TBAY: BlackWidower!Snape retuned (long)

[dungrollin]

No: HPFGUIDX 160658

Numbered endnotes with canon, interview and post references and 
links, and amusing/interesting/stupid asides where I can be bothered 
are at the end (as is the custom with endnotes). Skip to the fish 
<º)XX>< if you hate TBAY.


Theory Bay is dark, a waxing gibbous moon does nothing to illuminate 
the waves pounding the beach since it's obscured by clouds; the low 
tide reveals the crumbling masts of the many wrecks which litter the 
seabed. Once-proud vessels, boldly crewed by some of the bravest, 
most fearless listies who ever posted. These days, so very few 
remain afloat.  

There is a flicker of movement, a darker shadow in the depths of 
dark shadows. The door to the can(n)on museum slowly creaks open. 
Then it creaks shut. If someone were inside, watching, they would 
see another dark shadow darken the dark shadows around it as it 
passes. It creeps amongst the can(n)on poking and muttering to 
itself. It slinks past the TOADKEEPERs*, fondly pats the MATCHING 
ARMCHAIR, and pauses respectfully for a moment at the space where 
the MAGIC DISHWASHER should have been (it had been removed to the 
Safe House for years, for its own protection). 

Finally the shadow stops at a plinth with a small dusty can(n)on on 
it, and an unobtrusive plaque on the front which reads "Black 
Widower!Snape". The shadow produces a couple of 
 things. Heavy, 
metallic things. It leans over Black Widower!Snape, working quickly 
and quietly. There is a faint click, something snapping into place, 
then a pause, some swearing, the distinct sound of something being 
brutally forced into place, and then another, more decisive click. 

The figure strikes a match, and gazes at Black Widower!Snape in the 
sudden flare of light to make sure that what it is seeing is real. 
"They fit!" exclaims Dungrollin (for it is she).

* See Inish Alley 

<º)XX>< <º)XX>< <º)XX>< <º)XX>< <º)XX>< <º)XX>< <º)XX>< <º)XX><

I was wandering through the archives, and stumbled upon an old Snape 
theory which has had various makeovers, known as Black Widower!
Snape, or Snape!Son. Reading message 111173 (and laughing a lot) I 
soon realised that we have gained some extra canon since those days 
of yore, and wondered whether I could give Black Widower!Snape a 
fresh coat of paint. It's turned out to be pretty fiddly, so bear 
with me for a bit.

The premise is that Snape had a wife and/or child who was/were 
murdered by Voldemort, and that is the reason he returned to the 
good side, and the reason that he wears nothing but black. I should 
mention that Kneasy's post was very much more like Out-For-Himself!
Snape, whereas this version is decidedly DDM (I can't help it, you 
know). 

The two major bits of relevant canon we were given in HBP are:
1. Snape was the eavesdropper.[1] 
2. When Snape realised how Voldemort was interpreting the prophecy, 
his remorse made him `return' to the good guys' table.[2]

Let's begin by trying to put ourselves in Voldy's shoes. How would 
he interpret the scrap of prophecy which Snape brought him?[3] The 
thrice-defied part, in particular. We know, with the benefit of 
20/20 hindsight, and rather a lot of prompting from DD, [4] that it 
applied to James and Lily and Frank and Alice, and that they were 
all four in the Order of the Phoenix, and must have interfered with 
Voldy's  plans on at least three separate occasions, but it wouldn't 
necessarily have been immediately obvious to Voldemort at the time, 
at least six months before Harry was born. 

Just try to imagine for a moment that you're a power-hungry 
psychotic (easier for some than others) and someone has just told 
you a kid with the clout to pulp you is going to be born; you'd 
start getting twitchy around *any* pregnant women, wouldn't you? Oh, 
and you'd utterly forbid the minion who brought you the news to tell 
anybody else.

So let's say that it's about now that Snape's wife [5] discovers 
that she is pregnant. Narcissa's pregnant too! How nice. Snape works 
out immediately that both children are due at the end of July. 
Lucius is his friend [6], Snape warns him of the problem, and tells 
him the first two lines of the prophecy [7], pleading with him to 
not let Voldemort know that Narcissa is pregnant, because it will 
put her in danger. But Snape is too late, Voldy already knows that 
the Malfoys are expecting the patter of tiny feet. 

The two couples are understandably worried, Voldemort has not told 
Snape anything about how he's interpreted the prophecy, so Snape has 
*no clue* what he intends, and no clue exactly how he's reading `as 
the seventh month dies'. At the beginning of June, Lucius and/or 
Narcissa panic and induce their baby early (however they do such 
things in the WW). Draco is born dangerously premature on June 5th, 
[8] but it's better that he should struggle through his first year 
of life (Magical Medicine should be enough to see him through) than 
that Voldy should even consider the possibility that he's the 
prophecy baby. 

