Snape and moral courage WAS: Re: The Houses, Finally

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 184672

> Alla:
> 
> Please see above. I have no gripes with what you wrote here, but 
> again in what world this is called protecting Harry? I can respect 
> Snape's motivations if they were what you just described, ( I mean, 
I 
> dislike it, etc, but hey, if that is what he thinks,  his right to 
> think so) but this is certainly NOT protection in my book, this is 
> sacrificing pig for slaughter and Snape ( after at least voicing 
> initial disagreement to my surprise) going along with it. Reasons 
> could be the most chivalrous reasons ever, my point is – it is not 
> protection.

Magpie:
I think I see what you mean. Snape took on this task because of Lily. 
He was specifically undoing the thing he had done. He got Harry 
targetted and that led to Lily's death, and Dumbledore said that he 
could pay for that by protecting her son as he was *not able to 
protect her.* Lily would want her son alive. Snape himself didn't 
care if Harry lived or died, but Dumbledore convinced him to make 
Lily's care for Harry his own because it was hers.

But as it turns out Dumbledore's plan was nothing of the sort. He 
wanted Snape to protect Harry until Dumbledore said so, at which time 
it was necessary that Voldemort do to Harry *exactly what he had 
failed to do when he was a baby.* 

What Snape ultimately agrees to do is not protect Harry but destroy 
Voldemort via Dumbledore's plan, which requires having Harry 
murdered. (Basically it's exactly the same as Voldemort's plan, only 
Snape and Dumbledore know that Harry's got a booby-trap in him in the 
form of the Horcrux.) Snape is returning to his previous views about 
Harry's well-being: one kid's death isn't that important compared to 
winning the war. (Only now he's winning the war on the other side.)

Would Lily have wanted Snape to do that? We don't know. Maybe she'd 
go along with it. Her ghost honors Harry's choice to go along with it-
-but her supporting Harry's own choice is different than supporting 
Dumbledore's plans to have him killed. It's quite possible she 
wouldn't agree to it given that Harry's death by Voldemort is exactly 
what she died to prevent. If other mothers in the series are any 
guide the answer is no there too--Molly kills yelling about 
protecting her daughter; Mrs. Crouch gives up her life for Barty's 
freedom (totally opposing her husband's originally putting 
Voldemort's defeat over parental love); Narcissa ultimately chooses 
Draco over everything. Lily might have totally refused to follow 
Dumbledore's plan and found some other way. Almost certainly she 
would have *tried* which neither Snape nor Dumbledore do.

So there's definitely a little switcheroo going on here with Snape. 
He originally agreed to protect Harry's physical life because Lily 
would want Harry alive and well. This is not the same as safeguarding 
Harry until the best time for him to be killed. The first scenario is 
what Snape takes to be Lily's wishes; the second is Dumbledore's 
wishes. Snape could have chosen to defy Dumbledore but didn't. Would 
Lily have made the same choice? Quite possibly not. Snape's 
motivation regarding Harry was originally that Lily would want him 
personally protected and not that Lily would want Voldemort defeated. 
I mean, of course Lily *did* want Voldemort defeated, but Dumbledore 
is switching around the priorities. Lily would presumably have died 
thinking that Harry's safety was one of her reasons for wanting 
Voldemort defeated. He changes it Harry's death being a necessary 
sacrifice for Voldemort's defeat. Dumbledore merely used Lily's 
desire to protect Harry to suck Snape in and after that replaced that 
with his own agenda.

-m