Trial of Severus Snape - UV

[ellecain]

No: HPFGUIDX 141441

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sistermagpie" <belviso at a...> 
wrote:
>
> > Amiable Dorsai
> 
> > Look at it from Snape's point of view:  Voldemort is up to 
> something
> > involving a mole--Draco--at Hogwarts itself.  He doesn't know 
what 
> it
> > is, but judging by the normally cool and collected Narcissa's 
> reaction
> > to it, it's big.  So he risks his life to find out.  He pretends 
to
> > already know what Narcissa is talking about in hopes that she 
will
> > spill her guts and to keep Bella from preventing her from doing 
so.
> > 
> > Narcissa brings up the Unbreakable Vow.  If he refuses to take 
it, 
> the
> > discussion is over, he will not learn what Draco is up to--so, 
in 
> for
> > a penny, in for a pound--he takes the Vow.  Certainly, he's 
risking
> > his life, but *that's what Snape does*.  His whole life as a spy 
is
> > one big risk.  The Vow is just one more.  

Elyse:
Oh I agree.
His life is in danger each time he stands before Voldemort.
It is only his Occlumency powers standing between him and death.
So yes, the vow does seem like just another big risk if placed in 
this context.

> 
> Magpie:
> 
> But Narcissa is going to *tell* Snape what the plan is until he 
> *stops* her by saying he already knows.  He doesn't need to take a 
> UV to get Narcissa to talk.  She shows up at his house with the 
> intention of telling him exactly what's going on and asking for 
> help.  He could just as easily let her tell him the plan and then 
> said she shouldn't have told him, but as it happened he already 
knew 
> everything she told him anyway.  
> 
> -m

Elyse adds:
He could indeed have done so. I tend to think the whole Spinner's 
end chapter to be way out of character for Snape.
The UV was without question a really dumb thing to do.

But I've been reading the chapter again, and I noticed the second 
time around, that it is *Snape* who offers to *help* Draco.
Uptil that point, all Narcissa is trying to do is to get Snape to 
use his powers of persuasion and influence over Voldemort to get him 
to change his mind. And this is something Snape refuses to do point 
blank. Surely if he really wanted to help Narcissa and Draco, he 
would have tried, however halfheartedly, to convince Voldemort.
We saw him spinning his yarn to Bellatrix, and he's been doing it to 
Voldemort for years. He could have found some way to persuade 
Voldemort. At the least, he could have tried.

But he doesnt. Nope, instead of saying, I will do what I can to try 
and change his mind, he suddenly, without provocation, seemingly out 
of his own volition, actually *offers* to help.
Since when does Snape do such a thing? Since when does any 
intelligent spy compromise his double agent position by offering to 
help kill one of his bosses and going behind the other boss' back to 
do it? This is IMO highly uncharacteristic of Snape.

This is also my main objection to OFH!Snape. Why would a Snape who 
is out for himself offer to help kill DD? And that too, by mixing it 
up with a selfless motive like protecting Draco? And at the same 
time risking Voldemort's wrath? Wouldnt the easier solution be to 
let Harry and DD kill Voldemort, and *then* try to off DD? I mean if 
someone had asked me which one the two greatest wizards would be 
alive at the end, I would say LV since he had come back from the 
dead and was gaining power,whilst DD had a dead right hand and 
slower reactions.

I know the whole series so far has been engineered to set up 
Ambiguous!Snape, but I think this would be slightly out of character 
for him. As he tells Fudge in GoF, he saw the Dark Mark grow 
stronger day by day. He knew LV was coming back. All the DE's knew.
It seems to me he had plenty of time to think it over and make a 
cool, calculated choice in the Long Dark Nights of his Soul so that 
by the "If you are ready, if you are prepared..." scene in GoF, he 
knew exactly where his loyalties lay.

Elyse
-who very much enjoyed Zgirnius' entertaining post about the 
Legilimency conversation through images. If JKR uses it, you better 
ask for royalties!