Snape - Who Can Trust Him?

In Harry Potter, there is man of mystery that captures everyone's attention, often more than the title character. With the most energetic fan-girls in the series, he is the dark, complex and snarky ex-Potions Master: Severus Snape. We look to him to be the real enigma within the story. Snape-lovers can never get enough of him, and even Snape-haters have difficulty suppressing a wry smile at his words.

The Harry Potter fandom has its own set of eternal questions. Is it a surprise that Snape is once again regarded more than the boy wizard after whom the series is named? Sure, readers all wonder if Harry will live or die, and speculate on whether or not he is a horcrux, but the question everyone really cares about is: Is Snape good or evil? Is he working on the Order's side? Or the Death Eaters'? And after book six, which might as well have been called Harry Potter and Severus Snape, Snape has once more pushed his way to the forefront of reader's minds. He, not Harry, is considered the hot topic at the closing of the series.

I have read all the books a thousand times, seen all the movies, had discussions, read essays on Snape's loyalties, and listened to SnapeCast. I even own The Great Snape Debate. There are so many varying thoughts on Snape, and they just keep emerging and evolving. I've heard the "Snape is good, dammit!" argument. I've heard the "Snape is evil - E-V-I-L!" argument. And I've come across, admittedly a lot less often, the theory I support: Snape is in it for himself.

Though many may whine and say, "Oh, but that would be so boring!" I disagree. In fact, I think it would be the most interesting choice, allowing us, the readers, to watch him spin his stories and use his resources and not get himself entangled in his own web. It would also be fascinating because it would present readers with the opportunity to watch Snape make the inevitable choice in Deathly Hallows.

Take a good look at Snape. He seems to be quite the Slytherin. The double-S name aside, Severus was the head of Slytherin house and favoured his students more than all the others. Knowing that he was a Slytherin (and is) let us take a look at the character traits of Slytherins, the good and the bad.

Ambition: Perhaps the best recognized Slytherin trait is ambition. The ambition to succeed and rise. We see this ambition in almost all the Slytherins, especially the original Death Eaters. To quote the band Harry and the Potters: "[They're] doing whatever they can to be the Dark Lord's right hand man... (Song for the Death Eaters)" But ambition is looked upon as a positive trait that gets those with ambition to the top and in favor with those that count.

Cunning: It takes cunning and conniving to be a true Slytherin - using what you have and using things to your advantage. It ties right in with a trait that many look upon as negative:

Manipulation: We have seen many Slytherins and ex-Slytherins manipulate others, and when you look at the good character traits like ambition and cunning, manipulation is not a surprising skill.

Self-Preservation: This is a trait that we not only see in characters who have already graduated from Hogwarts, such as Slughorn but also hear from none other than our favourite least-favourite Headmaster, Phineas Nigellus.

All of these qualities are important to bear in mind when considering the character of Snape. These are not his only traits, but by being sorted into Slytherin, they can be labeled as his dominant qualities. They are traits that would be of great asset to him, should he be playing the role of a two-sided man.

So why does it make sense? Go back to the first war against Voldemort and put yourself in Snape's place. The power of Voldemort was growing. The situation for the community at large started getting worse and worse until it was downright life threatening by the time Hogwarts class that you was part of graduated. People had to choose a side. If you did not join Voldemort, you would die. So, logically, someone interested in self-preservation would choose to live as a Death Eater. Let us say you choose him. Now the Order is after you and the Ministry is attempting to jail you. So what if you decide to play all your cards? To keep yourself not only alive, but not even hunted by either side, you create a plot. You take the opportunity when Lord Voldemort directs you to go to Dumbledore to be employed, so your current 'master' suspects nothing. You then proceed to manipulate one of the greatest wizards of time carefully playing on his great weakness: seeing the good in people and believing in second chances. Now you get to play both sides.

