Understanding Snape

[puduhepa98 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 153877

>Neri
>The LID!Snape theory assumes that Snape's first objective was  to
continue with the double-agent game as long as possible and come out
on  top whichever side wins the war. But this contradicted his second
objective –  he must repay his Life Debt to James's son before he can
bet on Voldemort's  side. Even worse for Snape – he must save Harry's
life without Voldemort  learning about it, because if Voldemort learns
about it the double-agent game  is over and Snape is stuck on
Dumbledore's side, which might end up the  losing side.

>The LID!Snape version of the OotP climax is that Snape  indeed had
orders from Voldemort to "stay behind", just as he says in  Spinner's
End. So he knew about the ongoing operation but was afraid of  warning
12GP because he was also told that Voldemort had a spy there (but  not
necessarily that the spy was Kreacher). If Snape warned the Order  the
spy might report it to Voldemort. So Snape was grateful when  Umbridge
took Harry to the forest – Harry wouldn't die, Snape wouldn't have  to
warn the Order and it would be Umbridge's fault that  Voldemort's
operation failed. But once Snape realized that Harry went to the  DoM
after all he had no choice left but to warn the Order, or he'd fail  in
paying his Life Debt. Lucky for him (and for JKR's plot)  Dumbledore
caught Kreacher and Sirius ended up dead. So Voldemort never  learned
about Snape warning the Order and Dumbledore never learned what  was
Snape's first message to Sirius, if indeed such a message even existed.  

<snip>
This is one advantage of LID!Snape – he's not a completely  useless
secret agent working for either Dumbledore or Voldemort, he's  a
capable agent working for himself.
 
Nikkalmati:
This theory depends on a version of Life Debt which is contradicted in  
canon.  If the Life Debt was in any way binding, Peter could not have acted  as he 
did in GOF at the cemetery where he not only failed to rescue Harry, he  
helped LV in his attempt to kill Harry. (BTW why didn't it satisfy the Life Debt  
that SS saved Harry from falling off his broom in PS/SS?  I never did get  that 
argument. It should have been at least as good as pulling SS out of the  
tunnel under the Whomping Willow.)
If SS is ESE or OFH there is no reason to send the Order to the MOM at  all.  
Why would he want to prolong the suspense?  It would be a pretty  ineffective 
secret agent to pass up an opportunity like this.
 If Harry goes to the MOM and is killed or captured, the winning side  is LV 
and SS is firmly in his favor.  He doesn't even have to risk much to  be sure 
he is on the winning side - just keep quiet.  If Harry survives he  can claim 
he didn't understand Harry"s meaning (who is Padfoot?) or that he was  sure 
Harry could not get to the MOM as long as Umbridge was holding him in her  
office or in the forest at wandpoint.  
I know there has been much discussion about the length of time it took SS  to 
call the Order in.  We can't be sure how much time elapsed and,  therefore, 
we cannot say he waited too long.  (I suspect JKR just wanted to  comment on 
the coming dawn in DD's office without considering the length of time  the 
events took - i.e. a FLINT, or the flight to London by Thestral took a long  time 
indeed).  In any case, how long were the students in the MOM before  the Order 
arrived? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? If SS had wanted to be sure the  Order 
arrived too late, he did a pretty bad job of it.  Also, there was no  way SS could 
be sure enough Harry had gone to the MOM to require him to  call the Order to 
fulfill his Life Debt.  DDMSnape would alert the Order as  a matter of course 
just in case Harry went to the MOM, but LIDSnape would have  to be compelled by 
absolute certainty that Harry was in danger, which there is  no way he could 
achieve with the information available to him. 
In other words, in order to believe the OTP shows SS to be evil, you have  to 
believe the Life Debt prevents SS from acting in his own interest and Peter's 
 behavior directly contradicts that view.  As pointed out by others, DD  
would not have made an Unbreakable Vow with SS to protect Harry, because such a  
vow involves Dark Magic - something DD would not do.  It would also  contradict 
the theme of choices making you what you are.
Nikkalmati  



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