Snape and the Edinburgh Festival

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 111055

>> Neri:
> 
> Why did DE!Snape change sides? This is one of the greatest 
mysteries 
> in the books (Lexicon Steve, do you have it on your list?). I 
tried 
> to round up the usual suspicions. I'm not really happy with any of 
> them, but I added my personal scoring:
>
snip.

> Life debt: He found that Voldy is going to kill James, and he 
wanted 
> to pay his debt to James, so he went to warn DD (mushy, but 
> consistent with canon: 7).

snip.

> 
>> Big Bang: Following some dramatic event (possibly seeing or 
> participating in killing someone) he had his epiphany and made the 
> moral choice to change sides (could be either mushy or gruesome, 
but 
> follows the Choice theme: 7).
> 
>


Alla:

Hey, Neri. I am actually equally torn between these two theories. I 
want Snape's redemption "done right" and even though I don't 
consider him to be a good guy yet, I prefer to think that he is 
capable of making moral choices.... sometimes. ;o)

I think him trying to pay his life debt to James is very likely, but 
then if he left Voldie for that reason only it would mean that Snape 
still shares DE ideology in many many important matters. Does he 
miss his DE days?


I think I like dramatic event the best. Something really horrific 
and unexpected (unexpected murder ???) made him see that Voldemort 
and Co are not the best company to hang out with?

And of course the person killed should be somebody Snape cared 
about, otherwise it just would not work, IMO.


I don't think that Snape always being a spy is very likely. I think 
Dumbledore's "returned to our side" pretty much refutes it, but of 
course you never know with JKR.