Why did Voldemort offer to spare Lily? (was: Reactions to Snape)

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 175800

> JudySerenity:
> Here's what I can come up with to plug this potential plothole:
> 1) Maybe Voldemort told Snape no, he would not spare Lily, but then 
> changed his mind.
> 2) Maybe Voldemort intended to spare Lily all along, but told Snape 
> he would not just to be cruel.
> 3) Maybe Voldemort DID tell Snape he would spare Lily, but Snape 
was 
> worried (quite rightly) that Voldemort wouldn't keep his word.

zgirnius:
I think the important reason Voldemort decided to spare Lily *was* 
Snape's request. If for no other reason, that we know Snape did make 
the request, and we know Voldemort discussed his failure to comply 
with Snape after the fact. 

Addressing your question, Dumbledore in the second meeting with Snape 
in "The Prince's Tale" states that Snape, like the Potters, placed 
his trust in the wrong person. I took that to mean Voldemort. Had 
Voldemort refused, it would make no sense to state that Snape placed 
any trust in him. So, I think Snape must have gone to Dumbledore 
after obtaining some sort of reassurance from Voldemort. If it was 
not a lack of trust in that assurance, perhaps Snape meant to cover 
all his bases from the start, and approached Voldemort first simply 
because that was easier for him as a Death Eater. Meeting Dumbledore 
required making some arrangements to see him, and a greater degree of 
personal risk.

> JudySerenity:
> But boy, is it sad!  I cried when Snape died looking into Harry's 
> eyes.  In fact, the only thing that made me feel better was 
imagining 
> (as several others did here), that Snape "woke up" in the afterlife 
> (in his equivalent of King's Cross station, perhaps) looking into 
> Lily's eyes. 

zgirnius:
*sob* Yes, it is sad. I guess I tell myself that in the end he 
succeeded, he played his part in ensuring that Voldemort was defeated 
and Harry survived. It should make, hypothetically, facing Lily a bit 
easier.

> Alla said, back in message:
> > I hope the author of **TOO EWWW TO BE TRUEEEEE** would stand
> > up and take a round of applauds from me. Bravo.
> 
> JudySerenity:
> {bowing} Thank you! 

zgirnius: Brava! Brava!!
Wow, I thought (politely!) that you folks were all nuts when I joined 
the fandom about a month before HBP came out. That book converted me 
to LOLLIPOPS, but people who saw LOLLIPOPS and TOO EWWW back after 
PoA/GoF - wow, you folks have some Seer credentials!