OFH! Snape again. WAS: Straightforward readings?

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 140805

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at e...> 
wrote:

> Jen: 
> Now if Snape started to play both sides, we still need a motive. 
> What could Voldemort offer him that Dumbledore cannot? 

Full freedom to be what he wants to be?  There are topics of study as 
well as general approaches to life that Dumbledore or an 
ideologically similar regime marks as strictly off-limits.  
Dumbledore also holds some rather odd ideas for the WW, such 
as "innocent until proven guilty".  Does the yoke chafe?

Let me offer a counter-question to make the point better.  Have we 
ever gotten strong support for Snape as an ideological kindred to 
Dumbledore?  Snape is certainly not much into the forgive-and-
understand model.  He doesn't teach anything like how I'd imagine 
Dumbledore running things.  Doesn't seem like someone to deeply 
believe in the powah of love, either.

And to tick in Ceridwen's question from another thread, I suspect 
that there thus is an important distinction between an OFH!Snape who 
wants Voldemort dead and DDM!Snape who wants Voldemort dead.  
Motivation is really important, as JKR tends to put the radically 
self-interested at the bottom of the heap.  "Enemy of my enemy is my 
friend" is *not* an idea that's gotten endorsement through the series-
-see Harry and Scrimgeour for a nice illustration.

[Short form: I think it matters why Snape is doing what he is.  I 
find it hard to buy that he's doing it for ideologically beneficent 
reasons, and that may impact upon his ultimate fate.]

<snip>

> Do you think he finally gave up on Dumbledore's Plan, that Harry 
> would be the one to defeat the Dark Lord? Seems like he wouldn't, 
> after hearing part of the prophecy.

Well, if you take his consistent attitude towards Harry as genuine 
rather than feigned (the straightforward reading :), it's eminently 
possible.  So Snape is here, knowing part of the prophecy--but he 
can't *believe* that *this* Potter kid is going to be the one to 
finally vanquish Voldemort.  From his hypothetical perspective, the 
kid is never going to be able to do this.  [This line of thought 
makes sense to me, also, given Dumbledore's words at the end of 
OotP.  They can easily be read as "I hoped Professor Snape would come 
to know, care for, and *value* you just as I do."  No, I don't think 
Snape thinks Harry is special/valuable/exceptional, but I know that 
Dumbledore does.]  Making sure he's good with the other side then 
becomes increasingly attractive.

<snip>

> If it's recognition, then we saw something else significant on the 
> tower. Snape gave up the possibility of winning any Merlin awards 
> or the like when he offed DD ;). If he gave up on his deepest 
> desire, then he traded it for something else. That's the murky part 
> for me with OFH!Snape--what did he gain on the tower? On the 
> surface he lost everything.

Only for now, under the current regime.  Regime change, Voldemort 
takes over and the definitely present undercurrent of the WW 
(remember that a lot of people in VW1 thought he had good ideas) 
comes into power...then there's all the recognition and elevation 
that one could want.  The political connotations have certainly not 
been as emphasized as I thought they would, but I remember this line 
of thought from some time back, the culture war component of the DEs.

I have no solid opinions on when things went egg-shaped, but in 
retrospect there are things that can be read as contributing to the 
motivation for some time.  It will depend on the resolution to see if 
those were solid readings or not.

-Nora is much better rested now, and still singing along