Why did Snape take the UV in the first place?

[Bob Alberti]

No: HPFGUIDX 134582

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "allies426" <AllieS426 at a...> wrote:
> I haven't seen this discussed extensively yet (although I admit I 
> have not read all 1,000+ posts per day...).  This is my big question:
> 
> **Why did Snape take the unbreakable vow for Narcissa in the first 
> place?**  

I believe that the answer to this is that we simply don't have enough
information yet to know the answer.  I believe that this will be
revealed in Book 7.

> Is he still on DD's side?  Had they discussed this already, and come 
> to the decision that yes, Snape should take the vow, if asked?  

I believe that Snape is still on the side of the Order, and I believe
that JKR has made his commitment to that cause abundantly clear.  I
believe he will be instrumental in preserving Harry in book 7.

I don't believe that the idea of the Unbreakable Vow was
pre-discussed, nor was DD's death.  In the midst of war, many things
have to be improvised either to stay alive or to seek advantage.

> Is he on Voldemort's side, and he really did want to kill DD, so of 
> course he would take the vow?  I would be really disappointed. 

No, I believe he'd simply gotten himself into a fix, and DD was the
one who saw the way out and told SS to kill him (via Occulumency). 
Sometimes you have to sacrifice your queen in order to position a
winning checkmate - and if you remember Sorceror's Stone, we've seen
this from JKR before.

Who are now LV's two most trusted generals?  SS, a double-agent who
killed DD to cement LV's trust, and PP, who owes Harry his life.  If
Harry makes LV mortal again, LV will be very, very vulnerable.

--Bob Alberti
http://albatross.org