So, if you didn't gather it from the title, here's a further warning: this is not for Dumbledore haters or Voldemort lovers. If you hate Dumbledore or love Voldemort and you proceed to read, it is not my fault if you are sorely disappointed in what you read. Furthermore, I do NOT want to hear about your point of view deferring. I wrote this because it popped into my head, not because I want to argue with people over what J.K. Rowling has or hasn't written. Finally, if you like Dumbledore and you still find this an insult to his memory, my apologies. That is not my intent.
Enjoy if you want.
"Dumbledore is not a villain." Snape frowned at what he'd written then stood to pace his office.
For the past fifteen years since Snape had switched sides, since he had sworn to the service of this meddlesome old codger, since Lily's death, Snape had tried to pin guilt onto Dumbledore's persona.
He was the evil person. He toyed with people's lives. He let Potter live in such a terrible state, being abused and malnourished and who knew what else by his so-called 'family'. He put the Boy-Who-Lived through trial after trial each year instead of telling him from the beginning everything he needed to know to be successful in each endeavor. He had let the boy be raised, nurtured, cared for, loved, only to let him die! He was the one who now delegated to Snape such a miserable task! He was evil! He was the villain!
Snape set his fingers upon his desk, the only sign of how unstable he felt right now.
As much as he wanted to blame Dumbledore for so many things, and there were indeed things Dumbledore could be blamed for, Dumbledore still remained not a villain.
Did Dumbledore toy with the lives of people?
Snape had to really wonder about this. He'd always thought of the Headmaster as meddlesome, for indeed he was, but he'd never seen him as manipulative. Dumbledore cared for the students and people in general, but he never saw people as general. He was very personal with everyone. The best sign of this was his way of calling each person by their given name, rather than by their surname. Every person was important enough to be called by name. It might have been a small proof, but it was proof enough for Snape. Dumbledore was meddlesome, not manipulative, so, at least in the eyes of Snape, Dumbledore didn't toy with people's lives.
Did Dumbledore let Potter live through all sorts of abuse?
Well, there was no getting around it: Dumbledore had.
Did this alone make Dumbledore evil?
No.
Sometimes, the best decision was the hardest to make and, often, looked the worst of the options presented. It had been a difficult choice, Snape imagined: let the boy live in a place where he was sure to be mistreated, but would be protected from the Dark Arts, or let him be treated kingly, spoiled rotten, but risk the possibility of the Dark Arts destroying him in his youth when he was most vulnerable. The Longbottoms had been tortured not long after the Dark Lord's fall by Death Eaters seeking their master's whereabouts. What if the wizarding world had known where Harry was? Was it possible he'd be dead already? Was it possible the more loyal of the Dark Lord's servants would have sought him out first? Some of the most powerful of magic that wizards and witches could cast simply wasn't enough of a protection. The death of the Potters had been proof of this. What about later, head now full with arrogance over being the Boy-Who-Lived, when temptation for power was offered to him? Would he have become a Dark Wizard like the one who had tried to destroy him, fighting fire with fire? For the sake of Potter's personality, at least, it had been best not to place him in a wizarding home. Had other options been available, Snape was sure Dumbledore would have chosen the best one foremost for Potter's safety and secondly for comfort. It was a decision only someone who truly loved could make. Snape himself recalled how he first wanted Lily to be safe and then to be happy, but safe was always first. Besides, the brat had lived through the experience as Snape had survived his own childhood. People endured worst things and turned out fine. For the better of Potter's life, Dumbledore had made the hard decision that others could not, that others who couldn't possibly understand the circumstances and variables would always look down on the Headmaster for. Snape, on the other hand, could find no real fault with Dumbledore's decision. The wise saw ahead and acted on what they saw. This was why they were leaders and all anyone else could do was follow. Followers were given to misunderstand a leader's actions and complain about what they perceived. This meant the fault was with the followers, not the leader.
Did Dumbledore put Potter through yearly trials with no knowledge of what lay ahead?
Yes, Snape mused, but trials shaped people to be stronger and more cunning. Anyone who said otherwise was afraid of self-failures and would never try, therefore would never succeed. Furthermore, lack of readily available knowledge increased a thirst for it and this thirst provided the ability to not only learn, but value what was learned. Snape was also sure that not all knowledge could be shared at once, nor should it be. Too much all at once could lead a person to arrogance, thinking they knew it all and deserved greatness for it (was this not the root of most Ravenclaw personality problems?) and could increase the chance of failure. After all, arrogance was equivalent to blindness and blindness equivalent to a tool for the use of the enemy. Dumbledore was smart enough to realize all of this and Snape understood his reasoning in this case as well.
Had Dumbledore let the boy live only to die?
Snape dragged a hand over his face.
Yes.
Did he trust Dumbledore?
Snape paused in his pacing and sighed.
Yes.
He resumed pacing.
Dumbledore was wise, which was why he was so difficult to understand. Fools weren't even in the same room as him and Snape counted most as fools. What Dumbledore saw was well beyond any other person's thinking. It was like trying to decipher what an artist was going to paint by the colors he'd picked out. Without seeing into his mind's eye, a person didn't stand a chance to guess.
Was it wrong of Dumbledore?
No, Snape decided. Potter had been given six years to enjoy friendship, a home, a family, and love. Dumbledore had not burdened him with this task during all this time. The fact he'd instructed to Snape to tell Potter only near the end was proof that Dumbledore, full of compassion and care for the boy, did not want to weigh Potter down with such a heavy burden. No doubt, Snape presumed, Dumbledore would have provided a way for Potter to come to terms with his fate. Dumbledore cared too much to do otherwise.
This left Snape's current dilemma of killing Dumbledore at the Headmaster's behest. To be handed, delegated, forced to do...no...he realized...he should feel honored. Dumbledore trusted Snape. The fact that he gave this task to Snape alone was proof. Only Snape could play the villain, have Potter hate him so much that the Dark Lord would never suspect of Snape's true betrayal. Then Snape, strategically placed within the full favor of the Dark Lord, could take over the important charge of Headmaster of Hogwarts, where he could watch over the students and keep them safe, while finishing the tasks Dumbledore had entrusted to him, only him.
Dumbledore wasn't evil. He wasn't the villain.
Voldemort was the villain! He was evil! If it hadn't been for him, none of this would have ever happened! All Dumbledore was trying to do was salvage as much of the world and save as many of its inhabitants, its people, its men, its women, its children, every little Sam, Joe, Susan, and Laura that he could.
Snape sat heavily down in his chair and looked down at the parchment on his desk.
"Dumbledore is not a villain."
Slowly, he tore this phrase from the roll of parchment, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
"Why do we make villains those who try to lead us to a brighter future if only because we expect unhappiness and foul play and can't understand sacrifice and the true meaning of taking charge and making difficult decisions? He mumbled before sighing, "We are cruel, exalting demons and striking down angels, idolizing villains and spitting in the faces of those few good leaders we are given."
He frowned.
"I must be tired: I'm waxing philosophical."
And with that, he set off for bed.
Hope you enjoyed.
If you hate Dumbledore or love Voldemort and have read this and dislike it, don't bother commenting. I honestly don't want to hear your opinions on the matter. If I wanted to, I'd read more fanfiction about Dumbledore being evil.
If you love Dumbledore or hate Voldemort and have read this, I still don't want to get into a debate over the topic. It's really not my deal.
If you don't care either way and simply want to make a comment about the writing style, grammar, spelling, or word choices, please leave a comment. This is constructive. The rest is just critical.