Dumbledore's reason to trust Snape: my theory......

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 167054

bboyminn wrote:
<snip>
> When ever this subject comes up, I always wonder who or what is the
arbiter of Unbreakable Vows? Exactly when and how is the /failure/ of
a Vow determined?
> 
> For example, in past discussions I have said that as long as Snape
maintained the /intent/ to kill Dumbledore, he didn't necessarily have
to kill him on the spot, referring to the Tower here.
> 
> Snape could say, in the moment, too many distractions, I'll never
get away with it, so instead of killing him now, I will poison his
morning juice. I'm not saying this is realistic, just illustrating
that Snape has a clear plan and intent for fulfilling his Vow. Then
the next morning, Snape is running late and says, I'll kill him in his
sleep tonight. Then later that night it rains and Snape says, too
gloomy and dreary, plus too messy to try and escape in the rain, I'll
kill him tomorrow.
> 
> So, let us further say that this is a conscious plan on Snape's
part, to keep coming up with excuse after excuse for not killing
Dumbledore, but at the same time, maintaining a clear and willfull
intent to do so /later/. Under these circumstances, could Snape put
off the consequences of the Vow for years, for decades? 

Carol responds:
I don't think any such conscious intent (which, in any case, would be
a lie) is necessary. Snape hasn't vowed to kill Dumbledore, period.
Had he done so, I'd have difficulty sustaining my belief in DDM!Snape.
He vowed, first, to watch over and protect Draco and then, in the
crucial clause, to do the deed if Draco seems about to fail:

"And should it prove necessary . . . if it seems that Draco will fail
. . . will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco
to perform?" (HBP Am. ed. 36; ellipses indicate pauses and omitted
context but no omissions in the wording of the third provision itself).

IOW, Snape can discourage Draco from "amateurish" tactics likd eursed
necklaces (an, by implication, poisoned mead) without breaking the
vow. He has no need to make any such attempts himself, or to "intend"
to do so, or to help Draco do whatever he's doing while his friends
stand guard; he knows that killing Dumbledore is Draco's job. He is
only compelled by the wording of the vow to step in "should it prove
necessary, if it seems that Draco will fail." 

And, IMO, that moment (which he and DD probably thought or hoped could
be postponed indefinitely) comes when Amycus tells Snape, "the boy
doesn't seem able--." Unlike Amycus, Dumbledore knows what this moment
means, as his first "Severus" indicates. Snape meets his eyes, looks
angry, but still procrastinates, not lifting his wand until Dumbledore
says, "Severus, please" (595). Snape is only compelled to kill DD or
die because Draco has faced Dumbledore with a raised wand and failed
to kill him, even with the DE backup he's been waiting for. The moment
Snape realizes that this has happened, the vow is triggered. DD's
words and look force him to make the choice. It's not clear how much
time he would have had to act or refuse to act (hesitation doesn't
seem to break the vow), but the desperation in Dumbledore's voice as
he says, "Severus, please. . ." suggests to me that it isn't very
long. He fears, I think, that worse disaster than his own death will
strike if Snape doesn't act now.

Regarding who or what is the arbiter, I think the wording of the vow
determines when and under what conditions it is fulfilled or violated.
The magic, like that of the DADA curse and the Goblet of Fire's
"binding magical contract" or Hermione's "sneak" hex, acts
independently of any human arbiter.

bboyminn: 
> Now for your idea, first I wouldn't think much of Dumbledore if he
was going around coercing people into making Unbreakable Vows of
loyalty to him. <snip>

Carol:
Nor do I. I don't think that DD would coerce, or request, any such vow
from anyone, nor accept the offer to take one. Such an idea violates
everything he stands for, including second chances for those who have
erred, trust of those who have earned it, and the importance of choice
for everyone, even Voldemort.

Carol, agreeing with Steve that DD would not have asked or allowed
Snape to make a UV but not with the mechanics of the vow we know he
did make