The Malfoys are very grateful to Snape for the warning he gave them, 
and know that he's risked a lot for them by disobeying Voldy's 
command to tell no one about the prophecy. The Snapes, for some 
reason (difficult pregnancy?) do not want to risk inducing their 
baby prematurely. They've got around the problem so far by not 
letting it get out that Mrs Snape is pregnant, so Voldy doesn't 
know. 

Then catastrophe. Regulus.[9] Dear old Regulus can't handle it and 
wants out of this Death Eating lark, or at least, that's what he 
tells Snape. Naturally, Voldy wants Regulus as dead as he can be in 
as short a time as possible. Reg doesn't tell Snape about the 
Horcrux [10], because he doesn't want Snape in trouble with Voldy, 
and Snape doesn't tell Reg about the prophecy, for similar reasons. 

Snape and Reggie are old pals, united in their hatred of Sirius at 
school, so Snape (foolishly – he hasn't learned too much about Voldy 
yet) tries to help Reg, save him, hide him, whatever. Voldemort 
knows that Snape and Regulus are thick as thieves, so he questions 
Snape, who is still wet-behind-the-ears, [11] and as yet unable to 
hide his lies with Occlumency [12]. Voldemort knows he's lying, 
Regulus is quickly discovered and killed within days of Voldy 
shouting "Off with his head!" [13]

Voldemort is therefore very much displeased with Snape. He orders 
Snape to be killed (that'll learn him!). However, Lucius Malfoy, 
still grateful to Snape for his tip off about the prophecy, 
intervenes (at great personal risk) to persuade Voldemort to spare 
Snape. Lucius's strategy involves pointing out to Voldy how very 
useful a talented young wizard like Snape could be. [14]

Unfortunately, in the process of defending and arguing for Snape, 
Voldemort, the expert Legilimens [15], discovers from Lucius that 
Snape has told him about the prophecy, and that baby Snape is due 
around the end of July, and they've kept it secret from him. So 
Snape has now defied Voldy a) by telling Lucius the prophecy when he 
was forbidden to; b) conspired to aid Regulus who Voldy wanted dead, 
and c) hidden away the fact that his wife's expecting a child at the 
end of July. Voldy is furious. 

But slippery old Lucius's words stay his master's hand in the end, 
Snape gets home one night to discover the dark mark above his home, 
and his wife and child, or his heavily pregnant wife, dead. Were 
they important enough to be killed by Voldemort himself [16], or did 
he get someone else to do it? Was Snape made to watch? Was he 
Imperio'd, and made to do it himself? 

But then, why on earth would Voldemort ever trust Snape again? Is he 
so blind as to not realise that killing people's families puts you 
in their bad books? Well, actually, he sort of could be. This is the 
height of his reign of terror, he's surrounded by people like 
Bonkers!Bella, and Barty Crouch Junior, who don't blink at having 
family members slaughtered to ensure the continued rise of the dark 
order [17]. 

I don't think Voldy trusts anybody [18]. And since Bella certainly 
doesn't trust Snape [19], I don't see why Voldemort would. I think 
one of Voldy's aims in HBP (which I've gone on about before [20]) 
was to test Snape's loyalty - "He expects me to do it in the end, I 
think." HBP, 2:39). At the end of HBP, Snape has killed DD, the only 
one Voldemort ever feared. Voldy trusts him now, as much as he will 
ever trust anyone. He probably even respects Snape's apparent 
ability to not take the murder of his family personally – he's that 
kind of psycho.

Lucius has convinced him that Snape could be put to good use, that 
killing him would be a waste of a potentially good DE. So for a bit 
of fun, Voldemort sends him to DD to beg for the DADA job, and 
infiltrate Hogwarts with a mission similar to the one he gives Draco 
16 years later, the ultimate goal being to kill DD. Voldy is hoping 
or expecting that Snape will either be killed in the attempt, or 
suffer horribly from the DADA curse, or both. 

DD, however, suspects that Snape is a Death Eater (though he doesn't 
let on), and refuses him the job since he suspects that Snape is 
there on Voldy's orders. But he leaves options open, because he 
doesn't want Voldemort to kill Snape for failing to secure the job. 
Perhaps he says that he's already filled the post for that year, but 
cheerfully invites Snape to reapply in the future [21]. Voldy 
grudgingly gives Snape one more year's grace.

