Re: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows *Possible Spoilers*
Oh, man, I love Snape. I think he's a really complex character, a lot more so than people would like to think. The eleventh-hour turnaround would be really nice. I think he's been good all along. I truly believe that Snape has been working for the Order and that Dumbledore (a skilled Legilimens, just like Snape) ordered the DADA professor to kill him in that moment of silence atop the tower.
I mean, honestly -- no one would truly believe Snape innocent. He had killed Dumbledore, and no one really liked him anyway. They all thought he was a jerk and cold-hearted, no one worth putting their time into to know. Why would they take the time to investigate his motives? Why would Severus Snape kill the one man who had believed in him?
Oh, and there's this:
If you believe that Snape is acting on Dumbledore's orders to kill him, as I do, (or possibly just make it look like he killed him, although he'd probably still be hurting him), then Snape's demeanor and Dumbledore's final words take on a whole new meaning.
...somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly. "Severus..." The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. ... Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. "Severus... Please..." (HBP pg 595/556)
Dumbledore wasn't begging for Severus to spare his life; he was begging for Snape to kill him. Would a man who says "death is but the next great adventure" honestly beg for his life?