Why did Snape take the UV? (Was: DD would not make Snape take a UV )

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 156798

Carol earlier:
> <snip> I think that Snape took the (canonical) UV because Narcissa
asked him to swear to protect and watch over Draco, as he intended to
do, anyway. Taking that particular vow was no great risk (he was used
to walking a tightrope between life and death, anyway) and would
persuade Narcissa that he was on her side (as he was, in the sense
that he wanted to protect Draco and keep him from commiting murder or
being killed) and would help to dispel the last of Bellatrix's doubts
about his loyalty to LV. <snip> The third provision obviously caught
Snape by surprise (the hand twitch), but since he was on his knees
with his wand hand bound by ropes of fire to Narcissa's, there wasn't
much he could do except agree to it. (I believe that he told DD >
about all three provisions but am not going to argue that here.)
> > 
> >
> a_svirn:
> Not a great risk? I wonder how you can say that. When you take a UV 
> your very life is at stake – literally. I'd say the risk is 
> ultimate. Unless you argue that Snape was suicidal and wanted to 
> shuffle off this mortal coil anyway (so why not impress Bellatrix 
> while he was at it?) you can't possibly call the risk negligible. 
> 
> Moreover, the question of risk aside, as we all know, taking the vow 
> muddled his already somewhat murky loyalties. Snape, being as he is 
> more that commonly astute, was bound to consider this angle too. In 
> fact, that was the angle he should have considered first and 
> foremost. Somehow jeopardising the Resistance war effort just to 
> allay Bellatrix's suspicions does not seem worth a gamble. As for 
> Narcissa, she was already there on her knees pleading with him. She 
> didn't look like someone harbouring dark suspicions.
>

Carol responds:
Let me rephrase that. Taking the first part of the vow, the part that
Narcissa mentioned when she asked him if he would take it, was a
*calculated* risk. Snape is not suicidal, nor is he remotely stupid,
but I think he felt that it would be safe to take this portion of the
vow, as he intended to protect Draco, anyway. Possibly, DD had told
him to do whatever was required to keep Draco from carrying out his
task, so he decided that taking the vow was the best thing to do under
the circumstances, with the added benefit of helping Narcissa and
helping to dispel the last of Bellatrix's doubts. (He had already gone
to great pains to persuade her of his loyalty to the Dark Lord,
stating that he wanted her to tell the other doubters his answers as
well.) But he didn't agree to take the vow (unaware of the third
provision) *just* to allay her suspicions. His primary reason seems to
have been to protect Draco and to keep faith with Narcissa. He has to
play both sides, and both sides (Narcissa and Dumbledore) want to help
Draco, to keep him alive and, in DD's case, at least, to keep him from
becoming a murderer. As this is also Snape's goal, he's willing to put
his life on the line to protect Draco, as he would have done in any
case. (Assuming DDM!Snape, of course, but I think the affection he
feels for Draco is real.) I think that *Snape* would consider the
risk, if not negligible, at least manageable, not much more dangerous
than what he was already doing. (He could be killed at any time if his
true loyalties are revealed.)

The third provision is another matter, of course. He didn't anticipate
it and didn't want to agree to it, but IMO he had no choice at that
point. I forgot to mention that besides being bound by ropes of fire
to Narcissa, and already bound by the first part of the oath,
Bellatrix was standing over him with her wand pointed right at him.

I don't understand what you mean by "jeopardising the Resistance war
effort." How would the first part of the UV, to protect Draco, do
that? The third part might do so, *unless* Snape and DD had already
realized that DD was going to die anyway (from the longterm effects of
the ring Horcrux if not as the result of LV's plan). I think DD
realized that the "resistance effort" would have to go on without him
after this year (note that he's finally showing Harry what he needs to
know to fight LV and otherwise tidying up odds and ends, including
finding a longterm replacement for Snape as Potions master and HoH). 

At any rate, can you clarify your point and exactly what you disagree
with in my view? I'm assuming DDM!Snape and that Snape is telling the
truth about knowing what LV wants Draco to do (not about the Vanishing
Cabinets, of course; just that he's assigned Draco the impossible task
of killing DD). I'm also assuming that Snape has informed DD of this
plan and is doing his best to follow DD's orders without revealing the
true loyalties he has taken such pains to conceal.

Carol, confused as to why a_svirn thinks that Snape took the UV