HBP post DH look Chapters 1-2.

[lizzyben04]

No: HPFGUIDX 184286

> Sarah:
<snip>
> Pre-DH, I would not have agreed with that second part.  Snape is 
kind
> of waffling around about "trying" to help Draco with his task, until
> this line:  "His black eyes were fixed upon Narcissa's tear-filled
> blue ones as she continued to clutch his hand."  In the next 
sentence
> after that, Snape heartily agrees to make the Vow.  It all seemed to
> fit that he was bluffing up until that moment.  It's reasonable to
> assume that he knows Narcissa to be no Occlumens, since his guess is
> that it was Bellatrix who taught Draco.  He changes his tune
> immediately after a cheesy line about him staring into Narcissa's
> eyes, so I figured that's what that was about.  But DH showed he did
> know the plan.
> 
> Absent obvious evidence, I'm usually prone to give the benefit of 
the
> doubt to the author not making a mistake.  But in this case, I 
wonder
> if maybe it is one, though it's a very minor matter.


lizzyben:

I kind of think that that was the moment where Snape actually became 
genuinely moved by Narcissa's predicament. In DH, we see that Snape 
did feel bad for the Malfoys, who had to endure the "slow torture" of 
watching Draco fail at his task. Plus, there's also the fact that he 
was unable to protect another mother (Lily). Snape was bluffing up 
till then, but when Narcissa tearfully asked for the vow, Snape had a 
real emotional reaction. And he genuinely felt compelled to take the 
vow to reassure her & protect Draco. It's almost gallant, like a 
knight pledging allegiance to his Lady; which is pretty much what he 
did with Lily as well. It's that Snape/"Prince" duality. Actually, 
looking back now, he's quite kind to Narcissa throughout that 
chapter. Pre-DH, we might think that was sarcasm or bluffing, but now 
I think it was basically genuine. 


lizzyben