Unbreakable Vow (was Snape on the Tower)

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 162579

Nikkalmati:
> I have said before, and I stick with it, that SS did not have a 
clue what Draco's task was before he took the vow. (No one else seems 
willing to jump on the bandwagon, however). SS wanted and needed to 
know that information and promising to protect Draco was a small 
price to pay.

Ceridwen:
I waver on whether Snape knew Draco's task or not.  I've read a lot 
of convincing arguements on both sides.  He's in LV's inner circle - 
How is this so?  He was able to slither out of being killed or 
tortured when he went back late in GoF, but that doesn't mean LV was 
taken in hook, line and sinker.  As you say, PP is at Spinner's End 
for a reason.  So I'm not certain that Snape *was informed* of 
Draco's task.  I think he might have guessed.  Since he is the only 
DE we know of at Hogwarts to this point, he may have been informed 
that Draco had a task.  But he may only have been told this much 
because of his proximity.  He may have had an idea, even a very good 
idea, since he does know some of the DE gossip, as he says to 
Bellatrix (he knows they are discussing him behind his back).  He 
probably knew speculation as well.  And Draco receiving a task after 
his father displeased LV in two ways would have set the rumor mills 
churning.  So, he has a good idea of the general plot.  Now to get 
the specifics...

Nikkalmati:
> Of course, we know that the protective mother went a little over 
the top in ensuring Draco's life by trapping SS into a vow he did not 
intend and did not understand at the time.

Ceridwen:
Which explains the twitch for me just fine.  He had agreed to the 
first two provisions, now she is starting on a third that she didn't 
warn him about.  Being smart enough to catch onto things, he knows it 
will have something to do with what he guesses in general is Draco's 
mission.  He's already said that he knows, he's already agreed to the 
first two provisions, both casually and under a vow - here it comes, 
the huge problem.  (And I'm with Carol and others who believe that 
this is at or near the moment that Slughorn agrees to return to teach 
Potions.  Snape has just become the holder of the cursed DADA 
position.  The curse is setting him up.  It seems like an elegant 
twist at this point when we don't know about the curse for sure, and 
we are not shown the first four chapters playing out together.)

Nikkalmati:
> You would have to assume he is telling the truth to the Black 
sisters when it appears he is lying through his teeth throughout the 
scene (unless he is ESE) and you have to assume that LV trusts him 
with his plan, which is also doubtful when you note PP is sent to spy 
on SS and that Bella is astonished that LV would tell SS. Surely she 
know the relative position of the members of the inner circle.

Ceridwen:
He apparently tells a hodgepodge of truth and lies.  He may have 
messed up at one point by claiming responsibility for Sirius's 
death.  He seems to be back-pedaling to me when he gives credit for 
the actual killing to Bellatrix.  That perceived back-pedaling made 
me pay a little closer attention to what he was saying.  Wish I knew 
what exactly happened, or supposedly happened, to Emmaline Vance!  So 
hard to evaluate with only "I killed Sirius... actually, I laid the 
groundwork but you, dear Bella, did the deed'.

I don't assume that LV trused Snape with anything.  This was the guy 
who didn't bother to return on time; this was the guy who was 'in 
Dumbledore's pocket' all those years; see full list in Spinner's 
End.  Wormtail is suddenly living with Snape.  As if they were such 
buddies back in school!  I don't think so.  Wormtail is there to spy 
on Snape.  He's there gratefully, I think, because he doesn't want to 
do something else.  Notice his physical condition.  Life hasn't been 
easy as the servant of the Dark Lord.

And, why assume that Snape is in any Inner Circle?  Sure, there must 
be degrees of Death Eater placement, since Fenrir and the Three 
Stooges on the tower defer to Snape.  But, I don't know about any 
Inner Circle of trusted advisors who are privy to LV's plans.  This 
plan, in particular, seems to be restricted to those who need to 
know - Draco, and Narcissa.  I think the intention of Narcissa 
knowing at all is to get the bad news to Lucius.  Draco probably 
won't go to Daddy for help so it's up to Narcissa to provide mounting 
stress for the imprisoned Lucius.

Snape was probably told a little something, since he is both a friend 
of the Malfoys, and the only DE we know of at Hogwarts at this 
point.  It would be necessary for him to know something.  But, not 
the entire plan, not the specifics, and not that DEs should, by 
Draco's plan, be brought in.  Maybe he'll tell Lucius.  And, since it 
seems that he may have witnessed LV's anger over the diary incident 
based on Dumbledore's certainty that LV's wrath was something to 
behold, so he may have heard LV gnashing his teeth and vowing that he 
would get Draco killed to punish Lucius.  He seems sure of this 
himself when he is talking to Narcissa.

Nikkalmati:
> They then had to decide what to do about it. They hoped that SS 
would be able to get close to Draco and thwart him, but we know why 
that didn't work out. The alternate plan must have been, if worse 
came to worse, to kill DD rather than let SS die or let Draco kill 
him.

Ceridwen:
I agree that there was a plan for Snape to intervene with Draco 
before it was too late, and the necklace incident made it that much 
more urgent that this be done.  I don't know if there was a set plan 
for Snape to kill Dumbledore.  I do think there was a plan to 
minimize damage in any way possible, it's just that the only way to 
do that in the end was for Snape to kill Dumbledore and get the DEs 
out of Hogwarts.  DD may have known it could come to this.  I 
personally think he did know that this could be the result, even 
before the UV, and was busy tying up loose ends all year.

Ceridwen ~ sorry this is so long!