Thoughts Regarding Snape

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 171201

 
> vmonte responds:
> Hmmm. Am I right in thinking that the "Snape is Dumbledore's Man" 
> supporters believe that Snape knew Draco's plan and told Dumbledore 
> about the plan before school started? 

zgirnius:
Why yes, you are! (For some of us, anyway. There is the other idea 
that Snape was bluffing - in which case he could not tell Dumbledore 
what he himself did not know!) "The plan" here meaning, 'to 
assassinate Albus Dumbledore', not 'to poison Slughorn's mead', 'to 
Imperius Katie Bell to give DD a cursed necklace', 'to bring Death 
Eaters into the school by repairing a Vanishing Cabinet', or any 
other specific steps to achieve the above-mentioned end.

> vmonte:
> I wonder why Dumbledore didn't approach Draco earlier in the school 
> year? 

> Albus Dumbledore:
> (HBP, "The Lightning-Struck Tower", addressed at Draco Malfoy)
> "I appreciate the difficulty of your position. Why else do you 
think I have not confronted you before now? Because I knew you would 
have been murdered if Lord Voldemort realized that I suspected you."

zgirnius:
Thank you, Professor, I could not have said it better myself. 

Snape, on the other hand, has the perfect excuse for his curiosity 
about Draco's activities - if Draco messes up badly enough, this 
could kill Snape. 

> Random832 wrote:
> A credible argument has been raised that he would have been unaware 
the
> prophecy referred to a baby at all.
> 
> vmonte:
> So it's okay to kill as long as it is not a baby? 

zgirnius:
Of course not. It's not OK to be a Death Eater at all! Noone is 
saying reporting the prophecy, joining the DEs, etc. was OK. If we 
DDM! folks are right, Snape least of all, since this action was 'the 
greatest regret of his life'.

War involves killing people. There is a widely held notion, which you 
may or may not share, that there is a code of war, a 'proper' way to 
conduct it, which includes the distinction of innocent civilians vs. 
enemy combatants. The former should be left alone, the latter are 
legitimate targets. An adult, possessed of the power to vanquish the 
Dark Lord and having the intent to do so, would be a member of the 
latter category. A baby is certainly in the former category.

Even if the One was an adult, Snape would still be furthering the 
wrong cause by reporting the prophecy - but his learning that the 
leader of his cause was willing to kill a baby certainly seems to me 
a possible basis for Snape's decision that his side was in fact the 
wrong one to be on. It's not the reason I believe, but it is 
certainly plausible.