Unbreakable Vow (Snape and Dumbledore)

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 134489

"oaksong" <oaksong at y...>  wrote:
>Is there a possibility that Snape is also under an  Unbreakable Vow 
>to protect Harry?

dg responded:
> I doubt it - because an  Unbreakable Vow *kills*, and that strikes 
> me as being a bit of Dark  magic.
> The UV is something you do to someone you don't trust.
 
Brief Chronicles chimed in:
> in Chapter 2, Snape did show an understanding of the vow that 
> seemed above Bellatrix's understanding (instructing her on how 
>close she needed to be, etc.). 

zgirnius now:
I myself really like the idea that Snape took a UV with Dumbledore. I 
wondred about a previous vow myself when Snape was explaining to 
Bella how to do it. 

I do not believe this is a bit of Dark Magic, as young Fred and 
George apparently knew how to do this as children (we learn they 
almost got baby Ron to take one...) The Weasley household does not 
strike me as a place where kids would come across Dark Magic spells.

I also agree, though, that this is not Dumbledore's style. My take on 
it is that Dumbledore did not trust Snape when Snape came to him with 
the whole prophecy/remorse story. If this story is to be believed, 
Snape was feeling very remorseful about his actions, and when DD told 
him he could not trust Snape, and would not let Snape work with him 
against Voldemort, Snape may have offered to take the vow. I think 
Dumbledore would view it differently if it were voluntary, it seems a 
reasonable way to try to demonstrate one's seriousness in such a 
situation.

This of course would mean there is a third person who knows about the 
UV (who would have had to play the same role as Bella played in Snape 
and Cissy's UV). My two best guesses for these hypothetical folks 
might be McGonagall or Hagrid. Both seemed especially confident in 
Dumbledore's judgement regarding Snape. 

By the end of Book 6, they may not have spoken to anyone about it 
yet...think about it, if Dumbledore had no plan to be killed by 
Snape, OR, if he did not confide this plan to the third UV person, 
that person must be rather confused right now. (Note that a Vow to 
protect Harry would in no way prevent Snape from murdering DD...so 
while the vow might put Snape on the "good side", he could still have 
done something evil (murder of DD)). Also, if Snape has taken such a 
vow, all three parties would clearly have agreed never to speak of 
it, since even the rumor of such a thing would be extremely dangerous 
to Snape. So the hypothetical UV person, even if they have decided 
Snape DID murder DD, might still consider protecting Snape's deep 
cover-since Snape's continued survival in this scenario would seem to 
suggest that he *is* still working to protect Harry.