"Voldemort" (Re: Dumbledore's Unspeakable Word)

[fritter_my_wig]

> Neri:
> You both seem to ignore the possibility that looks the most probable
> to me: that saying the name *is* magical, but the magic works in the
> opposite direction. That is, Voldemort becomes stronger when people
> refer to him but avoid using his "proper name". When people use his
> proper name Voldemort gets weaker. The fear of the name isn't a
> superstition – it's a magical fear, and people can learn to conquer it
> if they try hard enough, like resisting the Imperius curse. This
> explains all the mysteries: why DD encourages people to always say the
> name, how all wizards know the name yet fear it, why the DEs are the
> most sensitive to it, etc. 

Eloise:
By which reasoning, if Snape refuses to use the name and forbids Harry 
himself to use it, then he's trying to strengthen Voldemort. If Snape 
could muster up enough courage to desert, then surely he could conquer 
that fear.

My own theory is that Snape refers to Voldemort as the Dark Lord 
because, ESE or not, his survival depends on his thinking of him as 
just that. If he *is* working under cover, then he cannot afford to 
forget for a moment that he is supposed to be Voldemort's servant. And 
if he is (working under cover), then he's probably the person of all 
people who should fear Voldemort the most; it's an acknowledgement of 
just what a dangerous game he's playing.

~Eloise