How did Sirius lure Severus into the Willow? (was: James the Berk?)

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 106805

Potioncat:
>> I just realized your point was that Snape isn't working on a life
debt obligation, he's protecting Harry out of general sense of
duty. Actually, that makes it even more noble (Did you intend that?)
Do I recall that you don't agree with DD's statement about the Life
Debt? I may have to find time to look into that...it is the sort of
dis-information DD might hand out. <<

HunterGreen:
Yes, I don't really agree with Dumbledore's assesment of 'life-debt' 
in the case of Snape and James (and actually in the case of a *real* 
life debt, with Peter and Harry, I have yet to understand why its 
considered "magic", since Peter is for the most part ignoring it). 
And yes, that does make Snape more 'noble' when it comes to saving 
Harry. I just don't see Snape as the type who would be trying to save 
Harry only out of loyalty to a life-debt he had with Harry's 
*father*, who is dead. Because the implication there, is that without 
the life-debt he would just let Harry fall off his broom in SS/PS, 
even though he figured out that *someone* was jinxing it (which the 
rest of the teachers weren't bright enough to figure out, or at least 
not proactive enough to do anything about). 

I think that *Dumbledore* may perceive there to be a debt between 
Snape and James, but I haven't seen any proof that *Snape* thinks 
this. In PoA, when Harry brings up the prank incident, Snape doesn't 
seem to think James was being heroic at all, which makes it hard to 
believe that he feels he 'owes' James for it.