Voldemort's Intentions

[nikkalmati]

No: HPFGUIDX 189798






--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Bart Lidofsky <bart at ...> wrote:
>
> luirhys:
> 
> > Makes me wonder though, why LV chose to honor Snape's request. I'm sure at this
> > point in time, he wasn't his right-hand man.
> 
> Bart:
>      Assuming Morty's on the sociopathic/psychopathic spectrum (not a 
> difficult assumption, especially since it's the literary version of the 
> condition), it makes eminent sense. Snape was always extremely talented 
> in the black arts. He had a lot of potential as a tool to Morty. Morty 
> wanted to kill the baby, but Lily Potter was no obstacle. She was, 
> however, potentially useful as a way of imparting a sense of debt into 
> Snape, which, in turn, would be of use to Morty. So, Morty was willing 
> to let her live, unless she proved to be more trouble than she was 
> worth. Which she did.
> 
>      Bart
>
Nikkalmati

We have LV's word that he intended to spare Lily (if it was not too inconvenient), we have the scene inwhich he demands that she stand aside at least twice and we have JKR's word that he would not have killed Lily if she had stood aside.  In addition, the love magic would not have worked, if Lily's choice was not real.

LV had no particular reason to kill Lily.  He probably was not as psychotic in his pre-resurrection state.  James he saw as a threat, but a Muggle-born witch he probably saw as unimportatnt.  He made the promise to spare Lily as a reward for bringing him the Prophecy, I assume, not because Snape was a particularly important Death Eater.  He was after all a young boy and a new recruit with no family connections.  We need not ascribe LV's perception of Snape's purpose to Snape himself.