His own man (was Re: Snape's protection (was Re: Another thing...

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 179201





Jen: HAHA, oh yes, in a heartbeat.  Although nah, he wouldn't because he
knew Dumbledore wouldn't want that and it turns out Snape was Dumbledore's
man through and through, yes?  As thoroughly or more than Harry because
Snape had no one else to depend on like Harry did.  


Sherry:

Actually, I think Snape was Lily's man through and through, not
Dumbledore's.  I'm not saying that to demean his devotion to lily after all
those years, or to ignore the things we saw, in DH, like the one that was
the most moving for me, telling Phineas not to call Hermione a "mudblood".
I'm just saying that Snape's true heart loyalties were not to DD; they were
to Lily, so he wasn't really DDM in my opinion.  





Julie:
I mostly agree with you, Sherry. Snape was Lily's man through and through in the beginning. Later
he adopted some of Dumbledore's values (only abandoning to death those he could not save). But
he also defied Dumbledore when he felt Dumbledore was wrong (saving Remus Lupin, IMO, when 
Dumbledore told him not to do anything that would compromise his position with Voldemort, for
instance). And in the end, I believe Snape was his own man through and through, even if his own
goals eventually mirrored Dumbledore's. 

I believe this primarily because of Snape's choice when?Dumbledore said Snape?must be the one to
kill him (even at the?possible cost of Snape's own soul) and that Harry would die in the process of
killing Voldemort.?A?fully Lily'sMan!Snape might well have?quit the plan at that point, given that he
had promised to protect Lily's son (who was now going to die) and?in the process of getting there
Snape would be potentially damaging his own soul. One could argue that Snape's agreement to go
along with the plan proved he was Dumbledore's Man more than Lily's Man. But...

There is that "Severus, please" plea from Dumbledore. Twice. Dumbledore wasn't sure Snape was in
his pocket. Because he never really was. Snape did do it eventually, but I don't think it was for
Dumbledore so much as for the cause. Snape, who saved those he could at this point, understood
that destroying Voldemort was the only way to secure the survival of the WW, at least one worth
living in, and that Dumbledore's death was inevitable, as was the necessity of Snape remaining close
to Voldemort. And as was Harry confronting Voldemort and presumably dying. There was no way to
save Harry as long as Voldemort was alive and determined to kill the boy, so in the end it would be
either Harry at Voldemort's hand--with Voldemort taking over the WW--or the two of them at each
other's hands--with the WW preserved from Voldemort's tyranny. (And if it was only about saving 
Harry, who couldn't really be saved as far as Snape knew, a Snape with no goal beyond his promise
to Lily would just abandon the undoable task.)

That's why I think Snape did all he did in the end, including things that didn't directly serve his promise
to protect Lily's son, or any unswervingly loyalty to anything or everything Dumbledore asked or 
demanded of him. Snape wasn't DDM or Lily'sMan, but his own man, IMO, following what eventually
became his own goals. 

As always, I know others' mileage may vary,


Julie 


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