The Geist predicts again, mostly about Snape

[Amanda Geist]

No: HPFGUIDX 169417

Greeting to the list, from one long inactive.  I'm throwing out a
"predictions post," for a couple of reasons.  For one, book 7 is looming and
I love to go on record.  For another, I have to give a presentation on HP to
our local Mensa chapter on June 20, and the list's thoughts on my
predictions may give me some fodder.  And lastly, I was digging through the
archives to find an old post, and felt anew the seduction of the list
discussions.

 

Please forgive the length.  Some of these are "general" in nature, and some
provide details on how I think the general ones will play out.  I numbered
them for ease of response, if anyone so chooses.  I tried to get them in
some logical order, but they're a bit interrelated; sorry.  For any
masochists with historian instincts, links to the old posts follow my
compendium.

 

Have at 'em.

 

(1)  The rest of the Order, along with Harry, go on believing Snape is a
turncoat.


(2)  Hermione discovers the tarot and thus they realize they are looking
for, among other things, Rowena Ravenclaw's wand.

 

(2.a.)  Ollivander has it. His ancestor made it (they've been in business
for two thousand years, after all). He's hiding; they have to find him
before the other side does.   [but if Voldemort hasn't Horcruxed it yet?
Maybe Ollivander's hiding because he is in danger for the simple reason that
he can tell Harry that he's looking for a wand.]


(3) We may see a third in the sequence of brilliant plot mechanisms that
increase Harry and Snape's knowledge/understanding of each other without
their desire to know and without them growing any closer.  Snape and Harry
have already been forced into a deeper understanding through the Occlumency
lessons and the old potions textbook.  I can think of one plot device that
will continue this-more knowledge of Lily and any interaction she had with
Snape.  Since both Snape and Harry see each other through eyes so prejudiced
they don't even realize it, this could lead to many interesting over- or
mis-reactions.

 

(4) Related to #3: We will learn that he did love Lily; but by that I mean
*he* loved *her,* likely from afar, unless he managed to say something and
was let down easy. I don't think they ever had a relationship. [I still
think part of the strength of the venom he associates with James is due to
some neat sublimation, where he associates all the negative of being let
down to James, and all the positive feelings that remain to Lily. Also the
very deep fear that Lily may have told James; can you imagine his (even
imagined) humiliation, to even consider that James *knew* and could have
laughed?]

(5)  We will hear reports of Snape doing things that can be interpreted in
two ways but will be presented as only Evil!Snape.

 

(5.a.)  Harry will fatally misunderstand some action of Snape's, and act
based on his own interpretation of it, to the great harm of both Harry,
Snape, and the cause. JKR depends on Harry's misinterpretation of things as
a plot driver; and this is prime territory. For example, I will be genuinely
surprised should Snape honestly turn out to be wholeheartedly supporting
Voldemort--but since he must give that impression, and Harry is so ready to
believe it, we will likely see more ambiguity (if not wilfull disbelief on
Harry's part) leading to mishap. Possibly as I outline in #6.

(6)  Harry will confront Voldemort with Snape present.

 

(6.a.) Harry will be unable to withstand Voldemort's mental abilities.

 

(6.b.) Snape will have to mentally "shield" Harry at some point-- for only
with help from someone as skilled as Snape would Harry be able to lie or
even hold his own in a conversation with Voldemort (unless Harry's signed up
for Kwikspell's Occlumency program over the summer).  

 

(6.c.)  This will endanger not only Snape himself, but also the long-laid
plans that require Voldemort to trust Snape. Either because (a) Voldemort
detects Snape's action himself; or (b) Harry cannot bring himself to trust
Snape and betrays him to Voldemort.  I can see him doing it, either
deliberately out of fury at Snape, or inadvertently, out of an inability to
break his habit of resistance to Snape.

 

(7)  Regardless of whether it takes the shape I lay out in #6, Snape will be
injured or otherwise damaged through some attempt to protect Harry, which
Harry does not understand and therefore fights, causing it to go awry.  A
potential scenario is in If myIt may be the spell that Dumbledore's willing
death could have been a part of (see #11 below).


(8)  Snape will die. All of his character looks backward. He gives me the
impression of someone whose goals are not ahead, except to rectify mistakes
made, and who does not care much if he dies in that attempt. He can't let
the past go, because that's where he lives; I think he accepted long ago
that the future holds only one task for him and nothing else, and so has
made no effort to move past the past that defined that future.  I personally
think he will go heroically in some blaze of redemption, but he's toast. 

 

(9)  Snape may or may not have been truly evil at various points in the
books or their prehistory--but his final choice will be for the good.
Harry will not believe this until in hindsight.  Harry's not understanding
will be part of what led to Snape's death.


(10) Harry will learn why Dumbledore trusts Snape, from a memory Dumbledore
left safely bottled in his office somewhere.  

