Snape's Request gave Harry a second chance? (Was: Snape/Dumbledore thingummy)

[frumenta]

No: HPFGUIDX 175822

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ceridwen" <ceridwennight at ...> 
wrote:

> 
> Ceridwen:
> I'm one of the people who speculated that this was perhaps Snape's 
> motives for returning to DD.  The prophecy does not state that 
> the "one with the power//born as the seventh month dies" (skewing 
the 
> wording here, hence the double //) is an infant.  It doesn't say 
that 
> an infant must be killed.  

Mim:

But to be born to parents who had thrice defied the Dark Lord he 
couldn't have been very old. I think that it's vague as prophecies 
go but it's obvious that it refers to a small child.

Ceridwen:

> 
> A person who would not naturally target an infant may very well 
not 
> believe someone else might.  Snape was a Death Eater, a loyal 
> follower, and quite young, possibly impressionable as Regulus 
Black 
> was, idealistic as teens and young twenty-somethings are.  
Delusion 
> is a part of this idealism, and projecting one's own values onto 
the 
> object of one's idealizing is common.  Why would Snape 
automatically 
> believe LV would kill an infant?  Given what we had to work with 
at 
> this time, the argument could go either way.

Mim:

True. I thought that perhaps he would be aware of Voldemort's nature 
enough to suspect it. Still, we definitely don't know whether Snape 
would have ran to Dumbledore to try and save Neville. JKR said that 
Snape wouldn't care one bit what happened to Harry if he wasn't 
Lily's son and in this case, it's not even that. Snape doesn't care 
about Harry period, it's all about Lily.
> 
> Ceridwen:
> While it does seem that LV was interested in Snape's love life, 
> giving me entertaining mental images of his playing matchmaker to 
the 
> Lestranges and Malfoys as well, I don't know why he would be.  At 
age 
> twenty-one or thereabouts, Snape was probably not in the top tier 
of 
> DEs.  If he was, my estimation of LV drops again, not in respect, 
> because I don't respect him, but with more contempt.
> 
> I'd place this scene at the end of GoF, too, since it's the first 
> time they're together again.  And it would be in LV's interest to 
> find out if Snape was carrying a grudge over Lily's death.  Snape 
is 
> now a more mature, more powerful, wizard; LV doesn't need his 
> opposition.
> 
> I still don't see why Snape would be more valuable to LV at the 
age 
> of twenty-one or so, than any of his other DEs.  He was useful for 
> bringing the prophecy, but to that point, that's all we know he 
ever 
> did to prove himself to LV.
> 
Mim:

Voldemort asking Snape to gauge whether he was still mad at him 
about the Lily thing is a pretty good explanation, I hadn't thought 
of that at all. 

On the other hand, I'm not surprised Voldemort valued Snape among 
his followers. I think it is obvious from the notes in his Potions 
book that he is quite a remarkable wizard for his age. If he had 
proven himself magically among the DE then I don't see why Voldemort 
wouldn't want to keep him happy. He did try with Lily, not as much 
as he could have but that he even listened to Snape at all was 
telling.

Mim
>