Poll: Would Snape and Dumbledore Reconcile in the Afterlife?
Select an answer from the poll, and feel free to explain your reasoning below!
I voted for the second option, though the first one gives me pause:
Yes- they would both realise that they'd had good intentions all along and forgive each other
Why would Dumbledore need to forgive Severus, who did nothing but follow every order he was given? All the mistreatment/deception/betrayal came from Dumbledore's side… it was never a mutual thing.
That said, I do think Severus would forgive him in the afterlife. I'm sure it would take time and effort, though it would certainly help if he knew that Harry had survived after all. He did get what he wanted, what Dumbledore promised, even if he didn't survive to see it. I think that would be his biggest priority, enough to decide that the ends justified the means.
My opinion is that Severus would resent the Dumbledore for putting him through the dreadful 'headmaster' year, forcing him to kill Dumbledore and letting him believe that Harry died. Dumbledore has no grievance from Snape, he executed the master plan brilliantly which won them the war. I do think that Dumbledore didn't wish that Snape died and he miscalculated that Voldemort would seek elder wand and kill Snape for it. Snape would also resent Dumbledore for causing his death and it was a miracle that Harry happened to be present to receive the memories, otherwise Snape would have died in vain
Snape is not known for forgiveness and while he would be relieved that Harry survived and they won the war, the bond of trust and friendship that they had before the Dumbledore's death won't be the same and it would take very long for a possible reconciliation.
Quote from Krystal on February 9, 2023, 9:26 amSnape is not known for forgiveness and while he would be relieved that Harry survived and they won the war, the bond of trust and friendship that they had before the Dumbledore's death won't be the same and it would take very long for a possible reconciliation.
While this is true in some respects, it largely depends on the person. For example, he never forgave any of the Marauders, but there was never an established friendship or any positive feelings between them. On the other hand, he was quick to forgive Lily, even when she humiliated him in public. Granted, he did provoke her, but still… her calling him Snivellus and making fun of his underwear wasn't even a factor. He was eager to apologize, and if she'd accepted, I'm sure he wouldn't have expected her to apologize in return, nor would he have held those insults against her.
Also, there's no indication that he ever blamed her for getting together with James. That's especially notable because many people would've seen that as a betrayal. A former friend choosing to marry your bully? That's a slap in the face, the type of thing that most of us would find difficult if not impossible to forgive.
This is one of those paradoxical things about Severus. He won't hesitate to hold a grudge when he already dislikes someone, but when he likes them, the opposite seems to be true. He might lose his temper, as he did with Lily and at times with Dumbledore, but he moves past it quickly and (especially in Lily's case) doesn't hold a grudge. I realize it's more complicated in Dumbledore's case, but there are similar factors. The most important factor of all is that deep down, Severus blames himself.
That's why he doesn't hold anything against Lily. It doesn't matter what she did to hurt him – he sees it as the consequences of his own actions, not hers. I can see a similar dynamic with Dumbledore. Yes, he put Severus through terrible things, but it was Severus's poor choices that put him in that position in the first place. Of course, that still doesn't justify some of what Dumbledore did, but that's from our perspective. From Severus's perspective, I'm sure there would be a fair amount of, "I asked for this/only have myself to blame".
Point is, there's a difference between being angry and unwillingness to forgive. I'm sure Severus would be angry at Dumbledore for various things, but in the end, that would be mitigated by other factors. He obviously respected Dumbledore. Dumbledore was the closest thing he had to a friend throughout his adult life, not to mention that it was Dumbledore who gave him a second chance. I think those things mattered to him profoundly, enough to outweigh any deception/mistreatment on Dumbledore's part.
Quote from Heatherlly on February 9, 2023, 5:46 pmQuote from Krystal on February 9, 2023, 9:26 amSnape is not known for forgiveness and while he would be relieved that Harry survived and they won the war, the bond of trust and friendship that they had before the Dumbledore's death won't be the same and it would take very long for a possible reconciliation.
While this is true in some respects, it largely depends on the person. For example, he never forgave any of the Marauders, but there was never an established friendship or any positive feelings between them. On the other hand, he was quick to forgive Lily, even when she humiliated him in public. Granted, he did provoke her, but still… her calling him Snivellus and making fun of his underwear wasn't even a factor. He was eager to apologize, and if she'd accepted, I'm sure he wouldn't have expected her to apologize in return, nor would he have held those insults against her.
