Snape's Psychology: WAS: More thoughts on the Elder Wand subplot - Owner?

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 187472


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> Alla:
> 
> So, most people who did something wrong cannot figure it out until somebody forced them to do it? 

Pippin:
I think they tend to maintain their indifference or rationalizations or excuses until something interferes with that behavior, yes. In canon, only Lupin seems to regret anything before he is faced with the consequences, and even so, as he admits, remorse was not enough to make him change. 

> 
> Alla:
> 
> Well, I guess I am with Snape here (oh dear, did I just say that?), I also did not understand that Dumbledore was already doing everything he could to save Potters. I mean, it is not like Potters were already asked to go into hiding before Snape came to Dumbledore, right?
> 
> It felt to me that Dumbledore enlisting Snape was his first action not the continuing effort to save  Potters.

Pippin:
It's not clear when the Potters went into hiding. They were already Order members, and it seems that Voldemort had been trying to recruit them. Presumably Voldemort was already attempting to kill or subvert as many Order members as he could. 

Throughout canon, Dumbledore had to balance the safety of the Order members themselves against the fulfillment of their purpose: to block the rise of Voldemort and defend the innocent and helpless. But his resources were not great enough. Despite whatever Dumbledore did,  Voldemort always got his man, inside the Order or outside it -- except for Harry.

I don't know that Snape had anything specific in mind that Dumbledore could do to save Lily. Just taking her out of the fight would not be enough. I think Snape thought, or hoped, that as the most powerful wizard in existence, the only one whom Voldemort feared, Dumbledore had to be able to do *something*, he just had to. Remember, Snape himself was still very young.

If Snape had thought there was something he himself could do to save Lily, he would have done it. But evidently he felt helpless beyond asking Voldemort to spare her. The ironic thing is that it would have been enough, if Lily had not decided to save Harry instead.

 
> Alla:
> 
> Suicidal man, Pippin, he is clearly portrayed as suicidal man. And instead of showing him some kindness, at least telling him that yes, Order needs his services, but take time before you decide or something like that Dumbledore coldly manipulates him into his service.

Pippin:
You mean, Dumbledore should have offered Snape a reason to live that didn't benefit the Order or help Lily's son survive? Why? Are those bad things that it was wrong to ask Snape to do them? 

Snape stayed at Hogwarts  for ten peaceful years before he actually had to run any risks on Harry's behalf, so it is not like Dumbledore took advantage of Snape's state of mind to rope him into  a suicide mission that he wouldn't have agreed to otherwise. 

It's clear to me that Dumbledore did not want Snape to be suicidal, far from it. A suicidal spy would not survive long enough to be useful. 

Pippin