Whom does Snape REALLY love?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 138652

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at m...>
wrote:
>
> Actually, I have a name for your craft. There's LOLLIPOPS you see, 
> which is the opposite of your theory. The sweet, Muggelborn on one 
> hand, the bitter, Pureblood on the other. So of course, your theory's 
> name should reflect that, but it has to speak to the nature of the 
> affection. Here it is:
> Cissy And Severus Talking Old Romance. One Ill-fated Love! CASTOR OIL.
>

How about ACID POPS? It's got a C and an S in it and it fits "the
nature of the affection." You can figure out what it stands for if you
like. I'm not good and that sort of thing, and I have other
explanations for Snape's behavior. I think he was momentarily moved by
compassion mixed with vanity, along with the need to maintain his
cover in front of Bella and the delusion that it wouldn't hurt to
swear to do what he intended to do, anyway--help and protect Draco. I
also think that Narcissa, barely believing her good luck, was inspired
at the last moment to add that deadly final provision. (The DADA curse
at work?)

I also think that he was bluffing at first and tried to use
Legilimency on Narcissa but saw only what was uppermost in her mind,
Draco failing to do "the deed" and being killed by Death Eaters. And
that, I think, is what Snape was thinking about as he turned away from
her tears and composed himself at the window. If I'm right, he was not
agreeing to kill Dumbledore but to do some unknown deed *if* it
appeared that Draco couldn't do it and was in danger of being killed
by Death Eaters. But as someone else pointed out, his hand twitches
*before* Narcissa finishes her sentence--he expects her to name the
deed he's supposed to help with, and he's afraid of what she'll say.
She doesn't reveal the task, and, lulled into a false confidence by
the vagueness of the wording (not to mention that he's in no position,
literally or figuratively, to stand up and break his promise to take
the vow), he says "I will." 

There are many factors at work here--Snape's flaws combining with his
virtues, Narcissa's desperation, the need to keep his cover in front
of Bella (whom he has virtually ordered to spread his cover story to
the other DEs), and most of all, in my view, the curse on the DADA
position working through the UV to doom Snape. ("Blind, Severus,
blind!" as Aunt Betsy Trotwood would have said.)

I do agree, though, that Snape seems genuinely pleased and surprised
to see Narcissa (equally surprised and not at all pleased to see
Bella). I would imagine that this gentlemanly side of his character is
not as new to Narcissa as it is to us. We still see his Snapey side,
though, in his treatment of both Bella and Wormtail ("But we're not
counting vermin, are we?"

BTW, I think he put an Impervius (sp?) spell on the door to prevent
Wormtail from listening in, much as the Order did in OOoP to keep the
kids from listening in on the meeting. 

Carol, who thinks that anyone who believes Snape's cover story and his
assertion that he knows what the Dark Lord has asked Draco to do is
underestimating Snape's Slytherin capacity for deception, here used to
fool Bellatrix and Narcissa--and rebounding, ironically, upon himself