Prophecy what-ifs.

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 187572

Catlady wrote:
> 
> I agree with you about Dumbledore.
> 
> Poor Snape's thought processes, the ones summarized by that sputter: 
> 1. Potter and his baby are a threat to my master! They need to be eliminated! Besides, Potter is vile.
> 2. Dumbledore *likes* threats to my master, so the above would not be a useful thing to say to him.
> 3. I just need him to save Lily, regardless of the cost. If part of the cost is saving vile Potter and his baby, thus endangering my master, so be it.
> 4. It would please Dumbledore if I asked him to save Potter and his baby as well as Lily. Maybe pleasing Dumbledore will increase the chance of him doing what I request.
> 
> I might have had him stop at 3 instead of continuing on to 4, thus sputtering: "I didn't [want you to save them] -- I [want to serve my master as well as protect Lily] -- I want you to do whatever it takes to save Lily, whether that is saving all of them or leaving her family unprotected."
> 

Julie:
I don't agree with #1, as I'm not sure Snape believed the
Prophecy. I don't see him thinking that this baby is really
a threat to Voldemort. I think he understands that Voldemort
is paranoid and isn't going to take any chances, and under
other circumstances he would have just accepted that and not
protested the death of anyone Voldemort considered his enemy,
even if it was a mere baby. (That's bad enough, I should think.)

I think it's more likely that #1 is Snape trying to reason
Voldemort out of taking the Prophecy seriously--"You are far more
powerful than any wizard, my Lord, particularly some spawn of
a Blood traitor and his Mudblood wife." 

#2 stands as is, and #3 (though again, I doubt Snape sees the
Potter baby as a real danger to Voldemort). And #4 to me would
be "I don't care if they are saved..." rather than "I didn't
want you to save them" as I don't think Snape is actively
interested in killing babies and children, even a Potter child,
in the way the Voldemort is. I think Snape just turned a blind
eye, considering any "innocents" mere casualties of war who
weren't his problem. (Maybe they should have thought to be 
born to different parents!). 

It does seem Snape never actually killed anyone during his
DE days (Bellatrix mentions him "slithering" out of certain
activities), which is hardly a commendation as he was perfectly
willing for his Lord's enemies to be killed at the hands of
others. But that fact may have indicated that Snape, like
Draco, hadn't completely succumbed to his evil side. Enough
that wanting to save Lily would lead to a progressive change
of heart over the years from valuing only the life of someone
he loved to valuing innocent lives in general, and from seeing
Voldemort as someone who would reward his subservience with
the power and respect he craved, to seeing Voldemort as an evil
megalomaniac who was only interested in achieving his own ends
at the price of destroying the Wizarding World. 

Julie