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

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 162676

Sydney:
> -- Practical!Snape, who realizes that the only way Draco will not be
> killed by Voldemort is if Snape magically lashes the two of them
> together.  He knows Voldemort will definitely kill Draco (because
> that's just the sort of guy he is, plus the kill-Dumbledore thing
> isn't going to happen).  But now he can't without taking Snape with
> him (because that doesn't go with "protect Draco from all harm"). 

zgirnius:
I love the concept, but it does not make that much sense to me at the 
time Snape takes the Vow. Yes, Voldemort wants to kill Draco, but 
there are less dangerous ways to prevent this, which I imagine are 
familiar to Snape. The offer Dumbledore made to Draco on the Tower, 
for one. I would think that Snape was aware of that as a theoretical 
possibility for dealing with the Malfoys' problem, and it is more 
effective than tying his fate to Draco's. No need to make the Vow, in 
such a case.

However, I do agree with you that this is a possible way that Snape 
might use to protect Draco from Voldemort in Book 7, supposing his 
credit with Voldmemort is good enough after the killing of Dumbledore.

Sydney:
> Plus if I get my Christmas wish and there's a
> Snape/Draco/Voldemort scene at the start of Book VII there's a nice
> juicily dramatic way of exposing it.

zgirnius:
*sighs*
Well, yes, that would be nice and dramatic...
There's always fanfiction, if Santa's not that good to us!

Sydney:
> I really think it's necessary for it at least to have been discussed
> as a possibilty for "Severus... please... " to make plain sense with
> Snape immediately getting a handle on 'please, what'.

zgirnius:
Alternatively, Snape's reaction to Dumbledore addressinghim on the 
Tower is to approach him and make eye contact. 

> HBP:
> Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and 
> hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.
> "Severus...please..."
> Snape raised his wand...

zgirnius:
This suggests Legilimency. The emotional change in Snape could be a 
reaction to an unspoken suggestion that is new (and unpleasant) to 
him. Dumbledore sees the reaction and says 'please', and Snape kills 
him. Works for me...

Of course, this would mean there is no hard evidence of Dumbledore's 
wishes (as a Pensieve memory of Hagrid, Snape, or Dumbledore of the 
Forest argument would be, were it about killing Dumbledore.) It's 
just the sort of thing the author like sto do to Snape, as you say.