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7 Surprising Reasons Why Snape Killed Dumbledore (2023)

Dumbledore’s death may have been one of the most shocking moments in the Harry Potter series. 

Especially since it was at the hands of professor Snape.

Just when we thought we could trust him…

He kills the headmaster.

But Snape actually had his reasons to do this.

Read on to learn:

  • 7 surprising reasons why Snape killed Dumbledore.
  • Why Snape not killing Dumbledore would make things worse.
  • How he saved Draco Malfoy’s life by killing the old headmaster.
  • And more…

Why did Snape kill Dumbledore? 7 surprising reasons


#1: Dumbledore asked him to

Dumbledore’s death may come as a surprise. Or maybe even as a betrayal.

But that’s not the truth.

See, Dumbledore has crafted an elaborate plan to defeat Voldemort.

And part of that plan was sacrificing his own life.

We see all of this when Harry looks into Snape’s memories.

He did so by taking one of his tears and pouring that into the Pensieve.

This was a magical item that allowed you to store and review memories.

By looking into Snape’s memories, he saw that Dumbledore actually asked this of him.

Of course, the Potions Master was not a fan of this plan. 

And when we first see the murder play out, it comes as a shock.

So it’s a great plot twist to reveal that it was actually Dumbledore’s plan all along.

#2: It would save Dumbledore from an even worse fate

When Dumbledore was facing Snape and the other Deatheaters, one thing was sure: 

He would die.

The only thing that was in his control was how it would happen.

Before Snape shoots the Killing Curse at him, he says: “Severus, please“.

At first glance, it may look like Dumbledore is begging for his life.

Asking the Potions Master not to kill him.

But in reality, he begs Snape to go through with the plan.

See, it wasn’t easy for him to kill Dumbledore.

But they both knew that he would have a worse fate if he didn’t.

See, the Dark Lord was one of the most powerful wizards in the world.

There really was only one other person that matched him in power.

And that was Dumbledore.

In fact, there’s a chapter in the 5th book called “The only one he ever feared“. 

During that chapter, Dumbledore and Voldemort duel.

So when he finally prevailed over him, the Dark Lord would make a spectacle of his death.

No doubt that several of the Deatheaters would join in.

By asking Snape to please kill him, he took the easy way out.

There would be no torture. No humiliation. 

Just a quick and painless death.

And Snape knew that. So to help Dumbledore, he had to kill him.

You can watch the scene play out here:

#3: He would gain Voldemort’s trust

Snape has played the perfect double agent for the longest time.

While he used to be a Deatheater, he came to the good side.

He did so when he learned that Voldemort wanted to kill the Potters.

See, Snape loved Lily Potter. And when he learned she would die, he begged Dumbledore to help them.

In return, he would spy on the Dark Lord.

Voldemort killed James Potter with ease. But Lily did not want to let her son go.

She sacrificed herself, which led to Harry Potter being protected.

So when Voldemort shot the Killing Curse at the poor child, it rebounded.

With the Dark Lord defeated, Snape worked at Hogwarts without worry.

Of course, when Voldemort returned, he did not forget this.

Ultimately, Snape told the Dark Lord that he now had many years of information for him.

Which was enough to spare his life. But Voldemort was never fully convinced.

While he knew Snape helped him, he never knew if he could fully trust him.

And Dumbledore knew this as well.

To help this, he knew that Snape needed to kill him.

It would cement Voldemort’s trust in the Potions Master if he did.

And that meant he could keep playing the perfect double agent. Only this time, without Voldemort doubting him.

#4: Dumbledore wanted to save Draco

Snape Killed Dumbledore Because He Wanted To Save Draco

This really proves that Dumbledore is a very good person.

See, Draco Malfoy has always behaved like a spoiled, racist brat.

There really aren’t many redeeming scenes for him.

Yet still, Dumbledore wanted to save him.

He knew that Voldemort had tasked Draco with killing him.

The Dark Lord did so to judge the young boy’s loyalty.

But Dumbledore wanted to save him if he could.

He was convinced that Draco could not do it when it came to it.

So he asked Snape to be the one to kill him.

Now, this protects Draco in 2 ways.

First, it would keep him pure and innocent.

Killing is often said to taint the soul. So if Draco did go through with it, he would be marked for life.

By having Snape kill him, he saved Draco from that fate.

This study backs that up. It shows us how good people can do bad things.

And secondly, it would prevent the blond brat from becoming the owner of the Elder Wand.

Being the owner of this powerful artifact would paint a huge target on his back.

We all know what happened to Snape, after all.

Voldemort killed him without a second thought.

Now, in the end, Draco did become the rightful owner of the wand. 

But no one was aware of that.

Everyone knew that Snape killed Dumbledore. So he should be the rightful owner.

And it now was the Potions Master with a target on his back.

This once again saved Draco’s life.

#5: Snape made an unbreakable vow

It was Lord Voldemort that tasked Draco to kill Dumbledore.

However, Draco wasn’t that evil. And there was a good chance that he was not up for the task.

