Did Snape betray his friends? Round 2

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 34752

Judy wrote:

>However, Cindy's theory was more along the lines of Snape
> going 
> > to Dumbledore and saying "Hey, I don't like my position in 
Voldy's 
> > organization.  Will you give me a better deal if I turn in all my 
> > friends?"  This would definitely *not* be a reason to trust him.  

Hey, wait!  That's not my theory.  Or, well, that's not the best spin 
to put on my theory because it sounds really lame when you put it 
that way.  :-)

If Marina can name her theory "George," then I will name mine "Prince 
of Lies."  It isn't that Snape was playing a cagey game of office 
politics.  It is that he realized that he was being used for 
his ::cough:: brilliant talents, but that in the final analysis, 
Voldemort would torture and disrespect him, just like Wormtail.  The 
Death Eaters weren't about noble causes ::cough:: like purity of 
blood, as Karkaroff said when Snape joined the Death Eaters.  They 
were about torturing and killing innocents, and Voldemort was not 
above torturing his own supposedly-valued servants like Snape.  Snape 
had been deceived about what Voldemort was really about, and Snape's 
own mistreatment finally brought that point home; Snape couldn't deny 
it any more once he was writhing around on the ground.  

Once Snape saw the truth, he realized he had made a mistake.  He 
couldn't simply flee; he would be hunted down and killed.  He had to 
be on Dumbledore's team or he was doomed.  So he proposed returning 
to Dumbledore's team.  It was Dumbledore, not Snape, who required 
concrete proof of Snape's change of heart (ambush?).  

In a way, Snape's conversion wasn't noble.  It was primarily an act 
of self-preservation.  Fleeing would result in certain death.  
Joining Dumbledore entailed risk, true, but it had the advantage of 
allowing Snape a certain amount of revenge against Voldemort and the 
Death Eaters.  Snape would be risking his life to bring down the 
Prince of Lies.  This is consistent with Snape's vindictive, grudge-
bearing personality.

Although I agree that empathy with victims can cause someone to 
change sides, I also think having one really nasty experience (like 
being disrespected and tortured and demeaned) can take all of the fun 
out of being a Death Eater also.  Having Snape's conversion rest on 
one of those fuzzy, heart-warming flashbacks to stolen moments with 
Lily in the cold dungeon will make me want to hurl.

On balance, I have to place myself in the camp of people who think 
Tabouli is onto something with L.O.L.L.I.P.O.P.S., but who 
desperately want Snape's motivation for switching sides to be 
something else. Good heavens, if Lily rejects Snape at Hogwarts, 
marries James and has a child by James, doesn't Snape get over this 
at some point?  Why isn't it equally likely that Snape would love to 
see Lily die as revenge for not loving him?  You know, "If I can't 
have her, nobody can have her?"  Indeed, given Snape's unforgiving 
and vindictive personality, isn't that scenario more likely than that 
Snape changes sides in the war because of LUV of Lily? 

On the other hand, I think that L.O.L.L.I.P.O.P.S. is a great theory 
to explain why Snape is mean to Harry.  If Snape is resentful that he 
could never have Lily, he would detest the product of her union with 
his nemesis.  That he would risk is life in a failed attempt to 
protect her after what she did to him is a stretch, IMHO.

Cindy (unclear on how we will ever find out the truth about Snape's 
backstory given the limits of Harry's POV, given that Sirius is 
clueless, and Dumbledore is tight-lipped)