High Noon for OFH!Snape

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 149521


> Ana:
I tried 
> re-reading the vow many times, in a desperate hope to find that 
outing, 
> but I didn´t manage it. Would anyone be kind enough to point that 
out to 
> me? :)
> Thanks!
> 
>     "Narcissa spoke.
>     ´Will you, Severus, watch over my son, Draco, as he attempts ta
>     fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?`
>     `I will,` said Snape.
>     A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound 
its
>     way around their hands like a red-hot wire.
>     `And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from 
harm?`
>     `I will,` said Snape.
>     A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked 
with the
>     first, making a fine, glowing chain.
>     `And, should it prove necessary... if it seems Draco will 
fail...`
>     whispered Narcissa (Snape's hand twitched within hers, but he 
did
>     not draw away), `will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord 
has
>     ordered Draco to perform?`
>     
zgirnius:
Sure. I can see at least two ways out. They both revolve around the 
third clause of the Vow, which, note, is not an absolute commitment 
to carry out the task, but rather, conditional. Onbly if certain 
(stated) conditions are met, must Snape complete the task.

One of these conditions is the first phrase:
'Should it prove necessary'.
Which immediately raises the question, necessary for what/whom? I 
think a reasonable reading is, necessary to protect Draco. Since that 
is clearly what Narcissa, the person formulating the Vow, really 
cares about. So, if Dumbledore had faked the deaths of Draco and 
Narcissa, Snape would be off the hook. It would not be necessary to 
kill Dumbledore, because Draco is well-protected by Dumbledore. 
Likewise, if Snape faked the killing well enough, he would be off the 
hook as long as none of the bad guys figured it out-because as long 
as they don't, a fake death is as good as a real one for the 
protection of Draco.

The second condition is:
'if it seems Draco will fail'.
This suggests that one thing that could mess things up is for Draco 
to fail publicly, where others know about it (SEEM to fail). (Note 
Draco did make two failed attempts, with no consequences for Snape...)

So, I definitely agree there were loopholes Snape and Dumbledore 
could have hoped to exploit. But personally, I don't believe that it 
worked out for them. Draco smuggling in the Death Eaters messed up 
any plans Snape and Dumbledore may have had.