High Noon for OFH!Snape

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 149422

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sydney" <sydpad at ...> wrote:

<snip>

> The taking of the Vow makes one thing very clear-- Snape is willing 
> to die.

Really?  It could also imply that he's willing to do everything to 
fulfill the Vow so that he himself doesn't die.  You do have a gap 
there in terms of necessity.

> Not necessarily suicidal, but definitely not holding his life at
> a particularly high value.  Anyone who sees a way around this, be my
> guest.

Sure.  He doesn't think that he could possibly fail in his task, so 
the whole death thing is more of an idle threat.  After all, he's 
been doing so well for so long, and has an eminently high concept of 
his own abilities (and a fairly low evaluation of most other 
people's.  Hubris is a dangerous thing, Severus...)
 
> Surely it must be clear that of all our Snapes, the most entirely
> incompatible with the Vow is Out-For-Himself!Snape.  People who are
> out for themselves simply do not, under any circumstances short of 
> the absolutely unavoidable, make promises that they drop dead if 
> they don't fulfill. 

Here's the classic problem I feel obliged to raise over and over 
again.  OFH!Snape is defined by wanting what he wants (at least to 
me); this does not preclude actions which might be read as 
altruistic, if they're towards an end which he's interested in.

This is the Utilitarian problem AGAIN.  I cannot define what makes 
you happy.  I can look and say "You're crazy to enjoy that, how can 
that make you happy?", but that has absolutely no impact on you.  
Happiness is incommensurable.

People have asked again and again why OFH!Snape, for instance, would 
be a twerk to Harry instead of trying to manipulate the kid (full 
negative connotations here, of course).  The answer may well be 
because it makes him *happy*.  It may be very gratifying to Snape to 
nurse his old hurts and anger towards James Potter--Dumbledore tells 
us as much at the end of PS/SS, unless you think he's just trying to 
cover up the profound truth of Snape's eternal agony at the loss of 
Lily Potter.

OFH!Snape may well *get* something out of this action with the Vow; 
this is not an option which can be automatically dismissed, because 
frankly, none of us have a clearer window than anyone else into his 
psyche, because he's such a sketchily drawn character.  That's 
deliberate.

-Nora waits with amusement for the potential scream of "That's IT?" 
when Snape's mysteries collapse, just like the screaming onlist after 
the Prophecy