The AK (was: My HBP Review)

[Neil Ward]

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Pippin: "Sure -- but Draco didn't *try* to kill Dumbledore. He lowered

> his wand. Snape tried, thus carrying out the deed Draco failed to
> perform, the one he was ordered to do, and also failed to kill him.
> Mischief managed. Snape made much of the fact that the Dark Lord
> _didn't _ expect Draco to succeed. And Narcissa agreed. So Snape did
> just _exactly_ what the Dark Lord had ordered Draco to do."

Jim said:

> No, Draco's job was to kill Dumbledore, and Snape's vow was to
finish
> whatever Draco's job if he couldn't, or wouldn't. I didn't quote all
> the dialogue that backs that up, but it is there.  Are you saying
> Draco's mission was to fail at killing Dumbledore?

Diving in here, and probably repeating something already said...

If I were Voldemort, I would not choose a schoolboy to kill a wizard 
as powerful as Dumbledore - the chance of failure would be too high. 
The purpose of choosing Draco must have been to get Snape to kill 
Dumbledore, by using Narcissa to bind Snape into an Unbreakable Vow.  

It's clear Draco was told to kill Dumbledore and that Dumbledore knew 
he was trying to do that, but the Spinner's End episode suggests
Snape 
*thought* Draco's task was to kill Harry.  During the vow ceremony, 
Narcissa asks "will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has 
ordered Draco to perform?" not "will you kill Dumbledore if Draco 
fails?"  It's not clear that their perception of the deed is the
same. 

Earlier in that episode, Snape says, "in the unlikely event that
Draco 
succeeds, I shall be able to remain at Hogwarts a little longer, 
fulfilling my useful role as spy."  If Draco killed Dumbledore, why 
would Snape assume he would need to continue spying on him?  However, 
if Draco killed Harry, the statement would make more sense.

Now, why did Snape kill Dumbledore?  Was he inadvertently bound to
the 
spirit of the Unbreakable Vow, thus forced to kill Dumbledore when 
Draco had apparently failed?  Did he just AK Dumbledore en route to 
what he perceived as the deed, to give Draco a better chance of 
killing Harry?  Or was he forced to kill Dumbledore on Dumbledore's 
non-vocal instructions or through some past Unbreakable Vow?

The other side of the coin is why Snape didn't kill Harry when he had 
the chance.  Did he think he was protecting Draco and the Malfoys, 
because he thought Draco was charged with killing Harry and had to be 
given a chance to do it?  Or, to the same end, was he under the 
influence of what he *thought* were the terms of the Unbreakable Vow? 
Or was he still doing Dumbledore's bidding, i.e. to protect Harry at 
all costs? 

Okay, I think I've confused myself now, but Snape either thinks he's 
done the "deed" (topped Dumbledore) or thinks he has a shot at Harry 
if Draco fails to kill the Chosen One.  Or, he reluctantly killed 
Dumbledore and is perhaps no longer bound to protect Harry, but 
perhaps is.  Or something.

Neil