Snape: the Riddle... (LONG)

[severelysigune]

No: HPFGUIDX 136046


severelysigune previously:
> > Although he had not originally agreed to it, he has magically 
pledged himself to kill Albus Dumbledore. Dear dear, he is in deep – 
you know. < <

zgirnius:
> This is one point I see differently. I do not believe that at this 
point Snape knows *what* he has committed himslef to. Like, you , I 
saw Snape's actions as being influenced/motivated by Cissy and 
Bella's good cop/bad cop routine, btu I did not think that was *all* 
there was to the scene. My suspicion is that Snape did not know what 
the mission was, and a major reason Snape worked to gain Cissy's 
trust was to learn this secret. He pretended he did know as part of a 
ploy to worm some details out which would allow him to figure it out.
(The language used by both Cissy and Bella to describe this task 
would get any spy interested.) <

Sigune again:
The only quabble I have with the idea that Snape didn't actually know 
what the mission comprised is that the Vow would put him in an even 
more extremely awkward position then. I mean, is there any elegant 
way of finding out what he has committed to? And whom must he ask? 
Draco? Voldemort? It will look weird and he will have to confess that 
he initially only pretended to know what he's doing. In any case his 
actions would make Voldemort frown: suddenly Snape carries out a task 
he wasn't supposed to know about in the first place?
My sceptical self is inclined to think that the secrecy about the 
terms of the mission in the "Spinner's End" chapter is all about JKR 
wriggling not to give away too many plot points. She can't have us 
know from chapter two what Draco is up to - nor what Snape has been 
pledged to do.

zgirnius:
> So I think Snape is at this point commmitted to carry out a 
mission, and he doesn't even know what it is. Whichever of us is 
right, I entirely agree that he did not go running to DD with the 
whole story...at the very least he would want to figure out first 
what it is that he had just committed himself to do. I'm not sure if 
he knows already at the Christmas party conversation with Draco...in 
factm he may be hoping that his disclosure to Draco about the UV will 
cause Draco to confide in him. <

Sigune:
I certainly agree with the confidence bit in general. I think Snape 
recognises a lot of himself in Draco (something which Dumbledore has 
already foreshadowed in PS, comparing Draco-Harry to Snape-James) and 
he knows very well what straits Malfoy Jr is in. Apart from that, he 
needs to know the particulars of Draco's plan if he wants to know how 
to interfere (in whichever way). Unfortunately Draco is a horrible, 
stubborn prat and thinks he's better than Snape, having been 
entrusted (the little idiot; at least Snape knows it should 
read "punished") with an Important Mission... If he had told Snape 
about the Vanishing Cabinets, things might have turned out quite 
differently.


zgirnius:
> There has been a lot written (in numerous posts) about that AK of 
Snape's...it differs some from other AKs we have seen in its 
immediate effect (blasting DD into the air instead of just dropping 
him where he stood) and in the appearance of its victim after the 
death (eyes closed, peaceful expression). I don't think, though, that 
this has to mean the death was prearranged. One possilibity is that 
this could be how a failed AK acts. We've never been shown one which 
hit the target but *failed* before. We know this can happen with 
other Unfrogivables, as for example when Harry tries to Crucio Bella 
in OotP. Alternatively, Snape might have considered the possibility 
of failure and used a nonverbal spell to cause a flash of green light 
and throw DD off the tower, speaking the words Avada Kedavra for the 
benefit of the watching DEs. Finally, it could just be how Snape's 
AKs work, as apposed to LV's or Pettigrew's. <

Sigune:
Yes, I have read many theories concerning that AK, too. It just seems 
that we haven't got much canon to argue either way... As far as I can 
see, when just about any spell is cast with great force, it can blast 
you off your feet - I'm thinking, for example, Snape's Expelliarmus 
against Lockheart, and the Trio's combined Expelliarmuses against 
Snape in the Shack, when we know the spell is supposed to just disarm 
you. Snape, despite his disparaging comments on wand-waving, seems to 
like his bangs; to me it just looked like he cast the AK with 
violence, possibly because he was very agitated and therefore lacked 
control.

Needless to say, I'm really hoping that my view is too bleak, that 
Dumbledore planned it all, that he isn't really dead and that Snape 
didn't really kill him, but right now I just can't see that :-)...

Yours severely,

Sigune
(who is truly happy that you liked her post, zgirnius)