Nature of the Vow:

[Wink45zes at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 145445

Orna:
> Perhaps that's the meaning of the hands and the flames with
> the bond – some mind/feeling-sharing, which enables/pressures 
> the vower to take into consideration the other persons judgment 
> on the issue.

Wink45:
First let me say that I distrust that the UV causes death simply 
because that information came from Ron, who based his idea upon 
his father's anger.  The idea of it causing a strong compulsion 
is interesting, but compulsions can be fought, and the time used 
in resisting can allow the situation to change in such a way that 
the UB can no longer be completed in any case.  

However I keep thinking about how the spell for the UV was set, 
with that binding of the hands. What if . . . and I admit this is 
a quick and dirty thought and not a fully formed theory . . . 
what if this spell means not so much that it is absolutely 
impossible to break the vow, but that it cannot be broken without 
the other person involved knowing that it was broken? (and perhaps 
also the person who set the spell?)  Perhaps it is a flash of 
thought that a situation occurred where the vow could have been 
fulfilled but was not that is received by the vow requester (and 
perhaps also spell setter).  Would this remove the possibility of 
Snape carrying forward an "intention" which could waylay the 
spell?  I think it would simply inform the vow requester and or 
spell caster of a situation where the conditions of the spell 
could have been fulfilled and wasn't, leaving them with the 
opportunity to consider intentions or changed circumstances, as 
well as how and when to seek revenge for the broken vow.  

I need to do some more thinking on this, but for now I'll toss it 
out there and am interested in what others think. 

Wink45