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

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 156809

> Carol:
<snip> 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.

a_svirn:
But that's just it – the risk wasn't manageable and if it was 
calculated we are still in the complete dark about the nature of 
those calculations. If it were manageable risk he wouldn't have 
ended up stuck with the third provision. He did, after all, 
neglected to negotiate the precise wording. Rather careless of him, 
I'd say. In fact, why did he have to agree to the third provision at 
all? If he didn't want to, he didn't have to, did he? He could have 
halted the proceeding without even risking his cover. It was Draco's 
mission and from a true Death Eater's point of view Snape shouldn't 
have meddled. As for protecting Draco, he didn't have to take the 
vow for that. In fact, he didn't even have to convince Narcissa of 
his good intentions. Just like he never bothered to gain Harry's 
trust in order to protect him. As for Draco, again, he didn't need 
an UV as an excuse for watching out for him. He was a sort of a 
family friend and Draco seemed to have trusted him in the past. 
That's in itself was enough for Draco to believe that Snape's 
concern for him was genuine. (Especially, since it was.) Instead, 
Snape's taking the vow only made Draco mistrustful and resentful. 
All in all, to take an UV just to protect Draco seems like 
*unnecessary* risk, not manageable one. 

As for Snape's calculations we have to assume that he miscalculated 
rather badly. If, that is, we are dealing with the DDM Snape. 
However, I, for one, don't see how he can not be "remotely stupid" 
if he didn't anticipated the trap of the third provision. At the 
very least he should have been naïve in the extreme not to smell a 
rat as soon as Narcissa mentioned the UV. He must have known – none 
better – that he wouldn't be able to save Draco from Voldemort if 
Draco failed his mission (unless he could prevail on him to change 
sides, but then,  Narcussa didn't count on *that*). He must have 
known also that Narcissa knew that nothing but the successful 
completion of the task Voldmort had allotted for her son would 
ensure Draco's safety. Add the two and you get the third provision. 
Whatever Snape's calculations might have been this should have been 
part of them. 

> Carol:
> I don't understand what you mean by "jeopardising the Resistance 
war
> effort." 

a_svirn:
You don't think that eliminating the leader of the Resistance can 
weaken the cause? 

> Carol:
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). 

a_svirn:
Wait a minute, you said that Snape *didn't* anticipate the third 
provision. If so, how come he "already realised" that Dumbledore was 
dying and even turned that piece of intelligence to good use? 

> Carol:
> 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.

a_svirn:
Well, I don't know *what* to think, to tell you the truth. I am 
quite as baffled by the whole business of the UV as Bellatrix. I 
don't believe, however, that Snape knew about Draco's mission. It 
looks to me as though he skilfully drilled both sisters in order to 
garner as much information as possible. 
> 
> Carol, confused as to why a_svirn thinks that Snape took the UV
>
a_svirn, no less confused as to why he did.