The unexpected death of Hogwarts headmaster and legendary wizard Albus Dumbledore is one of the most gut-wrenching character eliminations of all time. Fans worldwide were left stunned as he was knocked off the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts from the powerful Avada Kedavra spell.
Admittedly, Half-Blood Prince contains multiple unsuccessful attempts on Dumbledore’s life, but it seemed as if they would remain exactly that, futile endeavours. Nobody saw the actual death coming, and it certainly marked a turning point in the trajectory of the storyline.
However, apart from the elimination of a character that seemed impossible to kill off, Dumbledore met his end with Severus Snape, which may have come as a shock!
Although Snape was always difficult to read, he was mostly regarded as somewhat of an ally, not an enemy capable of taking out Dumbledore.
So what happened? Could there be more to this seemingly treacherous betrayal or had fans been too trusting of Snape to see him for what he really was?
Here’s all you need to know about Dumbledore’s death and why it was Snape who delivered the fatal blow.
Why Did Snape Kill Dumbledore?
Here are some of the reasons why it was Snape who had to kill Dumbledore:
#1 To fulfil his Unbreakable Vow
To find answers, one must begin with the Unbreakable Vow Snape made with Narcissa Malfoy in Half-Blood Prince. Snape vowed to watch over Draco, Narcissa’s young son, in his “attempts to fulfill The Dark Lord’s wishes” as well as “carry out the deed The Dark Lord has ordered” should Draco be unsuccessful. The Dark Lord’s wishes included Dumbledore’s murder.
More events occur from then on that culminate in Dumbledore’s demise.
You can find out more about Snape’s Unbreakable Vow here.
The events include Draco’s failed assassination attempts on Dumbledore’s life. The boy employed some indirect methods like sending a cursed necklace through a mule and planting a poisoned wine bottle in Professor Slughorn’s quarters, hoping the latter would deliver it as a gift to Dumbledore. The thwarted attempts further made it clear that someone was out to kill Dumbledore and although Harry suspected Draco, there wasn’t enough evidence to prove his suspicions.
Draco’s indirect attempts convey a reluctance to face Dumbledore squarely. His reluctance was also seen in his inability to kill the wizard when they eventually came face to face with each other. To fulfill his Unbreakable Vow and keep his life, which was the price to be paid should he betray the oath, Snape stepped in to complete the task and prevent the boy from living with such guilt.
#2 To prove himself as a Death Eater
Although Voldemort seemed to trust Snape, some Death Eaters had grown suspicious of him. Something had to be done to convince them of his loyalty. To win their trust, he resorted to a deed as heinous as killing Dumbledore.
You can find out more about why Snape became a Death Eater here.
Prominent Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange was particularly very suspicious of Snape and she did not hide her doubts. She accompanied her sister Narcissa to the meeting with Snape and was the one who suggested he made the Unbreakable Vow to prove his loyalty.
It may be inferred that she deliberately set him up with the Vow to kill Dumbledore because the matter that necessitated their meeting was Draco’s protection.
Seeing as Snape agreed to make the vow with Narcissa after Bellatrix kept taunting him with disloyal remarks, she took advantage of her role as the bonding agent between the two by introducing a new angle to the vow. Not only was Snape to watch and protect Draco, but he was also to kill Dumbledore himself if Draco couldn’t follow through with it.
The look on Snape’s face after this new term was introduced proves he wasn’t expecting it but he had to agree nonetheless to gain their trust.
After he made the vow, there was no turning back from it because the consequence of breaking an Unbreakable Vow is death. He knew that if the situation presented itself, he had to kill Dumbledore not just to win the trust of the Death Eaters, but also to preserve his own life.
#3 To keep the promise he made to Dumbledore
After Dumbledore became aware of Draco’s assignment to kill him, he solicited Snape’s help to do the killing instead.
This was the first hint that Snape was acting as a double agent whose true loyalty was with Dumbledore and not the dark side. What seemed like an unforgivable betrayal was only the fulfilment of the agreement between himself and Dumbledore.
Several elements in Half-Blood Prince suggest Snape and Dumbledore are in cahoots about something. For example, in the scene where both men argue and Dumbledore reminds Snape that he had agreed to something he couldn’t back out of.
This was mainly because Snape felt guilty for telling Voldemort about the Prophecy, which eventually led to Lily’s death!
However, these hints weren’t enough to paint a full picture and fans had to wait for Deathly Hallows to understand what really went down between them.
After Voldemort slit Snape’s throat so he could fully command Dumbledore’s wand (the wand only fully submits to the one who murdered its previous owner), Harry stayed with him in his final moments.
On Snape’s orders, Harry collected his tears and took them to the Pensieve in Dumbledore’s former office to view his memories.
Through Snape’s memories, we managed to get a better understanding of the events that necessitated Dumbledore’s death.
After being cursed by Marvolo Gaunt’s ring which was also one of the 7 Horcruxes bearing parts of Voldemort’s soul, Dumbledore discovered he only had about a year to live. The curse, though contained with Snape’s help, would eventually spread throughout his body, ultimately killing him.
Seeing as he had limited time to live and did not want to suffer an excruciating death at the hands of Death Eaters, Dumbledore instructed Snape to kill him when the time came. He said to Snape
“I ask this one, great favour of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year’s league. I confess I should prefer a quick, painless exit to the protracted and messy affair it will be if, for instance, Greyback is involved – I hear Voldemort has recruited him? Or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it.”
Conclusion
You may recall that the last word Dumbledore spoke to Snape before Snape killed him was “please”.
At the time, it was thought that the wizard was begging for his life and it pleased the Death Eaters to think him that vulnerable. However, with subsequent revelations, it is now clear that Dumbledore was in fact pleading with Snape, who seemed apprehensive and a bit reluctant, to stick to their agreement and kill him.
Snape’s Avada Kedavra spell was actually blue in colour, and you can find out why it was so here.
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