Snape set a dangerous task upon himself. He began working for two rivaling Legilimens. He does have an advantage - he is not loyal to either side. Clearly, Dumbledore trusted him enough to allow him to teach at Hogwarts, and Voldemort appears to have had not reason, before his rebirth, to think Snape was anything but his man. So Snape had no lies to tell. Snape was safe from most harm, it seemed, so long as he was careful.

If we skip several years to 1995, the year the Dark Lord returned, Snape is once again faced with a decision. He cannot ignore Voldemort and live. As he tells Bellatrix Lestrange in "Spinner's End", he saw the Dark Mark forming again and knew what was happening. He had plenty of time to concoct a plan, and that he did (HBP 28). He thought things through and used what he knew about Dumbledore to successfully return to the position he was in before Voldemort lost his power, but now even higher in both ranks; after Voldemort's anger at Snape for not coming immediately when called, Snape could give him ample information on Dumbledore and Harry Potter and became something like the Dark Lord's right-hand man. Snape is given an "assignment" to spy on the Order and Dumbledore. Meanwhile, Dumbledore has given Snape a similar "assignment": spy on the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and Snape is in the top circle of the Order. Since he is fulfilling both assignments at once, neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore suspect any foul play.

He plays this part without confrontation for a year. Then, we witness one of J.K. Rowling's most analyzed scenes, "Spinner's End," in which Snape answers the doubting Bellatrix's burning questions concerning his loyalty. All of his responses hold true to the theory of self-preservation. We know from further on in the book that Bellatrix can do Legilimency, and so if Snape told any lies, they must have had enough truth to them to secretly block out any thoughts that might give things away without Bellatrix noticing.

The first question concerned where he was upon Voldemort's downfall: Hogwarts. Clearly this is true, and it is also true that Snape would have not reason to leave the position he had. It is not at all shocking that he would think Voldemort gone, so the answer to the question is rather expected.

The situation with the Sorcerer's Stone is also easily explained. Snape may be good, but he isn't that good. How could he have guessed that Voldemort had managed to get into the castle, much less sharing a body with Quirrell. Because it was in his best interest to protect the stone and boost Dumbledore's faith, he did what he could to get in Quirrell's way. After this, he explains why he waited for Dumbledore to send him to Voldemort. As he said, there was plenty of time to think of a plan. The one he came up with was nearly flawless.

Lastly, there is Harry. Snape says a few things about "The Chosen One". Indeed, he was Dumbledore's boy, and it would certainly be unfortunate for Snape if Harry died because of him - Dumbledore would be displeased, for sure. His belief in the idea that Harry could be a new Dark Lord seems a little sketchy, but it is his careful wording, the phrasing of things that keeps his web of silky talk together. "I was curious", he says. Not anxious, not hoping, just "curious". And Snape, whatever else he may lie about, is right: "[He] would have to be a fool to risk it with Dumbledore close at hand," (HBP 31).

Snape then goes on to make an Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa Malfoy, a vow we all know well by now - it is a vow to watch over Draco, protect Draco, kill Dumbledore if Draco cannot. Snape agrees to it after the infamous, over-analyzed detail in that chapter: the hand twitch. This little involuntary twitch is on great argument the good!Snape party uses to suggest his loyalty to Dumbledore. I see it as something else.

Snape doesn't have an issue with Dumbledore dying because Snape will miss him. But Snape killing Dumbledore, or even just the death of Dumbledore, regardless who commits the murder, would ruin Snape's plans. If Dumbledore is dead, then Snape would lose all credibility within the Order, for it was only Dumbledore's trust that convinced others to trust him. And if Snape actually kills the Order's beloved leader, he would have to flee from more than a hate-filled sixteen-year-old. He will loose half of what he has worked to gain: his spot among the "good side" ranks. On the other hand, we can assume that Snape would be highly honored for killing the only man Lord Voldemort ever feared.

The reason I find this to be such an interesting idea is that we, as Jo's audience, can watch things play out through the end, when we see Snape make a decision. I think the ex-Head of Slytherin's death is coming, but I am even more certain that we will see him forced to make a choice before the end.