Is it July, yet?

So, I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and my faith in Snape- waivers.

I have complete faith in Dumbledore. I believed with every fibre of my being that Snape was on the side of the angels right up until chapter 27.

I can come up with reasons that almost completely convince me that Snape is a good guy, even now. But he Stupify-ed Flitwick. Or did he? That was obvious to Hermione and Luna in hindsight; however, we never read a verification from our favourite charms teacher... so, maybe, Snape is on the side of the angels.

But Dumbledore was pleading. Didn't he have to press Harry to remember his oath all through the last couple of chapters? If Snape is on the side of the angels, he's got a wandless Dumbledore to back him on the roof, and a bunch of Death Eaters around him who think he's on their side. Snape is the Order's best source of information on the doings of Voldemort and the Death Eaters, not compromising his cover is of extreme importance. If he's on the side of the angels, is he going to want to keep Draco Malfoy innocent more than provide the help he vowed to give? I have no difficulty believing that Draco's innocence is more important to Dumbledore than his own life- Dumbledore is a hero. Dumbledore may have been pleading with Snape to preserve Draco's innocence, asking him to take on another measure of guilt upon himself. And that expression of loathing and hatred on Snape's face? I'd loathe that action, and I might even spare a touch of hatred for someone asking me to do that.

The only two characters I can think of who Rowling has misled us with (I do not count Barty Crouch posing as Moody, that is the entire point of the Polyjuice Potion) are Gilderoy Lockhart, but his artificiality is apparent from the get go; and Percy Weasley, who is rules-bound from the beginning and shown to be two-faced as early as the fourth book. Otherwise, good guys are good, bad guys are bad and people are people. Snape would be the third, either way. Either he's a real jerk who is on the side of the angels, or he's a bad guy who's able to fool the good guys (including the REAL Mad Eye Moody).

My mind is not made up, but I'll learn the truth this July. I'm hoping that there will be another party at my bookstore. My best friend, Erin, and I went to the one for the release of book six and we had a great time (we were in the first or second group to get books).