Did Snape have a choice or not? Levels and contradictions in JKR's writing

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 138456

> >>Larry:
> > > Of course Snape had a choice, he could have ignored
> > > her request, or even refused outright. What was the
> > > downside, Bella would think poorly of him?, and her
> > > opinion he values as highly as he values his own life?

> >>houyhnhnm: 
> > If Snape is *not* aware of Voldemort's plan before the sisters   
> > came to his house, then what he learns at the very beginning of 
> > the interview is that there is a plot involving Draco.  A plot   
> > involving Draco means a plot against Hogwarts.  Snape may feel   
> > that he is justified in using any means necessary to obtain     
> > information, in that case.

> >>Elyse:
> Im afraid I have to agree with Larry here.
> Snape is an extremely intelligent person and also a Slytherin
> ("given the choice we always choose to save our own necks").
> If Snape had  no idea of what Dracos task was, I doubt he would be 
> stupid enough to risk his life with a UV just to get information   
> on what it was.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
So far I'm in agreement with Elyse.  I do think Snape knew what 
Voldemort had asked Draco to do, for a couple of different reasons.  
First, Snape sounds like he's already tried to talk Voldemort out of 
using Draco.

"Ifyou are imagining I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his 
mind, I am afraid there is no hope, none at all." (HBP scholastic 
p.33)

Second, it really makes sense to me that Voldemort would have filled 
Snape in on the plan.  After all, it'll be going down at Hogwarts 
and Voldemort has had first hand experience in how annoyingly 
interfering Snape can be if he doesn't know the plan. (Trying to get 
the Stone in PS/SS.)  I'm sure he found it necessary to let Snape 
know that Draco will be acting a bit oddly and to not interfere.  
And that last part is important, I think.  

> >>Elyse:
> As for Snape's motivations in taking the UV, I'm afraid I must    
> agree with Larry again and backtrack on what I said before.
> He had a choice. He chose to take the vow.  I believe this may be 
> explained by the whole Narcissa-the-rich-influential-pureblood-at-
> the-mercy-of Snape-the-poor-unpopular-bullied-halfblood.
> I guess the temptation to prove himself superior with the sudden  
> reversal of roles was too much for old Sevvie.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Here's where you lose me.  I cannot see Snape making such a binding 
choice (and he knew the Unbreakable Vow was binding) for such a 
petty reason.  Not without a Marauder involved, at least <g>.  

My personal theory is that Snape took the Vow for exactly the reason 
he gives.

"It might be possible...for me to help Draco."
[...]
"Severus -- oh, Severus -- you would help him?  Would you look after 
him, see he comes to no harm?"
"I can try." (ibid p.35)

Despite Voldemort's not wanting anyone interfering with Draco (the 
reason I think he shared the plan with Snape in the first place) 
Snape is offering to interfere.  He will try and help Draco. (Could 
this be the opening gambit to wooing the Malfoy family over to the 
Order's side?  I wonder...)

For some reason (and I really don't know why Narcissa goes in this 
direction -- lack of trust?) Narcissa asks Snape to take the 
Unbreakable Vow. Snape goes "blank" for a moment, madly calculating 
his choices here, I would imagine, and then he decides to do it.  
Remember, they've already gone through what Snape said he would do: 
help Draco and keep him from harm.  And that's basically what the 
first two parts of the Vow cover.

The third, of course, is the doozy. Could be a possible 
manifestation of the DADA curse, could be an outcome of Narcissa's 
lack of trust for Snape, I don't really know.  By the famous hand 
twitch, this last bit was completely unexpected on Snape's part.  
Because doing the deed, or even insuring it got done, was not what 
Snape offered.  

What Snape was trying to do was help and protect Draco.  He was 
trying to get Draco through this suicide mission alive.  At first I 
reasoned that Snape was giving himself room, despite Voldemort's 
wanting Draco to do this alone, to work on keeping Draco safe and 
alive.  (I think Snape honestly cares for Draco.)  But it could also 
be that having the Malfoy family on the Order side, or (probably 
more accurately) against Voldemort, is important to the Order.  
(Knowledge of horcruxes and possible locations, maybe?)  So maybe 
Snape thought this would be the perfect way to get the Malfoy family 
beholden to him.

Either way, I think Snape had a very definite reason for choosing to 
take the Vow, and I don't think there was anything petty about it.

Betsy Hp, who had a bit of an "aha" moment mid-post and is hoping 
that didn't cause the entire post to fall apart.