So, why did Snape turn on Voldemort? (And go to Dumbledore?)

[aldrea279]

No: HPFGUIDX 40090

Darrin:
>And earlier on page 
300 of SS, Dumbledore says: "Well, they did rather detest each other. 
Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did 
something Snape could never forgive."

He saved Severus' life.

They hated each other prior to the Prank. 

Perhaps the hatred is as simple as Harry and Draco. They got off on 
the wrong foot, have naturally different ideas about wizardry in 
general, and are headed down different paths.

I dislike the idea of it being that simple, but... perhaps it could 
be.>


Hmm...I don't think it's qutie that simple either.  I don't know how 
Young!Snape compares, but I've never seen any huge likenesses in 
Snape and Draco other than their hatred of Harry and Slytherin-ness. 
Someone made an excellent post tearing up Draco a few weeks back, and 
I wish I would have saved it...  But anways, I've always held Snape 
in much higher regard than Draco.  Perhaps he was very much like 
Draco, though, when Hogwarts started for him- except smarter.  We 
don't really know enough of James' character to know if he was alot 
like his son, though.  It's reasonable to think he was, but also that 
he wasn't. Harry hasn't had the normal wizard upbringing, and as far 
as we can assume, James did- which could set up differences in their 
characters.  Snape calls James arrogant on a number of instances.  
Snape does get carried away, but he usually has some truth in his 
accusations(i.e.- he talks about Harry breaking the rules whenever he 
can.  Not quite true, but Harry does bend/break many rules when he 
has to.). James could very well have had a somewhat large head(not 
big enough to be egotistical, just enough to where it maybe gave him
[or other people?] neck pains).  I'm going to have to look through 
the books, but I think the worst Snape accuses James of is The Prank- 
is there any mention of previous incidents, of Snape talking about 
how the Mauraders bullied him or anything?  I don't think there is.  
I think it was just a great dislike, "not unlike" Draco and Harry.  
And then after the Prank, it was utter hatred- like we see between 
Sirius and Snape.  I think Draco's dislike has already gone to hatred 
with all the many deeds Harry has accomplished in his 4 years- or 
actually, maybe it fully graduated into hatred at the end of GoF.


Rochelle:
>Being an object or ridicule during one's adolescnece can very well
result in his or her becoming bitter, spiteful and suspicious
indefinitely. For some people, the scars just don't heal.>

*grins* This description reminds me very much of a certain Potions 
master we all know and...probably don't love. =P  
But I think it's very possible that the Mauraders managed to offend 
Snape very deeply in some way.  Something along the lines of James 
seriously and majorly publicly embarassing Snape, and Snape running 
off in tears yelling "You'll pay for this Potter, and you're little 
son too!" ;)

I also think it'd be very interesting to find out exactly WHO started 
it. Did Snape offend someone James knew and liked?  Or did James 
offend Snape by calling him a greasy slimeball?  Or did they both 
just sort of have a falling out, like Malfoy and Harry did- a 
misunderstanding tha led them to see the differences in their 
characters? Hmm...

Darrin:
I think a closer answer than ambition is the fact that Snape 
correctly sniffed out which side is the winning side. It really could 
be that simple. <snip> Snape figured out that he had a better chance 
of 
attaining power -- and staying alive and out of Azkaban -- if he 
switched sides. Dumbledore didn't buy it for a second at first, but 
Snape convinced him through some act.



Ooh, I see a possible Snape scenario, then.  Snape gets put into a 
position where Dumbledore's trust is at stake, but also the other 
tempting path is one of ambition and sure power(where he won't need 
Dumbledore's trust)- which does he choose?!?

Ah, no, that's just fun speculation.  I really don't see how Snape 
can go back to Voldemort.  Voldemort is probably a little bit smarter 
than to accept a man back who's been under Dumbedore's wing for a 
good 10+ years.  I don't know, thinking like that just makes me 
wonder even more what the deed Snape did the night Harry faced 
Voldemort in GoF.

But I think TooAmbitiousToSettleForDE!Snape is sort of ruled out by 
Marina's excellent point:
>No, given what Voldemort does to traitors, I 
seriously doubt that Snape would turn on him just because he hoped 
that fifty years down the line he'd get to be the guy who makes the 
pre-dinner speech at the Sorting Feast every year.>

Nope, I have to say Snape has a conscience. He is, undoubtedly,a Mean 
Ugly Schnook...but he has a conscience, and that's what gets him.

Darrin:
>My own theory is that Snape hates the situation he's found himself 
in. All things considered, he'd rather be a Death Eater, hanging out 
with former Slytherins. BUT... he had that pesky life debt thing to 
James, so he maybe tipped Dumbledore off that James was a target, 
never dreaming that Voldemort would go kablooey when he attacked the 
Potters.>

Well, it has been implied(by Dumbledore himself, even) that Snape was 
playing spy for his team before the Potter thing.  I've always had 
the idea that Snape was sitting around and hearing the word Potter, 
perks up like Vernon did and says "What? Potter? What was that?"  He 
therefore works extra hard, finds out the Potters are in danger, and 
informs Dumbledore- but that just isn't enough, even with his help 
the Potters still get themselves blown up.  Poor over-worked Snape.. 
=P

~Aldrea (I'm still 6 pages behind, so sorry if people are tired of 
this discussion- I'm pulling up the things ya'll said from last 
weekend to haunt you, mwaha!)