Why does Snape wants DADA job if it cursed? LONG

[Sydney]

No: HPFGUIDX 148900

Jen:
> I don't see how this weakens Dumbledore's trust in Snape for him to 
> worry that Snape won't be able to handle the curse very well--who 
> could? No one so far. ...
> So I could definitely see him being wary of putting Snape into a 
> situation which could ruin everything because of a powerful curse in 
> play. 

Sorry, just so I'm clear-- are you arguing that Dumbledore was worried
that the curse would act in such a way as to make Snape ACTUALLY
change sides back to V-mort?  That's how I read this:

> > Dumbledore was concerned a 
> > weakness in Snape, almost an addiction to the dark arts, would be
> > his undoing if he took the DADA position. Simple and clear.

It's that word, 'addiction', that loses me.  If Dumbledore thinks
Snape is addicted to the Dark Arts, he doesn't trust him, period.  If
Dumbledore thinks the Curse could produce any set of circumstances
that would result in Snape ACTUALLY changing sides, he doesn't trust
him.  And nothing is more canon than that Dumbledore trusts Snape
completely.  By sending him as a spy back into Voldemort's camp he
must have known that Snape would be put through every imaginable sort
of stress on his loyalties.

Wheras what I mean by:

> > Of course
> > Dumbledore is worried the curse will bring out the worst in Snape--
> > it was bound to somehow out him as a double-agent, just as it was 
> > bound to out Lupin as a werewolf.  

is that the likely result of the curse was to force a situation where
Snape's position as a double-agent was a catalyst for him to leave the
school under personally catastrophic circumstances.  Noone could have
anticipated excactly HOW those circumstances would play out-- it could
have been a stupid accident like Lockhart's rebounding memory charm.
Or it could have been a byzantine coincidence like the tangle that led
up to Lupin's werewolf transformation.  But the curse hits people
PRACTICALLY.  I don't think it affects their CHARACTER.  If Dumbledore
trusted Snape's character under the stresses of spying, I don't think
he'd worry about his cracking psychologically from the curse.

Purely theoretically, a similar curse could produce a set of
circumstances in which Sirius would unwittingly, or accidentally, or
have not other option than to betray the Secret he was Keeping for
James.  But no curse could result in him changing his character so
that he would WILLINGLY betray James.  

So, I think what was meant (trickily!) by the curse 'bringing out the
worst' in Snape, is not, making him act out their worst qualities as
you would say, teaching Neville 'brings out the worst' in Snape.  It's
more by way of a play on words-- the curse 'brings out' into the open,
by creating bad luck, the worst secrets that the victim is hiding to
maintain his status quo, and destroys them with it.

Clear?

-- Sydney