ESE, DDM, OFH, or Grey? (WAS: DDM!Snape the definition)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 162592

Sydney:
Sydney wrote:

<snip> at present Harry's drive against Voldemort is much closer to
Snape's than to Dumbledore's. It's all about anger and revenge. 
That's where the whole Draco thing gets so interesting because you can
see Dumbledore's 'love' method of fighting in action-- he empathises
with Draco and draws him in, which is exactly what I think he did with
Snape.  <snip>

Carol:
My version of DDM!Snape isn't quite as conflicted as yours, but I
agree with this part. I think that Harry has to look at Snape and see
his own image, and then he'll have to forgive Snape in order to get to
the Love-as-weapon scenario. And, oddly, I think that Snape knows all
this ("No Unforgiveable curses from you!") but doesn't know how to
make it come about.

Sydney wrote:

> Ditto the Vow-- I really don't know quite what was up with it
(although it could be argued that magically speaking, he couldn't opt
out half-way through and was stuck with the last part).

Carol:
Right. Just look at the imagery in the last few paragraphs. He's
*bound* to Narcissa by *ropes of fire*. I don't know what would have
happened if he had tried to get out of the last provision. It's
entirely possible that he couldn't and knew it, which could be what
the twitch was all about. (That and not wanting to kill Dumbledore or
swear to kill him.)

Sydney:
Snape definitely didn't have to take the Vow.

Carol:
He didn't have to agree to take it (which he clearly did to protect
Draco). I'm not so sure about the third provision. It wasn't in the
original bargain, and he might have pointed that out, but it would
have undone everything he had accomplished so far. Bella expected him
to slither out; Narcissa was counting on him not to do so. Maybe the
key factor, if indeed he had a choice, was what Dumbledore would want
him to do. And I don't think that DD would have wanted him to reveal
his allegiance by refusing to "do the deed," nor do I think that
either of them wanted Draco to be forced to cast an AK or die. But, of
course, we just don't know what was in Snape's head. I do think it was
his own life he was putting on the line, not Dumbledore's. He couldn't
have anticipated the circumstances on the tower. He must have thought
that DD would find a way out. Assuming, of course, that he is DDM.

Sydney:
I have a lot of vague theories about that... my most crazy one, if
you'd like to hear it, is that he actually took the vow to force the
DADA job issue.  I know, I know, it sounds mental, but the DADA job is
the one thing Snape really seems to be after for some mysterious
reason, and the Vow definitely would have forced Dumbledore's hand. 
And the next thing we see is Dumbledore going off to hire himself a
Potions guy. <snip>
> 
Carol:
See, I think the opposite, that DD had already told Snape he would
give him the DADA job if Slughorn, whom DD wanted at Hogwarts for
other reasons (not least to become Head of Slytherin House after
Snape's inevitable departure) agreed to take the job. Who else could
DD have hired to teach DADA, and what better time than now to have his
Dark Arts expert pass on his unique knowledge of DADA and Voldemort to
the students, especially Harry, than now? Not to mention that the DADA
teacher has other duties, like removing curses from Dark objects that
make their way into the castle--a likely occurrence if Draco is trying
to kill DD. If we look at the timing of those chapters, both
"Spinner's End" and "Horace Slughorn" occur around midnight on a
Friday night/Saturday morning. I think it's the same night, and that
the moment Slughorn agrees to take the Potions position, Snape becomes
the DADA teacher. And just at that moment, the DADA curse falls into
place in the form of the Unbreakable Vow (or possibly just the last
provision). At any rate, I agree with you that the DADA curse and the
UV are definitely linked.

Carol, who thinks that Snape will have to play a largish role in Book
7 if all are questions are going to be answered and wondering how JKR
can manage that without frequent deviations from her Harrycentric narrator