Snape's Benefits (Was: Dumbledore and Snape again.)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 137344

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at y...> 
wrote:

<snip>

Because I'm a good devil's advocate, here goes:

> One question for anyone who's interested: What does Snape stand to
> gain by killing Dumbledore? Nothing, in my view. Power? Where's the
> evidence that he ever wanted power (as opposed to respect)?

Power is one of the significant lures for wizards to have ever joined 
Voldemort in the first place.  Consider the discussion between 
Voldemort (as Tom Riddle) and Slughorn, magics that aren't allowed to 
be taught at Hogwarts.  Those things are presumably being practiced by 
Voldemort, and perhaps taught by him to his Death Eaters.  Bella says 
that Voldie himself taught her the Dark Arts.

Considering that we have Snape as the annotator of a book inventing 
curses, which escalate to a variety of considerably nastiness, it's not 
a leap to postulate a young Snape who was very much into that sort of 
thing.  And there is thus the possibility that this is something Snape 
never lost the taste for--that explains DADA and the "bring out the 
worst."

> "Glory"? His "glory" is infamy. He's lost everything--job, mentor, 
> trust, respectability, freedom (not to mention a year's salary and his
> possessions).

At present, yes.  But if Voldemort wins and the social order is upset?  
He's well on the route to elevation, as a premiere DE and the 
eliminator of one of Voldemort's major problems.

> Is life without those things worth living? I don't think so. Choosing 
> death would have been the easy way out. 

That's assuming that Snape is not now in a position to benefit, *if* 
the bad guys win.  (Assuming either ESE!Snape or Out For Himself!Snape, 
of course.)  Standing outside of the book, we know that the good guys 
are very much likely to win.  Standing inside of the book, the outcome 
of the struggle is not so evident.  Is Snape the type to hedge his bets?

Quite possibly.

-Nora refuses to make any claims of certainty