Voldemort: to eliminate or not to eliminate Snape

[Kemper]

No: HPFGUIDX 157453

> bboyminn:
>
>  ...
> ..., regarding Voldemort's strategic and tactical planning.
> I think Voldemort suffers from the same problem that all
> megalomaniacal evil overlords suffer from; an absolute
> unshakeable belief in his own infalability. ...
>
> ...
>
> ... when you work for an evil overlord megalomanic like
> Voldemort, there is no room for individual thinking. You do
> exactly what he said, so you can't be blamed personally when
> it all goes wrong. Even if along the way, you see a better way
> of accomplishing your goal, the safe choice is to just stick
> to the plan.
>
> Partly you don't express superior ideas because that threatens
> Voldemort's power. If for one small moment he thinks you are
> smarter or more capable than him, he will kill you to eliminate
> the competition. ...
> 


Kemper now:

So where does this leave Snape?

Voldemort feared Dumbledore.  Snape killed Dumbldore.
Yes, Dumbledore was wandless and weak.  But did the DE's on the tower
believe Dumbledore to be weak or that he was wandless?  (Seriously.
I'm not being rhetorical, I'm at work and HBPless.)  IIRC, I think the
DE's believed him to be wandless.

Dumbledore's easy conversation and the lack of fear in his voice with
the DE's and Draco may have left all the baddies on the tower with the
impression that he was, in fact, strong though without wand. "Good
work, Draco."  or something like that from some DE.

Dumbledore's seemingly wandless strength would get back to Voldemort
through verbal or Legilimens debriefing.  So what will Voldemort do
with that?  Allow him to live and be the one who bested Voldemort's
feared foe?

Perhaps Snape's anger towards Harry calling him a coward has nothing
to do with saving Harry and Draco by killing Dumbledore.  Rather, the
anger could be because he risks being killed by Voldemort in order to
help Harry vanquish the Dark Lord.

But Snape is slick.  Maybe his slippery words will sooth Voldemort's
mega-ego enough to slither away... to become the asp to Voldemort's
breast.  (Ship that!)

Kemper