High Noon for OFH!Snape
Jen Reese
stevejjen at earthlink.net
Sun Mar 12 05:49:11 UTC 2006
No: HPFGUIDX 149470
Magpie:
> His hand twitched at the third provision, but he still doesn't
> have to take it. He could just as easily say, "The Dark Lord has
> ordered that Draco do it. I will not disobey him. Nix on that
> third vow. Moving on." He's not trapped there, imo. To me the
> twitch indicates him making the choice to stick with the vow, even
> though he doesn't want to do it.
Jen: I don't see a reason why Snape couldn't abandon the Vow mid-
stream, either. People have suggested Bella and Narcissa would kill
him on the spot or betray him to Voldemort, yet both women say they
were ordered not to talk to anyone about Draco's task. So they attempt
to kill Snape and if successful (big if) then face Legilimens!
Voldemort to explain why Snape, the only person positioned at Hogwarts
to kill Dumbledore, is dead. Or the women run off to inform the Dark
Lord Snape won't take an Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco when
Narcissa and Bella aren't supposed to be talking to Snape in the first
place.
No, the only thing that works in my mind is that Snape had a choice to
continue the Vow when the third provision came up and he continued
forward. He doesn't need to prove himself to Bella in my opinion, as
Bella's stock with Voldemort has dropped dramatically. Maybe he feels
obligated to Narcissa for some reason, or compelled to help her, but
that would mean a big plot point the readers aren't privy to yet as to
why Snape is willing to die for the Malfoys, or Narcissa and/or Draco
in particular. Not saying that can't be true, just there's missing
information for that one.
So my best guess is that Snape knew he was being trapped by the third
Vow and took it anyway. I personally think it's because he guessed the
game was up--he did *not* fool Voldemort completely, Narcissa was
*not* telling him everything about why she came to him in particular,
and Peter *was* there to report back on this little meeting. The only
one who seemed to be completely straightforward in that scene to me
was Bella.
So the next question is....Why? Snape did prove during the Occlumency
lessons he has uneasy feelings about Voldemort, if not outright fear.
Still he's not Peter, I don't think fear alone would make him succumb
to a trap. No, I think there's something deeper going on. Snape seems
to have attached himself to the two most powerful wizards in the world
for most of his adult life. Some people see that as firm canon for
OFH, while I see another version of the oft-played theme of father
figures. As a teen and young man, he believed Voldemort would deliver
salvation. When none came, and in fact Snape only found more emotional
pain from Voldemort's actions, Snape returned to Dumbledore. I really
believe Snape knew he was being trapped and decided in that instant
that Dumbledore would be able to deliver him from his tragic mistake.
And Dumbledore did and he didn't: Snape expected (just as Harry does)
that Dumbledore could set everything right, while Dumbledore surveyed
the landscape and said, "Yes, Severus, you know what I expect you to
do now. If it becomes a question of myself or Draco being spared, you
will do what you must and continue to follow my orders after my death.
And that includes safeguarding Harry and helping him defeat
Voldemort." Cue fight in the forest and etc.....
I think that interview in TIME when JKR talked about father figures
and evil flourishing where fathers are bad or absent is fertile ground
for growing Snape's motivations. It's certainly connected to a major
theme and would place Snape in the already crowded room of abandoned
sons, but as the only one who found an acceptable father substitute on
the Right side.
Jen, quite pleased with Salvation!Snape.
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