The debt he incurred to Dumbledore is an emotional connection: gratitude, a form of love. This gives Dumbledore the closeness to suggest to Snape that he begin a second chance at life. Without that closeness, nothing would have tethered Snape to life once Lily died. Everything Snape does in life after this moment is extra. It’s a gift from Death. Snape is infinitely stronger because he doesn’t fear Death after this. He was willing to meet Death at 21; at Dumbledore’s offer, he goes under an invisibility cloak of sorts, takes on a life of double agency, to see what he can accomplish before he
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