Why wasn't the Draught of Living Death used to save Dumbledore?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 137101

vmonte wrote:
> <snip> I actually think that if JKR was to use St. Paul's story it
would make more sense to use it for Snape. I do not think that Snape
has yet made a "spiritual" conversion to the good side. I believe (I
know that most of you don't) that Snape is just too ruthless a
character to have had any kind of "aha" moment--yet. 
> 
> I do think however, that his anger at Harry for calling him a coward
(at the end of HBP) might be suggestive of someone who is
unconsciously feeling guilt for what he has done. I think that
Dumbledore is the only person that loved, trusted, and respected 
Snape--ever. And I think that this is going to start to eat away at
Snape. 
<snip>
> 
> I keep thinking of the Draught of the Living Death potion that was
SO ready and available at the school. That potion could SO easily have
been used to avoid killing Dumbledore at the end of HBP. 
<snip>
> 
> The reason why the unused Draught potion bothers me so much is that 
> in every book the kids ALWAYS use all the creatures, items, lessons 
> and spells learned to save themselves or others. That didn't happen 
> in HBP. Why? 
>> <snip>
> 3. And why wasn't the Draught potion used?
> 
> The ability to paralyze, disguise, and fake a death...NOT USED???? 
> WHY!!!  


Carol responds:
Vivian, while I don't see Severus Snape as the wholly evil person you
do and I think he was trapped into the Unbreakable Vow and into
fulfilling it, I do agree that he is the St. Paul character and that
Dumbledore is the only person who trusted and respected Snape. I think
he will have a moment of Redemption (capital R--it's a very important
theme) and that it will involve the Draught of Living Death.

First, to answer your preliminary questions, I think that both Snape
and Dumbledore knew Draco to be a coward who would never dare face
Dumbldore without Death Eaters to back him up, and both of them
trusted to the protections on the castle (blocked secret passages, no
apparition, no brooms, secrecy sensors, Aurors and Order members
protecting the corridors). Neither of them anticipated Draco's
bringing DEs into Hogwarts via the linked vanishing cabinets.

As for the potions, Snape must have kept some on hand (e.g.,
veritaserum in GoF) when he was Potions master, but those were his own
supplies and not potions made for lessons. Slughorn does the same with
the Felix Felicis, which he presumably brewed at home during his
retirement, before the DEs started hounding him. Draco managed to
steal a bit of Polyjuice Potion at the end of a class period (he would
never have managed that under Snape's eagle eye), but I imagine that
Slughorn evanescoed the rest after the class was over. He doesn't seem
to have any potions or antidotes on hand when Ron is poisoned--in
fact, he's at a total loss in that scene. It's only luck and the
memory of HBP/Snape's words that saves Ron.

Another thing--Snape has already saved Dumbledore from death from the
ring Horcrux, but he has no way of knowing that Dumbledore is on the
point of death from drinking the locket Horcrux poison. All he knows
is that Death Eaters have entered the school. Even if there weren't
four Death Eaters at the top of the tower with Dumbledore and Draco,
he could not have saved Dumbledore at that point. He doesn't have the
DLD with him. And if he'd had it and had tried to administer it, the
vow or the Death Eaters would have killed him. A sad irony all around,
including the timing on Dumbledore's part. He did indeed take too much
for granted, whether or not that includes Snape's loyalty.

Nevertheless, JKR's habit of introducing potions, spells, characters,
and motifs before they become important suggests to me that we *will*
see the Draught of Living Death in Book 7--in association with Snape,
who first brought it up in the very same scene (SS/PS, "The Potions
Master") where he first mentioned bezoars.

I also think (and now I'm entering the realm of pure speculation) that
the character whose death is faked will be Harry. 

Now I'm going to go way out on a limb and propose a scenario which I
know will be regarded as preposterous by the virulently anti-Snape
faction (only a few of whom would be rude enough to say so directly),
and which even the Snapeophiles may shake their heads at. I care not,
as Boromir says. I have no real stake in this idea, which I won't
dignify by calling it a theory or even a hypothesis.

We know that Harry's blood protection will expire as July 30 turns
into July 31. It seems likely that Voldemort knows this as well and
that there will be a battle on Privet Drive when Harry steps out the
Dursley's door for the last time. (I think, as an aside, that Mrs.
Figg will perform magic at an advanced age under dire circumstances
and that she'll summon the Order.) Almost certainly, Snape, now
Voldemort's second in command whatever his true loyalties, will be
there and will be leading the DEs.

Putting together his actions at the end of HBP, it is at least
remotely possible that Snape could thwart anyone other than himself
who attempted to AK Harry, cast what appeared to be an AK but was
really an Impedimenta (see my other posts on the resemblance of the
supposed AK in HBP to an Impedimenta) to "kill" Harry, order the other
DEs to disperse (as he did in HBP), and then send a message via his
Patronus to the Order members saying he had bought Harry time to find
the Horcruxes and suggesting that they use the Draught of Living Death
to fake his funeral. 

I'm not saying that any such thing will happen. It probably won't. But
I do feel sure that the Draught of Living Death will play a crucial
role in Book 7 and that the person whose death is faked will be Harry.
And I think, given the fact that it's Snape who introduces the potion
to us in the very first book, that he will play an important part in
this scenario, however it plays out. Dumbledore's words about faking
death ("He can't kill you if you're already dead") in the American
edition of HBP seem to add weight to this possibility. So even if you
don't buy my scenario (and I don't expect you to), I hope you'll draw
comfort from  what seems to me the near certainty that the Draught of
Living Death will indeed play a crucial role in Book 7.

Carol, holding out hope for the theme of redemption and believing that
Dumbledore was right to trust Snape even if Snape himself was unworthy
of that trust