Snape and the Edinburgh Festival

[mnaper2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 111103

> 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:
> 
> Revenge: Voldy killed/tortured someone in his family or someone he 
> was in love with (not very mushy, but conventional. JKR can do 
> better: 5).
> 
> Good Snape: He was never a real DE. He was always a spy for the 
side 
> of good (super mushy: 1).
> 
> 
> Did I miss any theory? Which would you prefer? 
> 
> Neri

Ally:

I have one that's sort of a combo of a couple of yours.  Its the 
revenge/not really a bad guy theory.  Snape gets lured into the DEs 
with promises of respect and acceptance.  But, once he gets in, he 
realizes its not all its cracked up to be.  He's no more important or 
respected by the DEs than he was by the Marauders, and what's more, 
he really doesn't believe in what they believe in either.  He may not 
cozy up to muggles, but disliking them and wanting to eradicate them 
from the earth are two different things.

He's little more than a slave to an idea and Ruler he doesn't believe 
in, and the Snape who craves respect and recognition is not about to 
warm up to that idea.  Ultimately, he realizes that he was 
trick/hoodwinked/bamboozled into joining just because they wanted to 
use his magical talents, and it makes him angry.  Around the same 
time, Regulus Black - maybe someone Snape has had some heart to 
hearts with? - tries to get out and gets killed, and Snape realizes 
that there is no traditional means of escape.  The only way out is to 
defeat Voldie altogether.  It's his only hope of freedom.

So - I think he could care less about Harry as a person, and just 
really really hates Voldie and the fact that he was manipulated by 
him.  Those glittering eyes when he went off at the end of GOF - he 
was afraid (the paleness), but there was also something purposeful 
there IMO.

Ally