The UV (was ESE, DDM, OFH, or Grey?)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 162717

Magpie:
> <snip> So now nobody knows what's actually going on? How sad. I read
it as this really dramatic scene where everyone (including me, even
the first time reading) knew that 16-year-old Draco Malfoy had been
given the suicide mission of trying to kill Dumbledore. Snape's
thoughtfully realizing Voldemort wants him (Snape) to do it in the
end, Narcissa is rightfully frantic and seeing it as an attempt to get
Draco killed, Bellatrix is crazily claiming it's an honor. <snip>

Carol responds:
Although I originally started out with something like Nikkalmati's
reading (Snape is faking his knowledge of Draco's task), I don't think
the rest of the book bears this out. So I agree with you that all
three of them knew the overall mission--to kill Dumbledore--and at
least two of them (Snape and Narcissa) expected Draco to fail. Snape
may not have been told by LV himself that the mission is *supposed* to
fail, that LV is punishing Lucius, but he doesn't dispute Narcissa
when she states that this is her view. ("Then I'm right!") LV
certainly hasn't told either Narcissa or Bella, who as you say thinks
it's an honor, that he expects Draco to fail or that he's punishing
Lucius--that's her own (correct0 deduction.

However, I don't think any of the three knows about the *specific*
mission: to fix the Vanishing Cabinet and let the DEs into Hogwarts.
Snape obviously doesn't know or he wouldn't be interrogating Draco
after the necklace incident. And Bellatrix knows that Snape doesn't
know the specifics of the plan, only the goal of killing Dumbledore,
or she wouldn't take the trouble to teach Draco Occlumency to prevent
 Snape from knowing it. She alone of the three wants the mission to
succeed and wants Draco, not Snape, to do it. It's just possible that
Draco tells her she doesn't know about the cabinet at this point but
Draco tells her later when she offers to help him. It's certainly
Bellatrix who plants the idea in Draco's mind that Snape is trying to
"steal his glory," an idea that Snape immediately reacts to as
childish but which nevertheless fits with Bella's neively fanatical
belief that the Dark Lord will reward his faithful followers. ("He
will honor us above all others.") IMO, she really wants Draco, not
Snape, to win the "glory" of killing Dumbledore. And if Draco dies in
the process, at least he died gloriously for the cause. If she had
sons, she'd sacrifice them, too. (And I don't think that's just talk.)

Carol, not disagreeing, just pointing out that Snape doesn't know the
whole plan (If he had, he might have found the vow unnecessary.)