HBP The memory in the cave... is Snape's.

[saraquel_omphale]

No: HPFGUIDX 137969

Merprisen wrote:
>My grand theory is that Snape was married and also had a son
>(or his wife was expecting which coincided with the birth of Harry 
>and
>Neville) and that Snape saved the information from the prophecy in 
>an
>attempt to protect his own family from death. Voldemort later finds
>this information out from using legilimency against Snape and is
>furious with Snape that he withheld it. Voldemort then interprets 
the
>prophecy to mean Snape's child will potentially be the one with the
>power to destroy the Dark Lord. The punishment for this betrayal was
>death for Snape's wife and child.

>Now, if you buy into my theory, and then read HBP pg. 571-572. The
>basin in the cave is filled with the green poison and is described 
as
>looking like a pensieve. I believe that the liquid that Dumbledore
>drinks is very much like a pensieve memory, it is Snape's worst 
>memory

Saraquel:
I was intrigued by your theory Merprisen, and would like to add 
something which might help it along the way.

Soon after the list opened on HBP, I posted a theory that what we 
saw DD talking about was his memories of Snape's repentance, 
although I speculated the torturers were to do with the 
repercussions of breaking his life-debt to James.  I think your 
explanation makes a better case for the words spoken, if we are 
going to go down this road.  However, we now have the problem of how 
and why did Snape's memories come out of DD's mouth when he drank 
the potion.   

If Snape told Dumbledore about this, especially by putting his 
memory into a penseive and showing him, it would be a visual part of 
DDs memory.  Now for the part where I might be able to help you 
along the way, an explanation for why DD experiences those 
particular memories at that particular time: (quoting from my 
previous post - 134306.)
 
Start quote
All quotes from UK ED
Before he drinks the potion DD says to Harry:
Ch 26, p532 "I should have said, he would not want immediately to
kill the person who reached this island, <snip> He would want to
keep them alive long enough to find out how they managed to
penetrate so far through his defences and, most importantly of all,
why they were so intent upon emptying the basin. Do not forget that
Lord Voldemort believes that he alone knows about his Horcruxes."

<snip speculation on what potions the green potion contains>

Now, assuming that Vertaserum is in the mix and Voldemort wants to
find out DD's motives for getting the Horcrux, what do we make of
what DD is saying. Well, I too thought it could well be DD's memory
of Snape recanting. <snip>

BUT, if this is the memory of Snape's recanting, it really fits
incredibly well with the Vertaserum theory. Remember, Voldemort
wants to know why anyone would be intent on emptying the basin. Why
does DD want to get the Horcrux? He wants to make sure that Harry
survives. Why is Harry likely not to survive? Other than the fact
that there might be more Horcruxes out there, the main thing in DDs
mind is that Voldemort has chosen to believe the prophecy and acted
upon it. If he had not chosen to act upon it there would be no
problem for Harry.

Ch23 p476 "But Harry, never forget that what the prophecy says in
only significant because Voldemort made it so. <snip> Voldemort
singled you out as the person who would be most dangerous to him –
and in doing so, he made you the person who would be most dangerous
to him!"

Therefore DD reveals his true reason for trying to get the Horcrux
in the basin is tied up with the interpretation of the prophecy and
Harry's involvement. It is NOT just to try and destroy Voldemort.
Hence, his memory of the first time he learned that Voldemort was
going to act on what Snape had told him. Hope that's clear.

End quote

Hope that helps you.  However, I'm not totally convinced myself 
about your theory, or about my input into it for that matter :-)  It 
seems a bit of a stretch to get Snape's memories out of DD at this 
point and assumes that the potion he drinks is Voldemort's.

However, if Snape was to have stolen the horcrux (I have big-time 
difficulties believing that Regulus Black did it), then I could see 
Snape leaving those memories for Voldemort to experience so that he 
knew why Snape had done it. Although that would be quite a demeaning 
memory for Snape to remind Voldemort of.  But then why sign the note 
RAB – is Remember Cedric Diggory a foreshadowing? Remember A--- B---
, which were his wife's/lover's/child's initials. Any theory that 
puts Snape in the Cave, really has to do a LOT of explaining, and we 
have OFH!ESE!Snape for sure.  I`m *not* espousing that theory 
myself, I hasten to add :-)

Saraquel