Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re discussing Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and the events of the Half-Blood Prince. More specifically- we’re going to be diving in to the iconic and emotional scene where Snape ends the life of Hogwarts’ loveable headmaster- Albus Dumbledore. Diving in further, we’re going to be analyzing Snape’s murder of Dumbledore, and honing in on one peculiar aspect pertaining to the colour of Snape’s spell.
Starting all the way at the beginning- we know that Dumbledore’s death was pre-ordained, it had to happen, and he was going to die anyway- that’s why Dumbledore enlisted the help of Snape to kill him.
“If you don’t mind dying,” said Snape roughly, “why not let Draco do it?”
“That boy’s soul is not yet so damaged,” said Dumbledore. “I would not have it ripped apart on my account.”
As per the rule of the unbreakable vow that Snape had made with Narcissa regarding Draco, Snape was responsible for taking action on Draco’s part in the event that Draco was unable. So by killing Dumbledore himself, Snape was effectively saving Draco, and doing Dumbledore a favour. This did however, leave Snape with the daunting task of killing the man that he had grown to like- the man that took him in after Snape defected from the Death Eaters.
When the time comes, and Snape is facing Dumbledore with his wand out at the top of the Astronomy tower- he finally releases the spell that ends Dumbledore. We can very clearly see that Snape used the most effective method of killing known to the Harry Potter story- avada kedavra, the killing curse. The killing curse is one of the three unforgivable curses- curses that are ‘unforgivable’ because of their sadistic nature. Avada kedavra’s purpose is simple, it causes the victim to instantly die. If you want to kill your victim, then this is the spell to use. The spell creates a blindingly intense green bolt of light right before the victim simply drops dead.
But what’s curious about Snape’s particular avada kedavra (and this is only in the film, so take from it what you will) is that when it strikes Dumbledore, it isn’t the green that we’re accustomed to, it’s far more of a blue. I found significance in this moment because it’s re-iterated again and again that avada kedavra is a ‘green’ jet of light- so why was it so blue? The meanings behind spell colours in Harry Potter are never properly explained, but last week I made a theory video where I discuss potential relationships between spell colours and their meanings. In this video, I outline that for a spell to be produced in it’s ‘truest’ form, the spell requires intent- and the spell must be used for the purpose for which it was made. By this logic, someone producing an expelliarmus properly, and for the right reason, would produce a pure-unwaivering red colour from the tip of their wand. The same goes for avada kedavra- if used accurately and for the right reason, producing an unwavering ‘green’ jet of light.
So, my theory for Snape’s ‘blue’ spell is this- he had regret. In order to produce avada kedavra, or any of the unforgivable curses for that matter, it requires ‘intent’, and it’s generally suggested that the degree of intent will determine how successful the spell is. My thought is that Snape had JUST enough intent to kill Dumbledore, but not enough to produce the spell in its purest form. This would explain why the spell colour waivered from the traditional ‘green’.
Snape didn’t want to kill Dumbledore, but he knew that he had to, so- being the pragmatic man that he is, he got the task done. However, that certainly doesn’t mean that he ever wanted to kill him- it was the last thing that Snape wanted to do, he just knew that it was the ‘right’ thing to do.
What do you guys think of this theory? Let me know in the comment section below
Until next time
YER A WIZARD ARRY
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