Hey guys,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and an arrangement that they made before the
events of the 31st of October, 1981.
In the Deathly Hallows, Harry witnesses an old interaction between Dumbledore and Snape
that would ultimately influence his opinion of both men-it was perhaps one of the most
important interactions to have ever occurred- as it pertained to the Potter family, the
prophecy, and the night that James and Lily Potter were murdered. This night, however,
also marked the end of the first wizarding war, as Lord Voldemort was simultaneously
defeated by infant Harry-thanks to his mothers sacrificial protection. Though this night
was tragic-it was the end of an era, and it brought peace back to the wizarding community-
at least for a time.
Lord Voldemort travelled there that night, intent on killing baby Harry, because of Sybil
Trelawney’s prophecy:
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have
thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as
his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the
hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power
to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...."
Severus Snape, who was a death eater at the time, quickly found out about the prophecy.
As he was infatuated with Lily, Harry’s mother, he knew almost immediately that he
would need to act. His loyalties lay with the Death Eaters, but his love for Lily was
larger than his devotion to their cause. And though Snape WAS a death eater, he wasn’t
in it for the same reasons as some of the others-he wasn’t hellbent on power, he was
just lost, confused, and felt that he had nowhere else to go- the result of the abuse
inflicted upon him in his formative years. Additionally, Snape was massively magically
talented, and found praise for this in the ranks of the death eaters. He felt that he
was appreciated by them.
Nonetheless, when Snape became aware of the fact that the Potters were in danger, he knew
that he would have to do something-how could he ensure that Lily Potter stay safe? With
nowhere else to go, Snape turns to his enemy- Albus Dumbledore.
The adult Snape was panting, turning on the spot, his wand gripped tightly in his hand,
waiting for something or for someone…
Then a blinding, jagged jet of white light flew through the air.
“Well, Severus? What message does Lord Voldemort have for me?”
“No — no message — I’m here on my own account!”
Snape was wringing his hands. He looked a little mad, with his straggling black hair
flying around him.
“I — I come with a warning — no, a request — please —”
“What request could a Death Eater make of me?”
“The — the prophecy… the prediction… Trelawney…”
“Ah, yes,” said Dumbledore. “How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?”
“Everything — everything I heard!” said Snape. “That is why — it is for that reason
— he thinks it means Lily Evans!”
“The prophecy did not refer to a woman,” said Dumbledore. “It spoke of a boy born
at the end of July —” “You know what I mean! He thinks it means
her son, he is going to hunt her down — kill them all —”
“If she means so much to you,” said Dumbledore, “surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could
you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?”
“I have — I have asked him —” “You disgust me,” said Dumbledore, and
Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little,
“You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as
long as you have what you want?” Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at
Dumbledore. “Hide them all, then,” he croaked. “Keep
her — them — safe. Please.” “And what will you give me in return, Severus?”
“In — in return?” Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after
a long moment he said, “Anything.”
One thing that stuck out to me in this passage is that Dumbledore asks Snape for something
in exchange to keep the Potters safe. Dumbledore is an ally of the Potter family- so why would
he need further incentive to help Snape out and keep them alive?
The reason for this is that Dumbledore didn’t trust Snape-he was unsure of what his motivations
truly were. However, he did recognize that Snape was in a state of desperation-and knew
that he would do anything to make sure that Lily Potter would survive. In this scene,
Dumbledore is toying with Snape a little bit, and assessing him. He’s doing this because
Snape, a former student turned Death Eater, has a dubious past. If Dumbledore were to
simply acquiescently accept Snape’s request, with no questions asked, firstly he would
look weak- as he has no reason to appease the requests of any enemy. Secondly, Dumbledore
needed to gauge the authenticity of Snape’s request-and by making a demand of Snape, it
quickly became clear that this was truly Snape’s last resort, and that he was genuine. At the
point at which Snape reaches extreme desperation, Dumbledore asserts his position of power and
agrees to help snape-knowing that from that point onward, he had a new ally.
And that’s it for this video! If you have any questions, leave them down in the comment
section below. Until next time,
YER A WIZARD ARRY