Also, there's no indication that he ever blamed her for getting together with James. That's especially notable because many people would've seen that as a betrayal. A former friend choosing to marry your bully? That's a slap in the face, the type of thing that most of us would find difficult if not impossible to forgive.
This is one of those paradoxical things about Severus. He won't hesitate to hold a grudge when he already dislikes someone, but when he likes them, the opposite seems to be true. He might lose his temper, as he did with Lily and at times with Dumbledore, but he moves past it quickly and (especially in Lily's case) doesn't hold a grudge. I realize it's more complicated in Dumbledore's case, but there are similar factors. The most important factor of all is that deep down, Severus blames himself.
That's why he doesn't hold anything against Lily. It doesn't matter what she did to hurt him – he sees it as the consequences of his own actions, not hers. I can see a similar dynamic with Dumbledore. Yes, he put Severus through terrible things, but it was Severus's poor choices that put him in that position in the first place. Of course, that still doesn't justify some of what Dumbledore did, but that's from our perspective. From Severus's perspective, I'm sure there would be a fair amount of, "I asked for this/only have myself to blame".
Point is, there's a difference between being angry and unwillingness to forgive. I'm sure Severus would be angry at Dumbledore for various things, but in the end, that would be mitigated by other factors. He obviously respected Dumbledore. Dumbledore was the closest thing he had to a friend throughout his adult life, not to mention that it was Dumbledore who gave him a second chance. I think those things mattered to him profoundly, enough to outweigh any deception/mistreatment on Dumbledore's part.
We actually don't know if he forgave her, I think he blamed himself more than her, he could've been resentful of her for marring James Potter. We know that he blamed himself for her death, it could've led to him forgiving all her faults and blaming all the issues on himself as a way to cope with his guilt but he could've transferred that lingering resentment on Harry on top of his loathing of James onto Harry.
I agree that he would've forgiven Dumbledore eventually but that forgiveness would take a bit longer specially for Snape who suffered for Dumbledore's plan. Dumbledore would certainly be remorseful for causing Snape's suffering if his conversation with Harry at King's Cross was an indication of his remorse for causing Harry's suffering.
@kris, that's a fair point. We see him apologize right after SWM, and the next memory is of him begging Dumbledore to hide her. That leaves a gap of 5-6 years – none of his memories take place after she got together with James, but before he knew her life was in danger. It's definitely possible that he resented her, even that he was downright furious until the prophecy put things in perspective. On the other hand, his apology after SWM does stand out to me. He's 100% focused on what he did wrong, not what she did that hurt him in return.
I think that could've carried over to her relationship. He would've had two years to blame himself for pushing her away, and I don't see him thinking that she "owed" it to him to stay away from James (he's not that entitled). Not that it wouldn't have hurt (I'm sure it did), but I don't see him blaming her if there were other alternatives.
Beyond himself, I can definitely see him blaming James, and for good reason. James spent years harassing Lily, manipulating her, trying to wear her down. He was also deceiving her, bullying Severus behind her back while pretending that he'd changed. Severus would've been aware of that, perhaps more than anyone. He would've noticed that the bullying only happened when she wasn't around – I'm sure he was smart enough to realize that that wasn't a coincidence.
In other words, I can see him believing that Lily was the victim and that James was taking advantage of her. An accurate conclusion? Maybe, maybe not, but it would've given him an excuse not to hate her.
That said, it's equally possible that he resented her, even despised her until he discovered her life was in danger. Either theory is 100% plausible from my perspective… it really comes down to how you choose to interpret it/fill in that gap.
… but he could've transferred that lingering resentment on Harry on top of his loathing of James onto Harry.
I can definitely see that if one chose to write him that way. It wouldn't be difficult to make it believable and would add even more layers to their complicated/contentious relationship.
@heatherlly, I agree with you that he would have blamed James more than Lily. I like both the possibilities of Severus' opinion of Lily before switching sides, I personally like mix of both, he would have resented her decisions and had enough of love to be willing to protect her despite all that went wrong between them.
I think he put her on a pedestal after her death, for him she was perfect, everything good about himself and his moral compass. What I like the most in my other Snape ships that Severus coming to the realisation that Lily was not as perfect as he assumed and he elevated her to assuge his guilt and this eventual accepting and letting go of his guilt.
Went with the second option for the reasons mentioned by @heatherlly
