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Being perhaps the last person in the world to read the seventh and last book I can understand how some people would say Harry should consider Snape a friend. Did I miss something? As I understood it the only reason Snape did anything at all for Harry was because of a promise made to Dumbledore.

Considering all the information that turned out to be useful, that Dumbledore withheld from Harry, I am inclined to think that the only real friends Harry had were his classmates. None of the adults seemed to think Harry could handle the whole truth, yet they were all perfectly willing to let Harry do the dirty work. After all there was a prophesy that said the final battle had to be between Voldamort and Harry.

Would knowing everything have frightened Harry? Yes, but not knowing everything frightened him just as much if not more. If Harry had known the whole story from the beginning would it have made the job easier? In my opinion yes; knowing what you are up against may be terrifying but at least you can prepare for it, going up against the unknown is not only terrifying it means facing whatever is out there totally unprepared.

If Harry had been told the whole story from the beginning he would have understood Snape's resentment, bordering on hatred, toward him. While they still would not have been friends they could have at least come to an understanding.

The realization that Snape was working as a double agent all along really doesn't change anything. It merely raises the question "Did he agree to work as a spy for Dumbledore simply to stay out of Azkaban, or had he truly changed his ways"? If he truly had changed and there were acting awards in the wizarding world, Snape would definitely take top prize.

Even Dumbledore, nnowing that his time was limited (because of his own foolishness), did not trust Snape enough to tell him everything. If Dumbledore, the man who hired Snape and put him to work as a double agent, didn't trust Snape enough to confide in him, how could Harry, who was kept in the dark about most things, trust Snape.

Given what Snape was, and his resentment toward Harry because of Lily, there is no way they could have been friends. It was only because of Dumbledore that they ever tolerated each other.

In the end Harry's true friends proved themselves by putting themselves face to face with Death, not to stop Voldamort but to save Harry. Stopping Voldamort became an added bonus to the true friends of Harry Potter.

Learn more about this author, Dorothy Jo Bourbeau.
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