Snape: the Riddle... (LONG)

[James]

No: HPFGUIDX 136059

> severelysigune previously +1:
> > > 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. 


Archaeological James
But this fits with him not knowing. The scene with Draco in the
toilets shows EverSoHuman!Snape desperately trying to find out what
the mission is. Snape, knowing the only way he will convincingly find
out what the mission is from Cissy and Bella (to tell
SoonToBeDoomed!Dumbledore one assumes) is to say he knew and get them
to talk about it. It seemed a ploy to me on the first read-through.
Unfortunately the Unbreakable Vow gets in the way first (and was
possibly put there as OhSoSuspicuios!Bella doesn't believe Snape knows
and thinks he will back down). I read Snape's reluctance at the third
cause as part of his understandable trepidaiton at volunteeing for
something he doesn't know.

Draco - being the arrogant, scared, and desperate-to-prove-himself
little squit that he is - reads Snape's attempts to find out as
wanting to steal his glory .... for the whole mission, not finding out
how to get people in.

> Sigune once more[carrying directly on from the last quote]:
>...actions would make Voldemort frown: suddenly Snape carries out a task 
> he wasn't supposed to know about in the first place?

Archaeological James
I am inclined to have less faith in the idea that Cissy and Bella are
good-cop bad-copping, due to the conversations (I can't cite as am at
work and far from my canon) en route to Snape's hovel. I think Bella
doesn't trust him (hence the Vow) and Cissy is scared for her son and
only sees one way out.

I genuinely believe that Voldemort knows nothing about their visit to
Snape, and Snape knows nothing about the mission. Would Voldemort tell
more people than neccessary who spend time with Dumbledore? LV cannot
know that Snape is as skilled an Occulemens as he is, and would fear
Dumbledore finding out. He also may well have placed protection on
Draco to stop good old Albus Legilimensing his way into Draco's mind
(I doubt Draco could hide his emotions that well on his own from
Snape, he seems far less calculating and in control - witness the
crying to Myrtle scene - than Snape ever was).

With this (albeit not that small) objection, I would also like to
praise Sigune's wonderful post.

This sort of thing is what I come to HPFGUs for.