Voldemort & the UV

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 149845

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > <snip>
> > Narcissa doesn't go to Snape out of hate, she goes to
> > him out of love.  Honestly, I think her actions fit neatly into 
> > Voldemort's blind spot. (But not Dumbledore's.)

> >>Jen: 
> She also asked someone else to vow to help Draco or die. Now 
> that seems like dark magic Voldemort could understand, unlike the 
> ancient magic of Lily. 
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Oh, Narcissa certainly takes her magic in a dark direction, I 
agree.  And it's magic Voldemort would be comfortable with.  
However, I think Narcissa's *motivation* is something Voldemort 
cannot understand.  And since he doesn't get what's causing Narcissa 
to do what she does I think it'd be hard for him to anticipate and 
therefore use Narcissa.

Which, yeah, that's just my guess against yours.  I think we've got 
fairly equal canon going into this thing.  I guess it comes down to 
me seeing Voldemort as the guy who sets things in motion but has 
little to do with the minutia.  I think the biggest bit of 
manipulation Voldemort does in HBP is set a child after Dumbledore, 
knowing how Dumbledore views children.

> >>Jen:
> In fact, I've been wondering. The Unbreakable Vow sounds like 
> something Voldemort might require of his DE's. It would explain 
> that 'lifetime of service or death' comment by Sirius and perhaps 
> if RAB is indeed Regulus, why he knew he die when writing that    
> note. It doesn't really explain how a DDM!Snape wouldn't be dead   
> though or how Dumbledore could trust him, unless Dumbledore were  
> somehow able to intervene. You'd think Snape would have dropped    
> dead the moment he started talking to Dumbledore though, if under 
> a UV. Hmmm. Still, you would have more canon for Evil!Twins,      
> Betsy, if it were true<g>.

Betsy Hp:
Yay, Evil!Twins!! <g>  I wonder if there's an equal burden put on 
the other person in the Vow?  That would stop Voldemort cold, I'd 
bet.  Or maybe you can only have so many Vows attached to you at a 
time?  I got the impression that joining the Death Eaters was like 
joining any sort of criminal gang, you're in till you're dead, and 
any betrayal marks you for death.  Snape was just super-cool enough 
to fool the great mind-reader.  Regulus wasn't as gifted.  (Or 
perhaps, he's was more like his brother and into big noble 
gestures?)  I really, really, hope we get more background on Regulus.

> >>Betsy Hp:
> > Hmm, I agree that Voldemort is the main villain, and his
> > destruction will signal the end of the game.  However, I *do* 
> > think Snape is a more important character than Voldemort.  In a 
> > sense, I'd almost label Snape as Harry's main antagonist.       
> > There's certainly a more personal connection there.  
> > <snip>

> >>Jen: But...but...there's the scar connection, the horcruxes! You 
> don't think that stuff is going somewhere?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Oh, sure.  But that's more of a way to move the plot along, isn't 
it?  Gives Harry something to *do* while he's figuring out who Snape 
really is.  He's got a pretty good handle on Voldemort already, 
though, so I'm thinking less story time will be spent on Voldemort.

> >>Jen: 
> There's backstory on Snape to come, yeah, I'm just having a hard 
> time imagining the logistics to give him face time in the present.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Pensieve is a good medium, as we've seen.  Also, I'm figuring 
there's some sort of connection between Snape and Lily, and Harry 
will learn about Snape as he finds out more about his mother.  I'd 
*love* it if Petunia had some old correspondence between the two of 
them, shoved in a box of Lily's old school-days things.

I doubt we'll see much of present-day Snape until the end of book 7, 
but I'm betting younger!Snape will appear throughout the book.

> >>Jen:
> With Voldemort, he's out in the open now and will be even more so 
> with DD gone. I suspect Harry will get news of him fairly readily. 
> Not to mention the possibilty of Harry getting information about   
> him personally, via the scar connection (say if H. realizes he has 
> the power of Legilimency passed to him by LV and can get around    
> Voldemort's Occlumency). That scar is a good narrative device,    
> offering an unusual perspective and I don't think JKr is done with 
> that one yet.

Betsy Hp:
Yeah, but what will Voldemort be doing?  Yammering on about 
regaining his hold on the WW, doing big speeches about how scary and 
evil he is, maybe crucioing a minion or two.  Kind of boring and 
repetative, don't you think?  And nothing new to Harry.  There may 
be some times when Voldemort drops a crucial clue to a horcrux or 
two, but as far as character insight, I think we've plumbed the 
depths of that particular well.  And it ain't that deep.  But 
lurking in the corner is that fascinationg character, Severus 
Snape.  Now *there's* a character in desperate need of some page 
time. <g>

I do wonder if we'll learn more about the Founders while Harry hunts 
the horcruxes.  Does their story have anything interesting left to 
be told?  

> >>Jen R., who may also be influenced at the moment by young people 
> in her life, one who read HBP and declared, "I knew Snape was bad, 
> but not *that* bad" and her own son who said after reading         
> Spinner's End: "Mom, I think Snape just cares about himself."      
> What's a mostly DDM!Snape mom to do?!?

Betsy Hp:
Heh.  Yeah, I helped out with our library's summer reading program 
last year.  Floated my DDM!Snape theory to one of the young members 
of the Harry Potter group.  Lead. Balloon.  Ah well, come book 7 
they'll be blown over by my genius. <g>  And it will make the reveal 
of the true Severus Snape all the more dramatic for them.

Betsy Hp