TBAY: ...NOT a Snape Theory - NO Debt Repayment

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 145540

 
Steve wrote:

In fact, exactly what creates a Life Debt is a little  grey. For
example, JKR said in an interview that Ginny did NOT incure a  Life
Debt to Harry for his rescue of her from the Chamber of Secrets.  That
would imply that it is not simply a matter of saving another  wizard.
The action has to be direct, clear, and unambiguos and which saves  a
person from imminent, direct, and indisputable death.

 
Julie:
I snipped the part about Snape not actually saving Harry's life  in
PS/SS or PoA, because it is techincally true if the action has  to 
save the person from imminent, direct and indisputable death.
But here's my problem: As I recall, James did NOT save Snape
from imminent, direct and indisputable death. Yes, he stopped 
Snape from entering Lupin's lair, but we don't really know if
Snape could have used magic to defend himself from a Lupin
in werewolf form. Just like Harry falling off the broom in PS/SS,
Snape might have been injured, but we don't know indisputably
that he would have died if he'd entered the Shrieking Shack. 
In fact, Sirius didn't seem to think so, as he considered it all
a big joke, even though Snape believed Sirius was actually
trying to kill him. 
 
So why would Snape owe James a life debt, if his death
wasn't a certain outcome? I'm not disputing the debt was 
owed, just the circumstances under which a life debt is 
incurred. We know Snape did owe that life debt to James.
And since James effort to save Snape was from a *possible*
death, wouldn't Snape doing the same for Harry in PS/SS--
trying to save Harry from a *possible* death--in effect pay
the life debt (as Dumbledore did imply later in  PS/SS)?


Julie
(who thinks Snape only owed one life debt---to James--
and that it has been paid back  already)



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]