Yes, I agree with this totally. ‘bottle fame’ ‘brew glory’ ‘stopper death’ Snape is poetically talking about being able to produce (and store) potions that bring about fame, glory, death. ‘Stopper death’ is not about stopping death at all.

However, Dumbledore still retained his heart and soul, and even shed a few tears at Snape’s patronus (potent proof of Snape’s love for Lily), and I think this show of feeling did touch Snape without making Dumbledore look weak, for Snape was showing a very personal part of himself, and so Dumbledore respected that and wasn’t cold about it.

(Most of this “insight” comes from personal experience, as I know at least one man – a relative – who might never have become a Christian if it weren’t for being led to Christ by the type of man he could respect, as he couldn’t respect the more ‘milquetoast’ types of men as spiritual mentors.)

I’m not sure Snape wanted to love DD, and I’m not sure he could, if he had.

I’m glad kitties love you uncritically…

I’d thought so too before reading the book. Now I think Snape wanted to love DD (phileo, not eros, as I suppose we now are forced to specify) but DD kept him at a distance. Snape was capable of affection and attachment; how could he not have wanted to be able to offer that to at least one person who was still alive to requite it? But a lot of Snape’s exchanges with the headmaster (does he ever call him Albus?) have the feel of someone using humor or anger as a defense.

1. Yes, it was the stopper-death potion. Couldn’t have been anything else.

2. I believe DD trusted Snape because he knew Snape was repentant, that he hated LV because LV had betrayed Snape’s request and had killed Lily; also because Snape had turned his devotion to Lily (still potent, as demonstrated by the silver doe interchange) to good and had faithfully served DD and watched over Harry despite his own feelings. Snape may have been an unpleasant man, but he seems to have been pure in his loyalties unless abused by the one he put his loyalty in. By killing Lily, LV lost Snape’s loyalty. DD almost lost Snape’s loyalty in the headmaster office discussion about Harry dying. Perhaps Snape became quite conflicted at this point, but he had made a vow to DD and kept it. I’m not sure after reading DH that Snape loved DD or DD loved Snape, as I’d thought before reading the book. I think they were allies.

3. I believe telling Snape about the Horcruxes was too dangerous, in light of LV’s desperation and Legillimens abilities. And if DD was tempted and failed with the Hallows, I’m sure he became more determined to keep both Hallows and Horcrux info from Snape, to protect everyone involved.

Hallows, Horcruxes; the kitties would rather have their little foam balls…

After drinking whatever it was in the Cave, Dumbledore seemed likely to not even make it out. Once back in Hogsmeade, he was weak and near collapse and kept telling Harry to get Severus. He must have realized that he was as near death as he could be without actually being dead, and that his only hope was that Severus might be able to do something else to help him last a few days or weeks longer.

So by the time he revives enough to get up to the Tower–sheer will power on his part mixed with adreniline–he is still trying to connect with Snape. Until Draco shows up, and that changed everything. Had he been able to convince Draco to back away, there might still have been a chance for Snape to help him. But then the Death Eaters–and nasty ones at that–changed the plan to one of protecting the living–Draco and Harry.

He’d already protected Harry by immobilizing him under where he was hidden under the Cloak, so that left Draco. I, too, think that when Snape looked into Dumbledore’s eyes, there was a reminder of the promise he had made to Dumbledore that he would end Dumbledore’s life, rather than risking Draco’s soul, or leaving Dumbledore (literally) to the wolves.

I remember when we first talked about this on the B&N class, I had the same reaction–I didn’t like the thought that it sounded like assisted suicide, mercy killing, whatever term you want to use. But the way it’s written, I think JKR has made it much more like Dumbledore’s living will–when the time comes, let me die in dignity. Snape’s use of AK was the only way for that to happen–anything else would have resulted in a cruel, tortured, humiliating death for Dumbledore.

Not only would Snape have broken the Unbreakable Vow he made with Narcissa, Draco would have been seen to definitely fail, and Harry would have watched in horror, able to do nothing to help, as Dumbledore was cruelly killed.

***

I do want to say one thing about the UV. I always saw that as something evil. It’s a promise extracted on penalty of death to the one who breaks it. I remember being very uncomfortable with the idea that Dumbledore and Snape had made some Unbreakable Vow.

I was so pleased to see that Dumbledore never asked anyone to make such a vow; he insisted that Harry promise to obey him when they go to the Cave (and Harry does, even though he hates doing it); Dumbledore insisted that Snape promise to carry out their arrangement (which he does when he kills him on the Tower in the presence of the DEs).

The model for it is all in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:33-37, which ends with:

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’ be ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

That was all Dumbledore required of someone–promise me and then do it. Just as Harry had promised Dumbledore, so had Snape. It was a mark of the kind of relationship and trust between the two men, that Dumbledore would ask him to be the one to end his life and that Snape, even though he was reluctant and hated what he was doing, would fulfill his promise.

Pat