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

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 184741

Alla wrote:
> 
> However, we do agree that Snape's understanding of the promise had 
been to protect Harry's life, right?

Carol responds:

Right. That was Snape's understanding *until* DD tells him about the
soul bit in Harry that can only be destroyed if Voldemort himself
kills Harry. (Setting aside the drop of blood, which Snape doens't
know about, that is.)

Snape protests, shocked. He thought they were protecting Harry,
keeping him alive for Lily's sake. Instead, Dumbledore has been
raising him as a pig for the slaughter.

Dumbledore tells Snape that they were keeping Harry alive so that he
could be taught and tested. Dumbledore points out, as Pippin has
noted, that the soul bit is becoming like a parasitic growth. And then
he says, "If I know him, he will have arranged matters so that when he
goes to meet his death, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort."

"Dumbledore opened his eyes. Snape looked horrified. 'You have kept
him alive so that he can die at the right moment?"

Dumbledore tells Snape not to be shocked, but Snape is angry. He has
watched only the people die whom he could not save. He has lied and
spied and risked his own life and watched over and protected Harry.
"Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potters's son safe. Now
you tell me you have been raising him like a pig to slaughter--"

Snape has done it all, not because he cares about Harry, but for Lily,
as his Patronus shows. But next time we see Snape in "the Prince's
Tale" (and Leah is right, there's no transition scene to show how he
got there), he's going along with Dumbledore's plans. The priority has
changed. Once Dumbledore tells Snape that Harry has to die, Snape's
protection of him becomes a moot point. If they protect Harry, it can
only be so, as Snape puts it, he can did at the right time.

But if we go back to HBP instead of skipping as "The Prince's Tale"
does, to a time when Snape is not longer at Hogwarts, we see that
Snape is *still* protecting Harry as long as it's in his power to do
so. Snape now knows that Harry has to die, but he also knows that
Harry has to be killed *by Voldemort*. He gets the Death Eaters off
the tower before they can discover Harry. He stops one of them,
probably Amycus Carrow, from torturing him, and he parries all of
Harry's curses rather than fighting him. He's *still* protecting
Harry, even trying to teach him ("Close your mind and shut your
mouth"), to the last moment possible. 

Even the much-debated Polyjuiced Harrys plan is still intended to
protect Harry, however great the risk to his escorts . And, of course,
Snape is still determined to save whatever lives he can, as the
Sectumsempra incident shows, a sign of personal growth in him that has
nothing to do with Harry or Lily or Dumbledore. 

Once Harry is safely away from the Dursleys', Snape's priority shifts
to his other promise, doing his best to protect the students of
Hogwarts. Except when he delivers the Sword of Gryffindor, again
taking a huge risk if he's discovered, he can only help Harry
indirectly, by protecting his friends (the detention with Hagrid, for
example). 

His last concern is, admittedly, to get the message to Harry that
Harry has a soul bit in his head and must let Voldemort kill him. As
you say, that message cannot be interpreted as protecting Harry. But
Dumbledore's trusting Snape with that crucial bit of knowledge, that
crucial task, undoes the earlier promise of protection. If Snape
protects or helps Harry now, it's no longer to keep Lily's son alive
or to validate her sacrifice. It's to make sure that the soul bit is
destroyed at the right time and Voldemort is defeated. Protecting
Harry, who is now a man by WW standards, in any case, would merely
prolong Voldemort's rule, especially if the soul bit is growing stronger.

Harry already knows that he must confront Voldemort, that he must
either kill or be killed. He's known it since OoP, if not before. And
once Snape gives him the memories, he knows that the two choices have
been reduced to one.

It's no fault of Snape's that he can no longer protect Harry, that his
priority has been changed to delivering that crucial message. He,
Dumbledore, and ultimately, Harry, all know that Harry can no longer
be protected. Self-sacrifice is the only option. Aberforth, who tells
him to run away, is wrong.

You're right. At the end, Snape is no longer Harry's protector. And
that's exactly the way Harry would want it. And, of course, so would
Dumbledore.

Carol, who thought this would be a short message!

P.S. I'm still working on that monster editing project, but tonight I
have a moment to breathe.