Snape is shattered by everything that has happened, and feels very 
much alone, but he is also learning quickly. He knows that if he 
tries to openly leave Voldemort, he'll be dead just like Regulus, 
but his hatred of Voldy begins to consume him. He starts using his 
cunning, and manoeuvres Voldy into teaching him Occlumency [22], so 
that he might better fool Dumbledore. 

It is now that he starts taking spying seriously, studying it, 
learning to hide his grief and pain at the fate of his family and 
friend, learning through Legilimency how to tell when somebody's 
lying. It has suddenly become so much more than the game he used to 
play at school, hoping to get the marauders expelled. 

He is therefore in a much stronger position when he discovers, 
months later, that Voldemort would very much like to kill the 
Potters and their son who was born at the end of July, because of 
the *same* prophecy which got his own wife and child killed. It is 
now that Snape realises he has a chance to do something, a chance 
for some cunning revenge on Voldy for the deaths of his wife, his 
child, and his friend Regulus, and a chance to pay back that bloody 
James Potter by saving his life [23]. 

Moreover, if he's very *very* careful, and if he can trust DD 100%, 
he might even be able to get away without being killed (not that I 
think it matters much to Snape whether he lives or dies at this 
point – he's realised that by joining Voldemort he has given up the 
possibility of an ordinary life; he may as well make his death mean 
something – like Regulus did). 

Who could turn that chance down? Well, probably some people, but I 
reckon it would have seemed very attractive to Snape. The timing 
coincides with the application time for the DADA job [24], so he has 
cover for going to DD. DD then teaches Snape Occlumency too, and 
*that's* why Snape is so good, he was taught by both of the most 
powerful wizards alive.

And the rest is history. Working in a school, watching children 
growing up would have been torture. Every time he looks at Harry, he 
sees James, the man who was allowed to die defending his family, 
while Snape was forced to survive his family and always be alone. 
And of course, he always wears black.

Dungrollin


A smattering of canon and comments it puts an interesting spin on:
********************
"A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber
itself." 
Professor Flitwick let out a squeal. Professor Sprout clapped her
hands over her mouth.
Snape gripped the back of a chair very hard and said, "How can you 
be sure?"
COS 16:not sure which page
********************
"That is just as well, Potter," said Snape coldly, "because you are 
neither special nor important
"
- OotP 24:
********************
"The Dark Lord is very angry," repeated Snape quietly. "He failed to 
hear the prophecy. You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he does 
not forgive easily."
HBP 2:39
********************
 "You should be proud!" said Bellatrix ruthlessly. "If I had sons, I 
would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord!"
Narcissa gave a little scream of despair and clutched at her long 
blonde hair. Snape stooped, seized her by the arms, lifted her up 
and steered her back on to the sofa. He then poured her more wine 
and forced the glass into her hand.
- HBP 2:39
********************


Endnotes – HPbook Chapter:UK page number.

[1] "Snape's what's happened! He told Voldemort about the prophecy, 
it was *him*, *he* listened outside the door, Trelawney told me!"
- HBP 25:511.

[2] "You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he 
realised how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry. I 
believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that 
he returned –"
- HBP 25:513.

[3] "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches 
 
born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month 
dies
"
- OotP 37:741

[4] "The odd thing, Harry," he said softly, "is that it may not have 
meant you at all. Sybill's prophecy could have applied to two wizard 
boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had 
parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having 
narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The 
other was Neville Longbottom."
-OotP 37:742

[5] Have any of the Hogwarts professors had spouses?
JKR: Good question - yes, a few of them, but that information is 
sort of restricted - you'll find out why

- Red Nose Day Chat, BBC Online, March 12, 2001.
http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2001/0301-bbc-rednose.htm

MA: Oh, here's one [from our forums] that I've really got to ask 
you. Has Snape ever been loved by anyone?
JKR: Yes, he has

The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview, part 3, 16 July 2005
http://www.accio-quote.org/articles/2005/0705-tlc_mugglenet-anelli-
3.htm

[6] "Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's 
delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"
- Sirius – OotP 24:460

 "Severus 
 please 
 you are, you have always been, Draco's 
favourite teacher 
 you are Lucius's old friend 
" 
- Narcissa – HBP 2:38

[7] "The Lestranges were sent after Neville to kill him. No, they 
weren't, they were very definitely sent after Neville's parents. I 
can't say too much about this because it touches too closely on the 
prophecy and how many people knew about it, but the Lestranges were 
not in on the secret.
- JKR website, rumours.
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/rumours_view.cfm?id=25

So more than just Voldemort and Snape know of the existence of the 
prophecy *before* Voldemort's fall and subsequent rebirth. We know 
that all the DEs who turned up at the ministry knew of the prophecy, 
though not necessarily their contents. But for one amongst them, it 
was not news, and it was *not* Bella. Who? 

