Why Dumbledore Said 'After All This Time?' to Snape - Harry Potter Explained

Hey everyone,

Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be discussing Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore- and perhaps one of the most iconic moments in the entire Harry Potter franchise. I am of course talking about the scene from the Deathly Hallows where Dumbledore says to Snape “After all this time?” - to which Snape responds “always”.

I have seen some people asking for this video, so I thought I would oblige. As we know, Snape was originally a Death eater, and was on the side of Lord Voldemort. He changed allegiance after his love interest, Lily Potter, was murdered by the Dark Lord. Snape, who was unsure of what to do next after her murder, was then persuaded by Dumbledore to honour Lily’s memory by protecting Harry. This meant switching sides.

The following excerpt from The Deathly Hallows depicts this:

“If you loved Lily Evans, if you truly loved her, then your way forward is clear.”
Snape seemed to peer through a haze of pain, and Dumbledore’s words appeared to take a long time to reach him.
“What — what do you mean?”
“You know how and why she died. Make sure it was not in vain. Help me protect Lily’s son.”

So, what some people have been left asking themselves after this scene is, why would Dumbledore be surprised that Snape’s motivations remained the same- ‘after all this time’.
Dumbledore seems genuinely surprised that Snape is still acting out of his love for Lily, which to me seems peculiar.

The following passage depicts the convseration between Dumbledore and Snape that prompts their famous exchange of impactful lines:

[Snape] stood up. “You have used me.”
“Meaning?”
“I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter-”
“But this is touching, Severus,” said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?”
“For him?” shouted Snape. “Expecto Patronum!”
From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: she landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
“After all this time?”
“Always,” said Snape.
(Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33, The Prince's Tale).

What’s unusual about Dumbledore’s genuine surprise is that Dumbledore seemingly suddenly casts a certain level of doubt over Snape’s commitment to honouring Lily. That was the basis for Snape’s allegiance to the Order. Doesn't Dumbledore's absolute trust of Snape imply that he was completely confident that Snape's motivations were unchanged?

The reason that Dumbledore is shocked, and says ‘after all this time’, is not because he ever questioned Snape’s loyalty or allegiance to the order. He never doubted Snape’s intentions, and knew that he would always vow to honour Lily. Snape’s commitment was for the rest of his life. The reason that Dumbledore says ‘after all this time’ is because he is amazed by Snape’s patronus- a doe. We know that Lily Potter’s patronus was also a doe, and it’s well known that if you love someone, your patronus can change to match the patronus of the person that you love. The patronus charm is known to express the nature of the caster, and is linked to significant events or people in one's life.

You can't choose your Patronus or change it wilfully, and the fact that Snape's patronus was still a doe, matching Lily, ‘after all that time’- was representative of the fact that he truly loved Lily, and that his feelings for her hadn’t weakened over the years. It was the depths of Snape’s love that hit Dumbledore so hard - and that's the reason that he experiences genuine shock and surprise when Snape produces it.

So, Dumbledore’s surprise at Snape was never anything to do with his allegiance, and was everything to do with the depth of his love for Lily Potter.

It had been almost 17 years since Lily died, but she still meant everything to him.
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