Quote from Naaga on March 16, 2023, 4:21 am

Source: Agency in Harry Potter by frederick-the-great

Agency in Harry Potter

 

In Half Blood Prince there is a discussion between Harry and Lupin that I find quite illuminating:

“He says it himself. And you” — he looked Lupin straight in the eye — “do you honestly like Snape?”

“I neither like nor dislike Severus,” said Lupin. “No, Harry, I am speaking the truth,” he added, as Harry pulled a skeptical expression. “We shall never be bosom friends, perhaps; (…) But I do not forget that during the year I taught at Hogwarts, Severus made the Wolfsbane Potion for me every month, made it perfectly, so that I did not have to suffer as I usually do at the full moon.”

“But he ‘accidentally’ let it slip that you’re a werewolf, so you had to leave!” said Harry angrily.

Lupin shrugged. “The news would have leaked out anyway. We both know he wanted my job, but he could have wreaked much worse damage on me by tampering with the potion. He kept me healthy. I must be grateful.”

“Maybe he didn’t dare mess with the potion with Dumbledore watching him!” said Harry.

“You are determined to hate him, Harry,” said Lupin with a faint smile. “And I understand; with James as your father, with Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice…”

This argument is interesting to me because ultimately it is a discussion about Snape’s agency. Lupin is saying that Snape could have wreaked much worse damage by tampering with the potion while Harry says he couldn’t have done it with Dumbledore watching him. Considering how afraid Snape was of Lupin, it is unlikely that Snape would’ve tempered with the potion because it would obviously have endangered the students as well as himself. In theory, Harry could also be right when he supposes that even if Snape had wanted to do it, Dumbledore’s influence would have dissuaded him.

The problem with Harry’s argument is that he’s coming into the discussion by assuming that Snape means evil and that Dumbledore is wrong to trust him. However, we know with the power of insight that not only Dumbledore was right to trust Snape, but that he needed Snape as a spy. I don’t think it’s contentious that Snape was the one member of the Order who could not be replaced – as Dumbledore says: “To give Voldemort what appears to be valuable information while withholding the essentials is a job I would entrust to nobody but you.” We also know that as time goes by, Dumbledore comes to depend even more on Snape: to kill him, to defend the school, to tell Harry the truth.

If we accept the idea that Snape screwed Lupin over on purpose and that he did it without Dumbledore’s tacit permission, then we have to assume that Snape was doing something Dumbledore didn’t want him to do (which I honestly find unlikely as even without the curse Dumbledore would hardly allow Lupin to remain after having lied to him, but maybe Dumbledore didn’t want Lupin outed as a werewolf).

We know that Snape went to Dumbledore because he chose to protect Lily, and became a spy because of his choice. Even if we interpret Dumbledore’s dealings with Snape after Lily’s death as blatant manipulation and emotional blackmail, in book four Dumbledore tries to get Snape’s assent, to get Snape to confirm his choice.

“Severus,” said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, “you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready … if you are prepared …”

“I am,” said Snape.

“What I must ask you to do” – Even here Dumbledore is asking, not ordering.

Snape knows well that he is important. His self-satisfaction before Harry’s quip about his feeding information to Voldemort in Order of the Phoenix shows that Snape is well aware of the importance of his duties. The scene in Spinner’s End also confirms this, especially with Snape’s double irony when he asks Bellatrix, “do you think I have hoodwinked him? Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?” That is exactly what Snape does, though, and there was no one else who could do it.

So we can argue that Snape had more than space to defy Dumbledore on minor things, as Dumbledore wouldn’t be in a position to jeopardize his only spy in Voldemort’s inner circle. In fact, Snape stops giving Harry occlumency lessons, directly contradicting a request from Dumbledore. Snape continually bullies Harry, something Dumbledore is well aware of and does nothing to stop apart from mildly rebuking him. So the narrative does present us with at least two moments in which Snape defied Dumbledore (although I still think that Dumbledore was okay with Lupin’s dismissal).

In Snape’s memories, Dumbledore mentions “services you owe me” to remind Snape to keep an eye on Draco. It is possible that Dumbledore saw their relationship as the one between a commander and a soldier, or even as Snape owing Dumbledore for his protection. We don’t know exactly what Dumbledore meant by “services you owe me”. It’s possible that Dumbledore was talking about things that Snape told him he would do, such as protecting Draco and killing Dumbledore. However, to Dumbledore’s credit, he does ask Snape for permission and we see Snape agreeing. He asks Snape to kill him. Snape nods. He asks Snape to protect the school when he’s gone. Snape nods. He asks Snape to go back as a spy. Snape agrees.

This is very important because it means that at every step of the way, Snape made a choice. Snape tells Dumbledore that Karkaroff intends to run away. Dumbledore asks him if he intends to do the same, and Snape answers “no I am not such a coward”. The narrative tells us not once, but three times (with the memory, the conversation Harry overhears between Snape and Karkaroff and Dumbledore’s question) that Snape has a choice.

My point is: Snape could have tempered with the potion. Snape could’ve ignored Harry’s warnings about Sirius and presumably let him die. Snape could have given Umbridge real Veritaserum so Harry told her about Sirius Black. Snape could have run away like Karkaroff. Snape’s relationship with Dumbledore is undoubtedly complex, but we know of instances he defies Dumbledore and we know he disagreed with him strongly on occasion – especially in the third book when Lupin is hired. Snape could’ve provoked Lupin’s firing before the night Sirius is caught. Lupin is expendable; Snape knows he’s not because eventually Voldemort will return and Dumbledore will need a spy. This is why Dumbledore gives Snape the DADA position only when he’s well aware that Snape would return to school anyway as Voldemort would take over. In this sense, Snape being denied the DADA post year after year is actually Dumbledore’s tacit admission that he needed Snape safe.

Snape is not mindlessly following orders; Snape is given a choice at every step of the way. Snape disagreed strongly with his master, and contradicted his express orders at least once (With Harry’s occlumency). Snape knows Dumbledore disagrees (obviously) with his treatment of Harry. Snape had a choice, for better or for worse. So in this sense, Lupin is right. Snape hated Lupin. He thought Lupin was a menace. Lupin thinks it’s because Snape was after his job which we reasonably know isn’t true. But it is true that Snape could have done much worse. I’m not saying that not tempering with Lupin’s potion is a sign of maturity or goodness. It’s obviously what Snape should’ve done anyway and he shouldn’t be thanked for it. My point is that the narrative offers him the choice. The choice to tamper with the potion. The choice to run away. The choice, ultimately, to kill himself.

Snape is a character with a lot of agency because the only character alive he is beholden to needs him. Dumbledore can emotionally blackmail Snape but objectively he can do precious little else to force Snape to comply to his orders, especially after Dumbledore himself publicly gave his word that Snape is “no more a death Eater than I am”.