Snape on the tower (Was: Cohesion)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 162383

Neri:
> So I see two alternative options for DDM!Snape here. On the one 
> hand, if there *wasn't* a plan for DDM!Snape to kill Dumbledore,
> then Snape doesn't require all this prescience. He's just acting 
> heroic, taking on the DEs all by himself. But in this case he can
> hardly complain about being left alone against four DEs and forced 
> to make terrible choices. He took care to leave everybody behind 
> himself. Considering the result, this comes out more lame than 
> heroic.

Jen:  What purpose does DDM serve if not for Snape to continue his 
spy role though?  I'm willing to believe in DDM regardless of my 
general animosity for Snape because I hold on to the belief that 
Snape is going to help Harry from the inside of Voldemort's circle.  
To do so, Snape cannot be dragging Order members and Harry's friends 
with him to the party (wherever that party happens to be).  Snape has 
always acted alone, that's why no one trusts him and what makes him a 
useful double agent. He's only useful to Dumbledore and by extension, 
Harry, if he maintains his cover.  We generally talk about Snape 
using Dumbledore but to me it's a mutual using going on and both have 
agreed to the terms.  

> But if, on the other hand, there *was* a plan, then how come DDM!
> Snape acts with such prescience when he knows so little? When
> Dumbledore and Snape had decided in advance on that hypothetical 
> plan, what was to be the cue for execution? When (and how) would 
> both of them know that *now* is the time?  The only possible cue 
> that seems to work here is "when Draco makes an irrevocable move". 
> But this suggests again that this whole Plan was to save Snape's 
> life, at the price of Dumbledore's life, from the terms of the 
> Unbreakable Vow. The Unbreakable Vow that Snape himself had made to
> begin with. IOW, the plan was for Dumbledore to pay with his life
> for DDM!Snape's mistake.  

Jen:  The Unbreakable Vow was lame to me. And Dumbledore the great 
contingency planner always works with what he gets instead of what he 
wishes could be true.  Once the deed was done he had a decision to 
make and I think it was Dumbledore's to make as the chess master he 
is:  Who will be sacrificed should it come to that?  He's not an 
overly sentimental person when it comes to military strategy.  
However, if you are implying that by taking the UV it's an oxymoron 
to say Snape is DDM, now *that* I would agree wholeheartedly with.  
I'm liking my own Grey!Snape version more and more:  
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/142891

ShamelessPlug!Jen