[8] Happy Birthday Draco Malfoy, June 5th.
- JKR's website

[9] "[
] he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, 
more likely; I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed 
by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got 
in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and 
tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to 
Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death." 
- Sirius – OotP 6:104

[10] "To the Dark Lord
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to 
know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the 
real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death 
in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once 
more.
R.A.B"	
- HBP 28:569.

There's loads of evidence that R.A.B. is Regulus, I didn't want to 
believe it for a while, but if you don't by now, you have a serious 
conspiracy-theory addiction. Seek help.

[11] "Yes, there was a commotion outside the door and it flew open, 
and there was that rather uncouth barman standing with Snape, who 
was waffling about having come the wrong way up the stairs, although 
I'm afraid that I myself rather thought he had been apprehended 
eavesdropping on my interview with Dumbledore [
]" 
- Trelawney – HBP 25:509. 

Waffling about coming the wrong way up the stairs? That's such a 
lame excuse it makes me think either that it's not really Snape – 
someone else under Polyjuice, or that Snape was at this point rather 
wet-behind-the-ears, with none of his future smooth brilliance at 
lying and concealing his intentions.

[12] "Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said 
Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their 
sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad 
memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily – weak 
people, in other words – they stand no chance against his powers!"
- OotP 24:473.

[13] "And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. 
The Dark
Mark had been set over it - well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed
alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius's
brother Regulus only managed a few days as far as I can remember."
- Lupin – HBP 6:103.

[14] How useful Snape could be
 Now what exactly was Voldemort using 
Snape for before he sent him to Hogwarts? Voldy's little Half-Blood 
Prince
 Well, he's talented at Potions and DADA, possibly at other 
subjects too. We have no further details, but it's plausible, 
possible and even probable that he was near the top of the class, 
and probably top amongst the Slytherins of his year. He certainly 
turned into a very capable adult. It's not an impossible case for 
Lucius to have made.

[15] "The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody 
is lying to him."
- Snape – OotP 24:469.

[16] Was Snape's wife important enough to be killed by Voldy 
himself? To be honest, I'm torn
 Given that Voldy killed the Potters 
and tried to kill Harry himself, I don't think he'd be likely to 
give it to a junior DE who might have cocked it up, but on the other 
hand, if he *really* thought baby Snape was The One, he'd have 
wanted to make a Horcrux, wouldn't he? Perhaps he did anyway. We 
don't know.

[17] Bellatrix Lestrange, of course, did in Sirius, her cousin – 
OotP 35:710; and Barty Crouch Jr. murdered his father – GoF 35:599. 
Neither of them seemed particularly upset about it.

[18] "I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already 
highly self-sufficient, secretive and, apparently, friendless? He 
did not want help or companionship on his trip to Diagon Alley. He 
preferred to operate alone. The adult Voldemort is the same. You 
will hear many of his Death Eaters claiming that they are in his 
confidence, that they alone are close to him, even understand him. 
They are deluded. Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, nor do I 
believe that he has ever wanted one."
- Dumbledore – HBP 13:259-60.

[19] "[That] I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know! [
] A 
hundred reasons! [
] Where to start! Where were you when the Dark 
Lord fell?"
- Bellatrix Lestrange – HBP 2:30.

Actually, it seems that other DEs don't trust Snape either: "You can 
carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and 
carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord!" 
- Snape – HBP 2:31.

[20] Voldy aims to test Snape's loyalty in HBP, amongst other goals.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/148303

[21] Actually there is no direct canon for Snape having applied for 
the DADA job the year before he started teaching potions, all we 
have are two seemingly conflicting bits of canon: 
"Now 
 how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she [Umbridge] 
asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.
"Fourteen years," Snape replied. 
- OotP – 17:323.

"[
] the Dark Lord is pleased that I never deserted my post: I had 
sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give him when he 
returned [
]"
- Snape – HBP 2:32.

[22] We have no canon on whether it was Voldy or DD who taught Snape 
Occlumency, but given how good he is at it, I think most people 
agree that it wasn't some other random witch or wizard. Unless 
anyone's got an intriguing theory..?

[23] "[
]And then, your father did something Snape could never 
forgive."
"What?"
"He saved his life."
"What?"
"Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds
work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's
debt....
I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he
felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back
to hating your father's memory in peace...."
- PS 17:217.

It's no fun hexing someone every time you see them if when it goes 
too far they do something so damn noble. Snape sees this very 
clearly as revenge for an insult. 

[24] The DADA job application. Ah yes. Well, we have no idea. 
Depends what happened to the last chap, I s'pose. But there's 
nothing in canon to rule it out. I think.