Suicidal!Snape and the Curse of DADA-- LONG!!

[Sydney]

No: HPFGUIDX 141872

Hello, everyone-- I'm a long lapsed hanger-out at this site.  Now that the smoke from all those canons going off has cleared, I have a Grand Unified Snape Theory to propose.  I've had a look through the post HBP posts (as much as I could manage, anyways!) and couldn't find a similar one, so here goes my little dingy.  Be kind!
 
 First, for the record, I'm firmly a DDM!Snapist, primarily for reasons of genre-- HP being a combination  sudden twist!! mystery story, a Power of Love growing-up story, and a mistaken perceptions drama, I just don't see it ending with such a pivotal character fullfilling a routine scapegoat function.  So starting from that standpoint, I've been trying to come up with something tidy and melodramatic and bangy, as they say, to explain:
 
 -- Snape and Dumbledore's disagreement about the DADA job.
 -- Snape's taking the Unbreakable Vow
 -- the curse on the DADA job
 -- Dumbledore's belief in Snape's remorse
 -- the heated conversation overheard by Hagrid, about Snape not wanting to fulfill his promise and feeling overworked
 -- JKR's interview answer that D-dore was worried that the DADA job would "bring out the worst" in Snape
 --and lastly, Dumbledore's pleading with Snape the moment he showed up on the tower.
 
 First:  I think it's definitely important that Snape applies for the DADA job repeatedly.  It's  the first thing we're told about him, and JKR re-plugs this piece of information nearly every time she introduces Snape in each book.  To be honest I was sure, before OoP, that this was a rumour.  But it seems it's not.  So what' s up?  And why did Snape and D-dore disagree about the issue?
 
 The 'relapsed addict' theory of why D-dore wouldn't give him the job is clearly silly.  Dumbledore is trusting Snape to infiltrate the Death Eaters.  Obviously that would involve a great deal more temptation than teaching countercurses to a load of schoolkids.  And what's to prevent Snape fiddling with Dark spells after-hours, with or without the DADA job?  No, D-dore says he "trusts Snape absolutely", and that's flatly incompatible with "but I'm worried that he's Go Evil if allowed near textbooks on Hinkypunks".
 
In any event, we don't NEED any other theories about why D-dore didn't want to give Snape the job:  there was a Curse on it.  It is in fact, a rather specific curse, if you take a little time to break down the history of it. All the DADA teachers have had double lives, or some sort of disconnect between their public and private persona. They have, in fact, been Jeckyll-and-Hydes. Quirrel, Lupin, and Moody had literally two natures in one body; Lockhart was a fraud; Umbrige was described by JKR as "poisoned honey"-- a sweet exterior and deadly interior. 

Snape was a double-agent. When the curse kicks in, the result is always the same: catastrophic exposure of the victim's hidden dark side. Snape fits the pattern perfectly.  I suspect D-dore knew the result of the curse was that Snape would be exposed as a Death Eater spy. He was only finally given the job when his position was already badly compromised and Dumbledore had taken a serious injury, so they were aware that the end-game was coming.

So, Dumbledore's end is pretty straightforward.  But what's Snape's angle? 

My theory is:  Snape didn't want the DADA job, he wanted the DADA curse. Taking the job means leaving Hogwarts by the end of the year, which is what he really wants.  But I don't think that's all he wants.  Because you don't just have a nice farewell drink down the pub and move on to better things; it's a CURSE.

I'm thinking of the scene that Hagrid overheard. Hagrid described it as "heated", and describes Dumbledore twice as "angry". CAPSLOCK Snape I can picture but Dumbledore visibly angry? Angry at Snape for "not wanting to do it anymore". It takes a lot to get Dumbledore riled up-- and he gets very emotional about Snape again on the tower, when he's pleading. "Severus... please...". 

It's melodramatic, but I'm buying stock in Suicidal!Snape. Dumbledore was angry because Snape wanted to quit, not just the spying, but EVERYTHING. Because he can't quit spying, he can only go on or die. I don't think its a new thing. I think the application for DADA job every year was Snape saying, "I just want to wrap this whole mess up and check out", and Dumbledore's reply was, "Nope. One more year." And I think the whole little game started back in the day, the day when Snape spun his tale of 'deepest remorse'.  Why did Dumbledore believe him?  Because Snape was trying to kill himself at the time, that's why.  He was on the ledge, and Dumbledore talked him down, by telling him that he had to at least do what he could to make amends first.  And I think he extracted a promise not to take his own life directly.

My feeling of how this played out in HBP is this:  when Snape took the UV, he was hoping to some extent to force D-dore's hand.  If he Vowed to do something really awful, he would HAVE to die.  I think he was quite grimly pleased with himself and told D-dore directly what he had done, and that's why the headmaster relented and appointed him to the DADA post, because one way or another everything was bound to hit the fan that year. The thing about curses, though, is that they have a way of biting you on the behind.... because the way the curse DID wind up working, is creating nearly the only scenario where Snape HAS to keep going.
 
 Which takes us to the Tower.  In my opinion, the end of the argument overheard by Hagrid was that Dumbledore blindsided Snape by proposing that he actually go through with the Vow and kill him (as Hagrid reports, that he's promised he would do it, so he would do it);  and Snape absolutely, CAPSLOCKLY, refused (sounded a little overworked...).  But when Snape arrives at the top of the tower, the circumstances were extraordinary-- D-dore disarmed, DE's everywhere, Draco frozen.  If Snape broke the Vow, he would have dropped dead Heroically, as he had planned, and been noble and everything-- but then Fernir would have killed D-dore, and V-mort would have killed Draco and his entire family, and the DE's would have run amuk in the school, and so on.  Dumbledore saw the whole picture, but I think he still  honestly didn't think Snape would go through with it.  Hence the pleading that started without any transition the moment Snape arrived. And thus the Curse had it's little game, because Snape would much, MUCH rather have died than do what he did-- it was the ultimate what is right vs. what is easy choice.  
 
 The final coat of paint on my jolly-boat is that I think All Will Be Revealed in Book VII via Hagrid's conveniently overheard memory, now in Techni-Pensive-O-Vision.
 
 And THAT, my dears, is what JKR meant by saying that Dumbledore didn't give Snape the DADA job because he feared it would bring out the worst in Snape.  As for why Snape was suicidal-- because he caused the endangerment and death of the woman he loved of course.  But that's another theory...
 
Sorry about the weird fontage...
 
 
 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]