Snape's the Rescuer - Really? (long, sorry!)

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 170651

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
>
Lanval:
(on Lupin) -- not because he's attacking them, but
because that's where they saw him *taking flight (!!!), howling,
galloping into the forest* earlier, when Sirius chased him off Ron
and Pettigrew.
*(snip)*
...DD later specifically says that Lupin is *deep* in
the FF. On a side note, if there really are other werewolves in the
Forest, nobody would ever be safe anywhere on the grounds of
Hogwarts, if they were in the habit of prowling outside of the
Forest's bounds.

Ceridwen:
Another Tangent:
We've known from PS/SS that there were werewolves in the forest.  
Draco is afraid of them.  In PoA, we see TransformedWerewolf!Lupin 
fleeing into the forest.  We have DD's testimony that he is deep in 
the forest.  We know there are other dangerous creatures in the 
forest - Aragog and his brood, for one species.  We know that 
Hogwarts has enchantments on it to protect students.  Does one of the 
enchantments make the forest more attractive to dangerous beasts, and 
confine them within the boundaries of the forest, for safety as well 
as dividing up the magical living space?

Alla:
Ceridwen brought up a point that Snape had to report it to Dark Lord.
Eh, why and if he had to, does it make it better somehow?

He joined a gang of killers and torturers, so I guess killing and
torture was in the job description, does it have to be excused for
that reason?

Ceridwen, I know you did not suggest the last point, just asking in
general.

Ceridwen:
Hee!  I know you weren't suggesting that.  But it could be 
interesting to explore, with DH ***less than a month away!*** (yay!)

In real life, some people join political organizations because they 
believe in something in the platform, or because they think the group 
is doing something worthwhile.  Some people join because their 
parents don't want them to join such a group, and it's a symbol of 
rebellion.  Some people join because they have a certain, possibly 
distorted, view of the group's standards, similar to believing in 
something in the platform, though not necessarily in the entire 
platform.  When that platform is an ideology, beliefs can, I think, 
blur perceptions.

We know that Regulas Black joined, and we can understand why he did.  
Voldemort seemed to be espousing Pureblood Supremacy.  The Black 
family believes in this, shown by their choice of reading material: 
Nature's Nobility.  This seems to be the hook Voldemort used to gain 
followers.  I don't know why Snape, a half-blood, would join, unless 
as someone else suggested, he was distancing himself from his Muggle 
half.  This seems to be something that a lot of half-bloods and 
Muggle-borns do: even Hermione distances herself from her Muggle 
parents in order to spend time with Harry and the Weasleys, though 
this could just be the usual teenage growing away from family.

The organization seems to have presented itself as a champion of 
Pureblood rights during VoldWarI.  That's the impression I get from 
the books, anyway.  They may have presented themselves as 
particularly agressive champions, but still, champions.  Much like 
smaller, radical political groups do in the real world.  People who 
join those groups don't necessarily think that the group is excessive 
in its activities, and may even ignore any signs that they're just a 
bunch of thugs.  Idologies have the uncomfortable component of 
believing that being "Right" absolves them from following the laws in 
the pursuit of their "naturally ordained" beliefs.  How many people 
who are not members of such an organization think that breaking 
certain laws, like jay-walking or running a red light at two o'clock 
in the morning, is somehow morally justifiable?

So, a group that presents itself as champions of a group of people 
collects followers who indeed may not know the extent of that group's 
heinous activities.  They ignore the news reports, believing that the 
government is planting those stories to foster ill-will toward an 
unwanted group.  They go against their parents and other advisors 
because "you don't know what things are like these days".  Once 
they're in, they find out that all those stories were true, and that 
Pureblood Supremacy, or whatever the group's supposed ideology, is 
just a front for torturing and killing for the sheer enjoyment of 
breaking the law with the cover of some ideological purpose.

We saw in OotP that the MoM uses the Daily Prophet to spread 
malicious lies against people they dislike, or against people who 
somehow threaten their stature.  Someone like Regulas Black can 
certainly believe that the Ministry planted false stories about the 
Death Eaters.  They did it once that we know of, that doesn't mean it 
was the only time.  In fact, I would say it's a normal practice with 
the MoM.  We even wondered if the Ministry might not tacitly be on 
LV's side, or at least some who have posted about this, here and 
elsewhere, have wondered.  Couple this seen, proven tactic of the 
Ministry with the natural drawing away from authority figures by 
young people, and I can really see a young person intent on joining 
the Death Eaters being skeptical about their public reputation as a 
gang of killers and torturers.

We know that at least three people have tried to leave the Death 
Eaters.  Regulus died only a few days after leaving; Igor Karkarov 
made it a year before he was found and killed.  Snape has avoided 
this by seeming to still be loyal, given DDM!Snape.  Karkarov tried 
to flee because he had cooperated with the Ministry.  Regulus didn't 
know what he'd gotten into.  Since Snape doesn't seem to have been 
outed as a traitor at this point in the books, he must have turned 
for a reason more similar to that of Regulus than that of Igor.  
Maybe not the same exact reason, but there was something.  If one is 
fanatically devoted to a cause, certain uncomfortable things must be 
overlooked.  Bellatrix would sacrifice her nephew in lieu of her 
nonexistent sons, but Snape doesn't strike me as fanatical in 
Bellatrix's way.  Barty jr. killed his own father.  Again, this 
doesn't sound like the Snape I'm reading about in the books.  These 
are emotional responses common with fanatics.

But, an idealistic youth just joined would still presume his or her 
own values on the group because, after all, they all want the same 
thing, right?  In this case, Pureblood Supremacy, according to the 
publicity.  To become disillusioned, certain perceived "truths" must 
be shed.  Regulus had his ideals stripped away somehow after 
joining.  Why not Snape?  If Dumbledore's trust was not misplaced, 
then Snape turned away from the public ideal of the group at a time 
when that group, according to the people we've heard from, was 
winning.  A turn at that point seems more like disillusionment, to 
me.  And part of that disillusionment could well be not only knowing 
which couple and boy are the targets, but just the fact that a child 
was the target at all.  Dumbledore doesn't have to tell Harry every 
nuance.  He seems to have a set spiel that he sticks to, and he does, 
as we know, not tell everything.

Sure, that makes this one part speculation, but I don't think it's 
unreasonable speculation.  Your mileage may vary.  All I'm suggesting 
is that an idealistic new recruit may not necessarily believe in the 
hype put out by opposing organizations, against the organization he 
or she is joining.

Sorry for being so long!

Ceridwen.