HBP post DH look Chapters 1-2.

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 184308

> > Sarah:
> > >  It's reasonable to assume that he knows Narcissa to be no
Occlumens, since his guess is that it was Bellatrix who taught Draco.
> 
> > Carol:
> > I think you mean "no Legilimens."
> 
> Sarah:
> No, I meant "no Occlumens."  I thought that Snape was reading
Narcissa's mind at Spinner's End. 

Carol:
Oh, I get it. You mean she can't block *his* Legilimency. I thought
you were confusing the two terms. I deleted my response to that effect
when I figured out what you meant. (Apologies to anyone who reads this
list by e-mail; I can't delete those posts.)

BTW, I agree that he was using Legilimency that she couldn't block,
but I don't think that he saw Draco's mission in her eyes. Based on
the scene in "Sectumsempra" where Snape the thought that's uppermost
in Harry's mind, "his" (really Snape's) Potions book, I think that
Snape saw the thought that Narcissa was obsessing over, her worst
fear, Draco being murdered. I'm sure that Snape was telling the truth
when he said that he knew about Draco's mission (but not the Vanishing
Cabinet plan, obviously, only the "job" of killing DD). But that
knowledge wasn't sufficient to prompt him to offer help. (Of course,
he intended to watch and protect Draco, anyway, but he was being very
cautious about what he agreed to do. His expression is blank and
unreadable when she first suggests the Unbreakable Vow, but then he
looks into her eyes. IMO, it was her fear, and his compassion or pity
or empathy, that moved him to offer to help her, even to take such a
desperate measure as the Unbreakable Vow. As Pippin said, he knew
exactly how she felt. He had been in her position, begging Dumbledore
to save Lily's life. How could he refuse to help Narcissa, even if it
meant sacrificing his own life, under those terms?

But, still, if he hadn't already promised DD that he would kill him, I
don't think he would have taken such a dangerous step, placing his
life on the line and possibly pledging himself to do the unthinkable.
I think he would have found some other way to help Narcissa and Draco.
But between his promise to DD to kill him rather than have Draco do it
and his compassion and empathy for Narcissa, whose terror for her son
I'm certain he could read in her eyes, he felt that taking the UV was
the right choice. It also served other purposes as well, maintaining
his facade of loyalty and keeping Narcissa from taking desperate
measures of her own. (It didn't prevent Bellatrix from trying to
thwart him by teaching Draco rudimentary Occlumency, but apparently
she now thought that Snape was out to steal Draco's "glory" and
indoctrinated Draco with the same fear.)

Carol, posting this late because my deleted message from yesterday was
my fifth