OFH and DDM ? WAS Re: Draco, the UV, and the First Time

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 141679


> Sherry wrote:
> > 
> > i could almost buy both DDM and OFH Snape.  But as I see it, if he
> did indeed make his choice on the tower, then he chose OFH.  He 
> didn't prove his loyalty to Dumbledore by then murdering him.  That 
> can never be justified or rationalized to me.  <snip>

> Carol responds:
> I don't think anyone's saying it's a good thing, only that it's the
> lesser of two evils (and perhaps a *necessary* thing if Harry and 
> the WW are to survive). Snape himself, I'm sure, doesn't view it as 
> a good thing. He sees it as repulsive and hates himself for doing it 
> (as indicated by his expression). 

Valky:
This is what adds up to me both that it *was* a good thing and that it
*wasn't* Snape's decision.  And that's were I draw the dotted line
somewhere in OFH/DDM Snape. In regard about that murky place which is
Dumbledore trusting Snape IMHO, drawing the line there makes the most
things self evident with less explanations needed. I am absolutely
open to any scrutiny other listees want to put that under BTW, I am
sure it will withstand quite a beating. :D 


Carol:
> Perhaps he even hates Dumbledore for
> making him do it (if indeed DD believed that his self-sacrifice was
> necessary). 

Valky:
Here's a good example of things being self evident. OFH DDM Snape
would be *surprised* to be let off _almost_ lightly by Dumbledore
insisting he strike the blow. As an OFH man he will have been at the
very least *thinking* he might just fulfill the vow and save himself,
but as DD's Man he would also be disgusted with himself while doing it
because an OFH man would have considered at least a half dozen other
ways to keep his set-up at Hogwarts intact while avoiding the penalty.
Sure they'd be more risky to pull off, probably virtually impossible
in most cases, but they were options that he'd somewhat rather take
than kill someone he respects and has been loyal to even though he'd
like most to save himself in any case. 

The conflict of OFH DDM Snape IMHO works brilliantly in the Tower
scene. When Snape arrives on the Tower, all the elements we see in
him, faint surprise, keeping up the spy act, and finally shooting an
AK that doesn't AK like it should.. the reasoning behind it is all
self evident, I think.

Placing and OFH DDM Snape before Dumbledore in the tower, would
explain him sweeping the scene with his eyes to see what he could
salvage, it gives the triage/cold equations shoulder room to squeeze
in too (although the equation is balanced by Dumbledore's calculations
rather than Snape's), it doesn't disregard the parallel between
Harry's feelings when hurting Dumbledore and Snape's expression, and
it certainly doesn't harbour strict expectations of the Avada Kedavra
spell to be canon correct or soul splitting nor does it assume that
Dumbledore was fooled by Snape. 

It looks like this - 
Snape enters the room aware of his own predicament with the
Unbreakable Vow. He takes a look around to see what is really going
on, what Dumbledore is planning to do to save them all which I believe
he'd expect would be evident to him after 16 years of employment, and
what Dumbledore expects him to do which he is sure Dumbledore has
figured will save Severus Snape too, he finds no evidence that there
is a plan to save Dumbledore and in his surprise he pushes Malfoy
roughly out of the way and looks Dumbledore over, perhaps even asking
Dumbledore 'what have I missed here?'. Dumbledore makes it fairly
obvious to him that he's missed nothing and it's all exactly what it
seems, which, Snape has deduced practically, means Dumbledore is not
to be protected. So Snape, really not liking what is left to him to
do, shoots what looks like a killing curse at Dumbledore. It hardly
matters if it works correctly or even is killing curse, since
appearances do wonders at a time like this, he's convinced enough
people that it's been done, and the curse doesn't have anything over
him anymore because Dumbledore has gone ahead and made it unecessary
to actually *kill* him. He's poisoned, he's wandless and he asks no
protection, he's dead anyway, vow fulfilled. Snape may not understand
why (I don't myself, but DD has his reasons for what he does), nor
even care since the vow is now off his back and he's free to choose
his next move quickly, which he does. 

You know after looking at it this way it makes me wonder if one of
Dumbledore's motives wasn't saving Snape from his vow too. 

Valky 
Opening another can of worms..