Snape and love (was What triggered ancient magic? WAS: Re: James and Intent

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 187029

 
> Alla:
> 
> As an aside of the sorts, do you really consider what Snape did to Lily to be story about love?

Potioncat:
First, I haven't had a HP book in my hands in a long time, so some of this is rusty memory.

But, yes, I think Snape continued to love Lily through all the years. I'm not so sure that it had ever fully reached romantic love, if it did, it transformed into a different type of love (courtly, familial, friend).

Alla:> 
> But he went to Voldemort, what exactly Snape thought that he will do? What if Voldemort indeed made sure that Lily survived? Did Snape think that Lily will rush in his arms, what with her husband and baby's graves are still fresh? It tells me how little Snape respected Lily, how he did not give a flying fig about her choices, about her family. It tells me that it was all about Snape and what he wanted.

Potioncat:
First --jmo---I don't think Snape was thinking at all. I think he heard LV's plan to go after the Potters and Severus' reaction was "I must save Lily." And if he was thinking, how could he have asked LV to spare the One With the Power?

And it seems reasonable to me that he would go to LV first. Look how frightened he was at that hilltop meeting with DD. So he went to LV, got the promise, then had some second thoughts of his own--screwed up the courage and went to DD.

Snape hadn't yet even considered Lily's family. 
> 

>Alla: 
> No, I am not saying that Snape needed to love James and Harry, but I *am* saying that if he truly loved Lily, he may have given more thought about what Lily would have wanted and that something most definitely included her husband and baby being alive.

Potioncat:
I know what you mean. I'm not so much excusing his not having Harry and James in mind as well, as understanding that he was trying to save Lily.


> Alla:
> As another aside, the fact that Voldemort was even willing to consider Snape's request tells me more about his implied crimes as Death Eater than anything else. I mean, how valuable Snape has to be to Voldemort at twenty something if he would truly agree to not kill somebody for him.

Potioncat:
I think LV was making an easy promise to a DE who had pleased him in some way. And I can't deny that I've considered too that Snape had to have done something to be such an estemed member of the club. On the other hand, LV's favors are arbitrary and fleeting.


> Alla:
> I just feel that this magic is something that is incredibly *good* in nature and Snape's agreement with Voldemort is something too selfish and evil to contribute to the spell of that power.
> 
> But of course I cannot argue against it, I am just explaining why it does not work for me.

Potioncat:
It looks like I've missed a post or two about magical contracts, but I've also thought that was a contributing factor in the magic. Magical agreements seem to carry weight in a rather illogical manner. The fact that someone else put Harry's name in the goblet and so bound Harry to compete is in contrast with our ideas of contracts.
> 

> Alla:
> Right, well see above, I do not know if magic will respect much Snape's attempt to bargain for Lily's life with Voldemort, but of course we are just speculating here, I am just so curious what started this spell, but I do think that it was left ambiguous on purpose IMO.


Potioncat:
Right. And of cours, JKR was writing this in a way to make it fit her plan. I'm sure there are aspects of it that we consider that she never gave a thought to. 

Not that I'm saying she should have, mind you.