HBP post DH look Chapters 1-2.

[littleleahstill]

No: HPFGUIDX 184289

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
Alla:

Wait, so we are absolutely sure that when he said injury he meant the
ring injury? I mean, I know that he was not really injured after the
fight in MoM with Voldemort, but still, it is a given that this is
what the reference was to?

Leah:
It's not a given, in that it is never actually confirmed in the text 
that this is the injury DD has sustained, but the great likelihood 
is that it is the ring injury because:

(a)if Snape were lying about there being any injury at all,that 
would firstly be very risky because Voldemort might find that out 
from another source, and secondly it would be pretty coincidental 
for DD then to actually sustain a serious injury.

(b) if it is a different injury that is being referred to, that 
injury was not sustained at the Ministry, because Snape refers to 
the injury being received 'after' the duel with Voldemort, which 
shook DD.  The Ministry battle took place in June IIRC and Spinners 
End probably took place around Harry's birthday at the end of July, 
so DD would have to have sustained two serious injuries in the space 
of about a month, one of which we are never told about.  That 
doesn't seem very likely. 

There is also the point that there is absolutely 
no need for Snape to mention Dumbledore's injury to Bellatrix (he 
would obviously have had to tell Voldemort but that's different).  
Snape is trying to convince Bellatrix that he is loyal; Dumbledore's 
injury has nothing to do with that, and I think that little bit of 
speech was inserted precisely so that, when read eventually in 
conjunction with 'The Prince's Tale', it would demonstrate that 
Snape had promised to kill Dumbledore before taking the vow.   

   

> 
> Alla:
> 
> Same question. From Dumbledore, right? We do not have any 
independent 
> support for the premise that Voldemort already told Snape about 
the 
> plan, yes?

Leah:  How would Dumbledore know of the plan except from Snape, his 
spy?  If Snape doesn't know of the plan until Dumbledore 
tells him, then it is not much use Dumbledore keeping him as a spy 
(<g>). It is Snape's job to find out what Lord Voldemort is saying 
to his Death Eaters. Since Bellatrix says that the plan is top 
secret, the only real way Snape could have learned of it is through 
Voldemort.  The way in which Dumbledore and Snape discuss the plan 
also
strongly suggests this is not the first time they have discussed it. 
Dumbledore says 'I refer to the plan...' as if Snape knows what he's 
talking about and Snape discusses the true plot behind the plan, 
which he seems to have reflected on. 

Why did Snape take the vow?  To convince Bellatrix of his loyalty, 
to protect his friends' son, to perhaps gain back Draco's trust and 
therefore find out more about what Draco was planning, and as 
lizzyben says, because here was a woman whom Snape seems to care 
about, who has a son in danger, 
and Snape is making amends for past mistakes in the same way that he 
is protecting Harry for Lily.   Could be any or all of these.

Leah