part of Moody-Crouch, IMHO!) Snape so wants to believe it, but DD’s refusal to grant him the DADA position haunts him, I believe. (It does seem strange that he should expose this particular bruise to Bellatrix in HBP2: “He wouldn’t give me the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, you know. Seemed to think it might, ah, bring about a relapse … tempt me into my old ways.” She is certainly not impressed: “That was your sacrifice for the Dark Lord, not to teach your favourite subject?”) Then when Snape is finally promoted, Harry detects ‘a look of triumph on the features he loathed so much’. (HBP8).
And who can doubt Snape’s raw anguish at the end?
‘DON’T –’ screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them, ‘- CALL ME COWARD!’ (HBP28)
The simile is extraordinary in that it invites our sympathy for Snape – a man whom Dumbledore’s murder has just cast in darkest hue. In forcing himself to do what he has done, Snape has shown extraordinary courage, so that being taunted by Harry, on whose behalf he has been acting the whole time, must be almost unbearable. If we do see him collapsing in an alleyway at the beginning of Book 7, wounded in body and soul (having been attacked by Buckbeak), then Fawkes’ appearance will be a welcome reassurance, not merely that Snape is still loyal, but that Dumbledore has not abandoned him.
Your prose is so elegant! I completely agree that Dumbledore may have engineered the entire scene on the tower which has interesting repercussions on Dumbledore’s actions in the cave. Why did Harry’s ‘Accio Horcrux’ seem to pull something up from the lake? Why did Dumbledore not remark on this? Could it be that RAB used the Hufflepuff cup’s magical properties to drink the potion? And died anyway, still holding the cup? Who knows, but when someone suggested the idea I thought it was fantastic. Perhaps the whole purpose of the cave trip was to make Harry realize that he cannot hope to survive Voldemort’s Horcrux protections – he needs to find a better way…
Like having the houses unite and using a true Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw to pull the relic Horcruxes out of the Sorting Hat, completely bypassing Voldemort’s protections? I thought the idea has a lot of promise!!!
I’ve got to run – but I’ll visit your other pages over the next week – great information here!
Hi
I’d first just like to say that I think this is a really good website and has many interesting things that I hadn’t considered before.
I would just like to know your views on one part of the Half-Blood Prince. You know the part in the Spinners End chapter (chpt 2) where it says:
“Snape got to his feet and strode to the small window, peered through the curtains at the deserted street, then closed them again with a jerk. He turned to face Narcissa, frowning.
“It so happens I know of the plan” he said in a low voice”
I was wondering, do you think that he just wanted to make sure no one was listening from outside, or do you think that he used the time of going to the curtains to perform legilimancy to find out the secret mission?
Many Thanks, S.M.G.
hey cassy…….u hav done a gr8 job……..hope ur theories are consistent with JKR’s 7th book
One theory I have heard concerning Harry and Horcruxes was that ‘the power that the dark lord knows not’ is that he can destroy a horcrux with little or no damage. In CoS he destroyed the diary and what happend to him? He got splattered by some ink. In HBP, Dumbledore tried to destroy Gaunt’s Ring and he came off with a blackend hand. Who came off the worst?
Isn’t the big question who’s side Snape is on? I think that everyone has a different theory. Mine is-
If Snape was on the good side, how would he hide from Voldemort the fact that he was? I guess that Voldemort is basicallt the best Occulmentist is the magical world, right? So unless Snape has some hidden power unknown to us, how would he hide that fact?
And lets just say hes on the good side. How could he have known about the secret mission that Bellatrix and Narcissa were talking about in the beginning of the 6th book? He couldn’t have. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort are very powerful wizards and very skilled at Occulmency, so it wouln’t be easy to thwart either of them. To be on one side or the other, Snape would have to make one of them think they were on thier side. Ao how would that work?
Thanx for listening.
Didn’t the ring originally belong to Salasar Slitheren? It could be that DD was effected by something He put in the ring, not because it was a horcrux.
OK, a few responses to make! Thanks for all your posts, btw.
S.M.G., I agree that is very possibly a significant moment – whenever a character ‘turns away from the action’ we should be suspicious, IMO! Was Snape a) checking that the coast was clear, b) deliberately prolonging the suspense for Narcissa and Bellatrix, c) composing himself and/or trying to think of a way out or d) preparing to perform Occlumency or Legilimency? For what it’s worth I think it was probably Occlumency. Tempting as it is to suggest that Snape was bluffing and didn’t really know of the plan (taking advantage of the fact the Black sisters are currently out-of-favour with Voldemort), I’m not so sure. Perhaps Voldy *was* really intending for Snape to kill Dumbledore in the end.
Interesting idea on Horcruxes, Sibby, though I tend to take Dumbledore’s explanation of Harry’s power at face value. “So, when the prophecy says that I’ll have ‘power the Dark Lord knows not,’ it just means – love?” asked Harry, feeling a little let down. “Yes – just love,” said Dumbledore. (HBP23)
I think you’re quite right to be suspicious, Emma! Let’s just say I don’t believe that Snape has “Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?” (HBP2). I don’t think that Voldemort trusts Snape (like Dumbledore does!). And I don’t think that Snape is evil. I’m afraid that Voldemort is playing with him (for now) and finding it rather useful … Snape’s ‘punishment’ can wait. See: http://book7.co.uk/fourteen/
Good thought, Eric, but on the provenance of the ring, we have nothing directly to link it with Slytherin. (Indeed, I think it’s more likely that the locket is the only surviving relic of Salazar Slytherin). All we know it is that it’s a large gold ring, set with a black stone engraved with the Peverell coat of arms, which according to Marvolo, had been in the Gaunt family for centuries. The significance of ‘Peverell’ is still unknown.
Just watched the trailer for OOTP again, it shows dumbledore and fawkes as if dumbledore and fawkes are one, or dumbledore is an anamegus (probably spelt wrong)
or something this gives Jk the opportunity to kill him off but bring him back- its a theory.
I, too, believe that Snape killed Dumbledore as a part of a well prepared preplanning just as you do, else why would Snape order the death eater to leave? Snape had already shown little fear from the Ministry earlier.
Cassandra Vablatsky Says:
January 27th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
. . . . . . . . and (for what it’s worth) I think that Snape killed him with the AK Curse (as part of a prearranged plan) and that the conspiracy theories should be about ‘why’ rather than ‘how’.
Thank you for all the interesting reading. I have often thought as you have in many ways, though the story has been crafted so cunningly and so complex that it leaves everyone with more questions than answers.
When the series ends, what then can we turn all these efforts to?
Rusty
Emma Says:
February 4th, 2007 at 2:38 am
. . . . . . . .And, how would you explain the look of hatered that is always in Snapes eyes when he looked at Harry?
Could the look possibly be one of longing? Wishing, perhaps that Harry had been his son, with Lily and regreting that he was not? He obviously knew Lily well, because of his relationship with James. That bond seemed strong as Snape pointed out when he told Harry about the creation of the Marauder’s Map. JMHO.
Rusty
Interesting, Daniel … DD certainly has a close relationship with Fawkes (I like your Animagus theory although it might not be not necessary considering what we know of their bond already), but whether that would help him to return is another question – JKR having confirmed that he is “definitely dead”. Doesn’t rule out time-travel, of course …
Like your thinking re. Snape, Rusty.
“When the series ends, what then can we turn all these efforts to?” Oh, I don’t know … I think JKR will leave us with plenty to think about, at least initially!