Clues Convergent Redux

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 135410

zgirnius:

OK, you're right, it's a nice, long, involved, theory, mush effort 
was clearly put into it, sothe least we could do is comment on it, 
especially now that I have a few of my own thoughts off my chest! ;-) 
And it provides a reasonable motive for Snape sincerely wanting to 
leave the DEs.

I find the idea that Snape and Regulus could have had a friendly, 
perhaps older brother/younger brother style relationship quite 
plausible. They were, as you mention, in the same House at Horwarts, 
and Snape did, it seems, cultivate relationships with the *right* 
sort of pureblood families like the Malfoys and the Blacks. You did 
not mention this in your original post, but it appears that Snape is 
still friendly (by Snapish standards, anyway) with Cissy Malfoy, who 
is a cousin of Regulus. The position Draco finmds himself in must 
remind him of Regulus...and perhaps he feels that much more for Cissy 
if he feels he had a hand in killing her cousin? I would assume that 
where Sirius despiused Cissy and Bella, Regulus would probably have 
had a good relationship with both as they were all into the 
whole "toujours pur" thing.

You mention in your theory the possibility that Snape might have 
killed Regulus on LV's orders. This would be kind of interesting in 
terms of Snape's relationship with Dumbledore. I can see Snape coming 
to him with the story that 'a DE' killed Regulus in LV's orders...but 
would he admit it was Snape himself that did it? I think that might 
certainly make Snape feel even *worse* about the whole thing, but it 
ought to make DD wonder about him...especially in light of the events 
of HBP... Of course, even if he did kill Regulus, Snape might keep 
that bit from DD. Hmmm. I think I prefer that he did not tell DD, all 
in all, though it is your theory, of course. 

I do think that if you're on the right track, and Snape killed 
Regulus, the events of HBP must have really opened old wounds for 
Snape. He's again in a position where something/someone is forcing 
him into a position of killing a friend. Cuold play out in Book 7 in 
interesting ways.