Snape's mission

[lady.nymphaea at faerielands.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 15828

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., koinonia02 at y... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Rachel Taylor" <LavenderChic at h...> 
wrote:
> > 
> > I also agree with whoever it was that said that Polyjuice is used 
> up as a 
> > plot device... It seems to me that JK will come up with a new way 
> to decive 
> > us, everyone will be looking for Polyjuice now.
> 
> 
> I want JK to deceive us.  I don't want to see the Polyjuice used so 
> soon.  Especially where Snape is concerned.  I want to see *Snape* 
in 
> action as *himself*, not pretending to be someone else.

I wish, but that also leads to the Snape-is-toast hypothesis, because 
he is too well-known to escape damage. I am just imagining all the 
DEs who will be out for his head after the second rise of Voldemort.

> I just don't see how Snape and Dumbledore had time to change their 
> plans.  There was no time.  How long would it even take to make 
> Polyjuice Potion?  Whatever it was that Dumbledore asked Snape to 
do, 
> Snape was ready at that moment.  He wasn't going off to the 
dungeons 
> to prepare Polyjuice, at least not in my opinion.  Also, I have a 
> feeling that whatever plan Dumbledore and Snape came up with, it 
was 
> better than using Polyjuice.

I've had a theory for a while, based on something mentioned in CoS. I 
don't have the book anywhere near me at this time, so I can't give 
exact references, but here goes: doesn't Dumbledore mention something 
about the disappearance of Tom Riddle after leaving Hogwarts, and 
that he had changed himself into something quite unrecognizable 
between then and the rise of "Lord Voldemort"?

Perhaps the plan is for Snape to disappear also, and to become 
someone else entirely--not change into a known person, like with a 
Polyjuice transformation, but into someone who is unknown. I'm 
projecting that this person would take over the now-vacant potions 
position, the ever-vacant DADA position, or serve as a spy.

My belief is that this sort of transformation is irreversible, and 
thus Snape's reaction to being told to perform his task is quite 
understandable: he is to lose his identity, permanently.

Meril
(BTW: this is my first post, I hope it isn't off-topic, if there is 
something wrong w/post, please tell me so I don't screw up again.)