Wand Lore / Luna / Alchemy

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 181769


> > Carol responds:
> > Snape's "superb Occlumency" is superior to Voldemort's Legilimency,
> > formidable though it is, as we see in "The Dark Lord Ascending" 
> where
> > Snape is hiding the key piece of information regarding Polyjuice and
> > multiple Potters.
> 
> a_svirn:
> But you don't really expect Voldemrt to believe it? Or even suspect 
> it? He might concede that Dumbledore's skills were if not superior,
> at least, equal to his own, but as for Snape, he did not consider
him an equal. (If he had, he would have taken care to kill him much 
> earlier.)
> 

Carol responds:
Exactly. That's the whole point. Voldemort has no clue that Snape is
outfoxing him--Snape's Occlumency is so subtle that Voldemort thinks
he's seeing the whole memory and can't tell when Snape is lying to him
(or, more accurately, concealing crucial information). Something of
the sort might have worked if Snape had the Elder Wand, presumably
powerless, and had to conceal that information from Voldemort.
> 

> > Carol, skipping the rest of the post since we've been round and 
> round on this and I have no idea what DD actually intended when he
wanted Harry to summon Snape
> 
> a_svirn:
> Cure him, I suppose. At least temporary. 

Carol:
That's one possibility, and I'm sure it's what we're supposed to think
before Snape is exposed as a seeming traitor in HBP. Makes his
"treachery" seem all the worse. But given that DD was still trying to
send Harry for Snape even after he knew that the DEs were in Hogwarts,
and given Dead!DD's remark that he wanted Snape to have the wand, it's
possible that he wanted Snape to kill rather than temporarily cure
him. The whole point was for DD to die by Snape's hand at his own
request, and if he had Snape cure rather than kill him, how could he
manage that? And cure him on the tower just in time for the DEs to
arrive? It makes no sense. (Imagine DD begging Snape to kill him after
Snape had just temporarily saved him.) and Snape had only been
convinced to kill him to protect Draco's soul and/or protect DD from
some more terrible death. I can't see Snape agreeing to kill him in
cold blood under other circumstances (unless the curse in the hand got
so bad that he wanted to be put out of his misery).

Carol, suspecting that DD was going to tell both Snape and Harry about
the Elder Wand and have Snape kill him at his own request in front of
Harry but not liking the idea at all (would there have been a Pensieve
visit first?)