Fearing the worst, Draco’s mom Narcissa asked Snape for a favor. 

If her son failed to kill Dumbledore, she wanted the Potions Master to step in.

Narcissa wanted this because she feared Voldemort’s anger if Draco failed.

And to solidify her wish, she asks Snape to take the Unbreakable Vow.

As the name suggests, this is an agreement that you cannot break.

If you do, you’ll die.

So when Snape took the Unbreakable Vow, he really had no choice anymore.

Either Draco killed Dumbledore. Or he would have to do it.

If both failed, Snape himself would die for not upholding the vow.

#6: The old headmaster was already dying

Something that went relatively unnoticed was the fact that Dumbledore was already dying.

See, Dumbledore put on a ring.

But what’s so significant about that?

Well, it was a Horcrux ring. Which would curse the wearer.

And while Dumbledore was a powerful wizard, this was not something he could fight.

With Snape’s help, he managed to treat the curse for a little more than a year.

But the effects of the Potions Masters’ efforts started to decline. .

The curse became too strong.

And it would kill Dumbledore.

However, it would do so slowly.

The curse functioned similarly to poison.

Dumbledore would slowly wither away. Dying a painful death.

So once again, Snape killing the old headmaster was an act of kindness.

And this study backs that up. It shows us that death sometimes is a kindness. Especially when someone is suffering a lot.

This also made it easier for Snape to go through with the plan. He was helping Dumbledore in a sense.

#7: The Elder Wand would end up with Snape

The story of the Elder Wand is a long and complicated one.

It’s said to be created by death itself.

And it’s the most powerful wand in existence. 

Ever since 1945, Dumbledore has been the owner of the Elder Wand.

And you can only capture it if you disarm the original owner.

Now, disarming can be done in many ways:  

You can use the Disarming Charm, simply grab it out of someone’s hand, or kill the person.

By having Snape kill Dumbledore, the Potions Master would be the new owner of the Elder Wand.

And that was important. 

As it meant that the headmaster left this important item with someone he trusted.

In turn, Snape’s job was to give Harry the Elder Wand when the time was right.

Dumbledore’s plan took a slightly different direction, though.

Draco disarmed the headmaster before Snape could kill him. And that made the young Slytherin student the rightful owner. 

However, Harry later disarmed Draco in the story. 

So it all worked out in the end.

And the last time we see the Elder Wand, we see Harry breaking it.

Did Snape betray Dumbledore?

Snape did not betray Dumbledore.

In fact, he did the exact opposite.

He proved his loyalty one last time by obeying the old headmaster’s wishes. 

Throughout the entire story, we come to dislike the Potions Master. 

He’s often painted as a bad person. And an untrustworthy one.

Just look at the way he treats Harry. Or basically, any student that isn’t in Slytherin.

But actually, he was a key component in taking out Voldemort.

He played a fantastic double agent. Both sides trusted him as one of theirs.

Dumbledore often confided in him. And he made Snape an essential part of the plan.

See, the old headmaster knew that he would die. The ring had cursed him, and there was no turning back.

So he trusted Snape to bring Harry up to speed. But only when the time was right.

He would be the one that needed to hand Harry the Elder Wand. And most importantly, Snape would be the one to tell Harry that he was a Horcrux.

But first, he would have to be the one to kill Dumbledore.

And while he did the headmaster’s bidding, he took no pleasure in killing him.

In the books, he’s even portrayed as being incredibly angry after doing so.

All in all, Snape is perhaps the most loyal person in the entire series. 

He never betrayed Dumbledore, even when he was asked to do something horrible.


What if Snape didn’t kill Dumbledore?


If Snape didn’t kill Dumbledore, a few storylines could play out. 

And although there are several ways the story can go, most actually end in a similar outcome.

Draco and Snape both fail to kill Dumbledore

For this, we’ll assume both Draco and Snape did not kill the headmaster.

Instead, it was one of the other Deatheaters present.

In this case, Snape would also die.

Remember, he took an Unbreakable Vow. So if he did not keep up his end of the agreement, he would die.

Also, the Deatheater that did the killing would also die soon.

We all know how Snape met his end. 

Voldemort thought him to be the owner of the Elder Wand, which was enough reason to kill him.

So it can be assumed that the Deatheater that killed Dumbledore would meet the same fate.

Draco would still be the one to disarm the headmaster. So Voldemort would still not be the rightful owner of the Elder Wand either.

Read also: Why did Voldemort kill Snape?

Draco is the one to kill Dumbledore

This is the ideal scenario for Snape.

If Draco kills the headmaster, the Potions Master holds up his end of the Unbreakable Vow

This meant he would not die.

But he also wouldn’t die in the future.

If Draco killed Dumbledore, he would now be Voldemort’s target.

The only reason the Dark Lord killed Snape is because he thought him to be the owner of the Elder Wand.

But this time, it would be Draco that has Snape’s fate.

The only main difference is that the Dark Lord would most likely be the new wielder of the wand.

Draco killed or disarmed the headmaster. And Voldemort then killed the boy. So he would now be the rightful owner of the wand.