 

(10.a.)  Dumbledore did not tell Harry why, because he himself didn't know
(because the memory wasn't in his head, it was in the bottle).

 

(10.b.)  Harry will immediately understand why Dumbledore didn't tell him in
the first place; and immediately wish he still didn't know. (since he is
such a liability where Legilimency is concerned).

--OR-Harry will convince himself that Dumbledore had been fooled.

 

(11)  We will learn that Dumbledore's death was part of two things:

--A plan-maybe not Plan A, but definitely one of the potentials, and Snape
was adhering to Dumbledore's will as much as Harry had been when Harry fed
him the potion.

--A powerful spell, where a willing death was a component, which required
Snape's action to complete.  

As I said in an earlier post: "I believe that, however Dumbledore dies, both
Harry and Voldemort will *believe* that Snape is responsible. Snape will
foster this belief in Voldemort; it will be an unfortunate conclusion drawn
by Harry (who for whatever reason--Dumbledore's general lack of any desire
to explain anything, a misunderstood conversation, a missed message,
etc.--will not know or will refuse to believe that Snape did not do it).  At
this point, Snape and Dumbledore will have accomplished two key things:
--Snape will have proven himself to Voldemort and will be reinstated with
full DE honors or whatever, in the inner circle. Even if he wasn't in the
Inner inner circle before, I think he will be now, because (a) Voldemort's
followers have diminshed somewhat and (b) Snape now has a very useful
position.
--The spell, whatever it is, to which Dumbledore's death is integral, will
have been completed (or nearly so).
"These are key because Snape will now be in a *superb* position to implement
or otherwise set in motion or effect, the spell. Having a tremendous spell
ready is of no use at all, if the spell cannot be cast or implemented due to
lack of access. Access is of no use without a weapon. Snape will have both
the access and the means."

 

(12)  Harry will be brought to a literary parallel with Snape-he will be
presented the opportunity Snape was, in the Shrieking Shack: to recognize
that an object of hatred had been misunderstood and was, in actuality,
following orders and as much a victim as himself.  Much as Snape rejected
the possibility of another view of Lupin, as another to whom Dumbledore's
second chance meant the world--- Harry may reject the possibility of any
other view of Snape than the one he so cherishes and defends.  I don't know
if Harry will completely fail, as Snape did-but I do think his hesitation
will cause major problems, possibly Snape's demise.


(12)  Snape will have problems maintaining his own control, because of
Dumbledore's death. I think Snape loved Dumbledore. Snape himself is
young--old enough intellectually to accept what Dumbledore asked him to do,
but facing problems of his own on the *emotional* level. He's already pretty
unsteady there as it is.  So Snape's own reactions to what happened will
cause difficulties.  I think that Dumbledore's death devastated Snape, for I
believe that to Snape, as to Lupin, Dumbledore's trust has meant everything.
And he cannot show it at all-leaving a lot of emotion behind a dam, ready to
cause damage if it is breached. Say, by the weakening caused by having to
protect a clueless boy during his confrontation with the Dark Lord.
Especially if that clueless boy must be shielded because his knowledge of
Dumbledore's plan must be hidden from Voldemort, lest the sacrifice Snape
made in killing Dumbledore be wasted. Especially if he blames that clueless
boy for Dumbledore's death (because I can see him blaming Harry, just as
Harry blames Snape for Sirius' death).  

 

(13)  Snape will remain Snape and operate on his own terms to the end.
Whatever he does to save Harry or the cause, whenever he does it, he will do
it in his particularly nasty and cruel manner, without one shred of
softening at all.  We will be denied any dewy-eyed scene of forgiveness.
Snape cannot forgive himself for his past and for what he did to Dumbledore,
and true Slytherin that he is, nobody else's forgiveness matters.  

 

(14)  Harry will realize Snape's death as a loss, not a triumph.  Snape is a
father figure to Harry--one of the most reliable, in fact.  He is all the
negative aspects--the one who doesn't understand, who sets curfews, who
isn't interested in explanations, who sets rules, who doesn't seem to care.
The aspect that you hate. The one you do not appreciate until many years
later--or when he is gone. And we don't have the luxury of "many years
later" in this series (or indications are strong that we don't).

 

~Amandageist, old Snapologist

 

References (newest to oldest):

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/28778, August 2005,
Re: Tink-Tink-Tink! 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/134457, July 2005,  What
would convince Harry/canned memories

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/133732, July 2005,
Reposted in hopes of new discussion: TBAY: Amanda Binns Explains It 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/129605, May 2005, The
Geist Predicts, was Re: Admonishing Snape

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/80881, September 2003,
Amanda Predicts Snape's future, was Snape history/future

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/47077, November 24,
2002, TBAY: Amanda Binns Explains It All (was loads of Snape stuff)

 

 

 

 

 



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