Snape and the Life Debt

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 140590

 
> Ceridwen:
> And, wouldn't it be just par for the course, for a friend to save 
> another friend?  It's less expected, therefore more striking, when one 
> saves an enemy.  It's clear that it isn't done for personal reasons, 
> but for higher ideals.  That the animosity or outright hate is set 
> aside to do this deed is probably a part of it.

Finwitch:

I'd say it's also expected for an adult to save the life of a child -
particularly if that adult happens to be in loco parentis concerning
the child in question. Who'd expect a child to save an adult,
regardless of emotions.. Sure, it's tricky when we speak of an
almost-of-age and his friend who just-became-of-age, but there's
nothing like that with Harry saving Pettigrew.

At the very least, I doubt the emotional 'enemy'-status is the thing.
The point on exceeding expectations could well be it, though. You
know, like with Healers and Aurors - they're more or less *expected*
to save lives, it's in the job-description. Do you think that in the
case of say, a Healer saving the life of a patient who also happens to
be the Healer's enemy in some sense -- such as rivalling the Healer in
a love affair that patient would owe a magical life-debt?

Let's see about this life-saving business by OWL-grade.

Saving a life as a line of duty (as Auror, Healer, parent or teacher)
counts for Accepted as long as the life really is saved...

Saving a life that's your enemy's, child saving an adult, risking your
own at the process... Exceeds Expectations

A situation like Harry saving Pettigrew: Outstanding. Point being: He,
at the age of 13, saved the life of a full grown man who was guilty of
such treachery that Harry had, in a certain point of view, the right
to *kill* him in revenge.

Would a magical life-debt require an Outstanding grade in this? Or
would Exceeds Expectations suffice? And how would you grade Harry&Ron
saving Hermione from the Troll, considering they risked their lives,
were expected to be savely in their dormitory and she wasn't their
friend yet, only a class-mate... (Of course, if she did owe them a
life-debt for that, she has saved their lives already - Devil's Snare
for example -  and therefore paid off already). In this case, at
least, it created a friendship... I don't, however, think that a
magical life-debt would cause a rift between them - unless the saver
was indecent enough to well, claim that he was the better of them for
it or something...

Finwitch