Why did Snape take the UV? / Role of the Malfoys

[Neri]

No: HPFGUIDX 157342

> Betsy Hp: 
> There's the ACID POPS answer.  Snape is madly in love with Narcissa 
> and couldn't resist her heartfelt pleas.  I have a couple of 
> problems with that idea.  For one, Snape doesn't *act* like he's 
> madly in love, IMO.

Neri:
Er... I'm curios now. How *would* MadlyInLove!Snape act, in your opinion?

Starry eyes? Flowers? Chocolates? Somehow I can't quite see that.

Especially towards a woman who preferred *another man* over him. A man
with much more gold, status and pure blood than Snape had. Do you
think Snape would feel, dare I suggest it, offended? Discarded? Might
he want just a teeny weenie bit of payback, after all these years,
before he shows her a sign of his love? Might he even require that
woman to <gasp> kneel before him first? You know, like in "you should
be thanking me on your bended knee!", now where have I seen these
words before? <eg> 


> Betsy Hp:
> For another, Narcissa brings up Lucius and 
> Snape being old friends.  Which strikes me as an odd way for a woman 
> to go about seducing someone.

Neri:
She brings this up once, in a very mild way. It's second place to
Snape being Draco's favorite teacher: 

************************************************************
"I only meant. . . that nobody has yet succeeded. . . . Severus . . .
please . . . You are, you have always been, Draco's favorite teacher.
. . . You are Lucius's old friend. ... I beg you. .. . You are the
Dark Lord's favorite, his most trusted advisor. . . . Will you speak
to him, persuade him — ?"
************************************************************

But even this single small reminder of the Lucius/Snape friendship is
a BIG mistake of Narcissa, as Snape immediately responds by beating
her on the ears with her dear Lucius:

************************************************************
"The Dark Lord will not be persuaded, and I am not stupid enough to
attempt it," said Snape flatly. "I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord
is not angry with Lucius. Lucius was supposed to be in charge. He got
himself captured, along with how many others, and failed to retrieve
the prophecy into the bargain. Yes, the Dark Lord is angry, Narcissa,
very angry indeed."
************************************************************

This Lucius bashing strikes me like a strange way to earn the good
will of the Malfoy *family*. And Narcissa must realize her mistake,
because she immediately changes tack and go on to tell Snape, with the
proper attitude I might add, how *you* (italics) could do for her what
Lucius obviously can't, and how Snape would be rewarded beyond all the
other DEs (Lucius naturally included): 

************************************************************
When Snape said nothing, Narcissa seemed to lose what little
self-restraint she still possessed. Standing up, she staggered to
Snape and seized the front of his robes. Her face close to his, her
tears falling onto his chest, she gasped, "You could do it. *You*
could do it instead of Draco, Severus. You would succeed, of course
you would, and he would reward you beyond all of us —"
************************************************************

Now that's more like it, but she's still not quite kneeling, so Snape
reminds her again why the Malfoys have acquired the Dark Lord's wrath:

************************************************************
"The Dark Lord is very angry," repeated Snape quietly. "He failed to
hear the prophecy. You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he does
not forgive easily."
************************************************************

A bit repetitive of you, Severus, and not very diplomatic either, if
you are interested in the good will of the Malfoy family. But no doubt
it effectively breaks Narcissa completely. She "crumples, falling at
his feet, sobbing and moaning on the floor". And *now* suddenly Snape
shows her a little tenderness, oh yeah. He seizes her by her arms,
lifts her up and steers her back to the sofa (snort! JKR has never
been very original when it comes to blatant SHIPping), he hints that
he may be able to help her, and finally she's properly kneeling at his
feet. *Now* that she's just where he wanted her, he kneels in front of
her too and clasps hands.

Madly in love? Oh yes, I can quite see that. Snape's style of love,
anyway.


> Betsy Hp:
> Finally, I'm not sure that there's a 
> thematic reason for Snape to be in love with Narcissa; it seems a 
> bit beside the point.
> 

Neri:
Well, this depends on what the point *is*, isn't it? Was it thematic
for Merope to fall in love with Tom Sr., the tragic affair that
started it all?

The name "Spinner's End" hints that Snape was finally caught in his
own web of lies. And thematically you don't get caught because you
were jockeying for this or that advantage. You get caught because of a
tragic flaw.


> Betsy Hp:
> But what about the Malfoy family?  What if there's a reason for 
> Snape to try and earn (or keep) the goodwill of the Malfoy 
> *family*?

Neri:
I actually believed so before HBP, when I thought Lucius's good word
was necessary for Snape to regain his place at the Dark Lord's side.
But I have serious trouble seeing what reason it could be now. Surely
not another Horcrux when Lucius had already lost the first? 


> Betsy Hp:
> We've already got Snape doing that odd twitchy thing way 
> back in GoF when Harry names Lucius as one of the Death Eaters.  
> We've been told that he was Lucius's lapdog (his fag, maybe?) back 
> in his old school days.

Neri:
Ah, yes. Can you imagine how much animosity towards Lucius would Snape
accumulate if he had to pretend all these years to be Lucius's lapdog
while being in love with Narcissa? And he *would* pretend to be
Lucius's lapdog if his double agent role required it, but what would
he feel inside? Enough for a little twitch, do you think?

And another question I don't remembered being answered: what did Draco
have against Snape during HBP, anyway? Snape *was* Draco's favorite
teacher for five years, more than just a favorite teacher, he was
Draco's constant ally at Hogwarts. And suddenly in HBP, just when
Draco needs Snape the most, he refuses any help? Why does Draco all of
the sudden convince himself that Snape is out "to steal his glory"?
Draco is desperate, to the point of crying in bathrooms more than
once. Wouldn't it be worth to share a bit of glory to save his life
and his family? His own mother wants him to. And Draco does believe
that Snape was on Voldemort's side, and yet even after Snape saves his
life from the Sectumsempra, he doesn't trust Snape enough to share his
plan with him.  How come? Don't you think that Draco's attitude
towards Snape in HBP just smacks of teenager hurt feelings? Is this
because Draco has this uneasy hunch about Snape and his mother? Or
maybe more than just a hunch?


Neri