Life debts

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 56280

Maria, responding to me:

> > Lost in all this is that I'm not sure Snape owes a magically-
> binding 
> > debt to James, the same way Pettigrew now does to Harry.
> 
> Just. I don't think that Dumbledore has ever said that Snape owes a 
> life-debt to James. But then we only have one case of life-debt 
> creation... <perks up> But my theory can still hold, right?

Sure it can, perky girl. :) Most theories out here CAN hold. It's 
just a case of which one you like.

 
> > It is entirely possible that Snape, who knew more curses than 
> >anyone  else, could have escaped from Lupin. 
> 
> Hmmm. James apparently didn't think so. And I don't think so 
either. 


Nah, I don't really think so, either. I just wonder, for the life 
debt thing to work, does it have to be certain death? 

In UK PS page 217, Dumbledore explains Snape's feelings to Harry.

"Funny the way people's minds work, isn't it? Prof. Snape couldn't 
bear being in your father's debt... I do believe he worked so hard to 
protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your 
father quits. then he could go back to hating your father's memory in 
peace..."

This really reads like the debt is in Snape's head, not the result of 
any magic compulsion. 

I also take issue with the "worked so hard to protect you this year." 
Near as I can tell, Snape did a counter-curse, refereed a Quidditch 
match and that was it. All of his work in trying to stop Quirrell, in 
hindsight, had less to do with protecting Harry and more to do with 
protecting the Philospher's Stone.
  
Now, moving on to PoA, and the discussion of the debt there:

pg 210. Snape, after insulting James in front of Harry, (classy) 
finally provokes Harry to anger.

"Your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on 
me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't got 
cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he 
did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine."

Now, Lupin, pg 261

"Your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and 
pulled him back, at great risk to his life."

Again, this still seems like it could all be taking place without 
magical binding forcing Snape to repay the debt. 

What Dumbledore, Snape and Lupin agree on is that Snape was doomed 
without James. (So, you're right, Snape was a dead duck, or bat, or 
whatever, without James.)

Snape doesn't think much, at least publicly, of James risking his own 
life, D-Dore doesn't comment on it and Lupin thinks it was brave. 

I tend to agree with Snape on this one. I think that if push came to 
shove, James could just become Prongs -- a werewolf is only a danger 
to people, we are told on page 260 -- and leave Lupin to kill Snape. 
Dog Sirius was only attacked by Lupin-Wolf because he tried to stop 
Lupin from hurting HRH and Snape.

What I do wonder is what happened down there. Maybe James caught up 
with Snape well before the Shrieking Shack and Snape wouldn't believe 
James when he said it was a good idea to leave. That makes sense. 
Snape wouldn't believe James. He would have thought James was trying 
to protect Lupin. On general principle, he would have wanted to keep 
going, just because James said not to.

He might even have magically attacked James at one point, and James 
kept at it, stopping him just as they got to the Shack.

Snape realized that James was telling the truth and Snape almost 
blundered into his own death. THAT would really annoy the hell out of 
someone like Snape. James was trying to do something good for him, 
and Snape wouldn't listen.

Again, it just boils down to personal preference. I find Snape more 
interesting if he has a code of honor that is different from others.  
I mean, Harry would probably be willing to call it quits if Snape 
just stopped picking on him, Ron and Hermione, but of course, Snape 
will never do that. Snape has to satisfy this debt in his own way.

Darrin
-- Life Debt would indeed be a good name for a band.