Black Widower!Snape - repost from TOL (long)

[Barry Arrowsmith]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "dungrollin" <spotthedungbeetle at ...> wrote:
> 
> Dung:
> Weeeell
 DD hears a commotion in the middle of the prophecy and 
> quickly seals the door with a silencing charm, at the end of the 
> prophecy he lifts it, and hears a loud altercation between Aberforth 
> and Snape going on outside the doorway, and Abe bursts in holding 
> Snape by the ear. 
> 
> I know it's not very interesting, but I can't think of a good reason 
> for there to be something amiss here, unless it's to set up 
> NeverReallyWasADeathEater!Snape, which takes *all* the fun out of it 
> for me.
> 

As Talleyrand admonished Tsar Alexander:
"Treason, Your Majesty, is often a matter of dates."
We sort of know when he 'came back' but we don't know when he 'went 
over'.
Now suppose that at the interview he wasn't a DE, that it was the passing
of this little gem of information on to Voldy that got him promoted to
the elite band of brothers that are the DEs - as a reward. Mind you, it'd be
the sort of offer he wouldn't dare refuse, I think.

Further suppose that he wanders back to chez Snape pleased as Punch
about his enhanced career prospects - and the missus hates the idea.
She tells him so - every day for the next X months; just won't shut up
about it. Voldy decides that this pestilential dissenter ought to be
silenced, she's getting on his nerves and the lads are getting twitchy.
Zap!
All is blissful silence, what a relief - until the remorse sets in with Sevvy.
Works, do you think?

> 
> Dung:
> We've got

> 
> 1. The prophecy was delivered anything up to half a year before Harry 
> was born.
>  "On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at 
> the Hog's Head inn."
> - OotP ch37 UK p740.

Not happy with this.
I was until this morning when I was checking canon about Syb's 
Pensieve turn, and then what DD says with the 'nearly' hit me.
Before then I'd sort of assumed that it had happened Sept/Oct/Nov
 '79, more or less in agreement with the Lexicon - but now... I don't 
know.
The gap could be anywhere between 9 months and 1 month.
Nine is OK, no problem; a gap of one sends most of your theory down
the tubes, 'cos Draino would already have been born.
Need some sort of confirmation from somewhere.

> 
> A cold, wet night strongly suggests winter, but you know what 
> Scotland's like
 
> 

Wasn't this was before global warming?
Could be Mid-Summers Eve, then.

> Kneasy:
> > But for Blackwidower to be valid, his offcut had to have been 
> killed 
> > before he swapped sides yet had to have been old enough to be 
> > depicted as 'a small boy', (not a baby) in the memory flash.
> > So to work, Snape!Son would probably have to have been born at 
> > least 6 months before Harry.
> > Which would suggest that a July-born Snape!Son theory (therefore 
> > potentially Voldy's!Bane, so I'd better knock him off, signed 
> Voldy) 
> > might have a glitch.
> > Assuming I'm correct, any chance you can nudge it back on track?
> 
> Dung:
> Ah. I hadn't actually tied in Snape's memory in the occlumency 
> lessons to this, but now I come to think of it, it was the original 
> prompt for the theory, wasn't it? Damn. Hang on.
> 
> ::muted sounds of swearing as books are hurled across the room::
> 
> It could work if Voldy didn't detect Snape's hand in helping Regulus 
> until a while afterwards. The latest it could happen anyway would be 
> say, a month before Harry was targeted, we need time for Snape to 
> turn to DD, and spy at great personal risk for a bit before GH. Then 
> we're talking about a 14 month-old baby Snape. 14 month-olds look 
> pretty much like babies, too, rather than `small boys'.  
> 

"But... But..." expostulated a gob-smacked Kneasy,
If Snape has already turned to DD (that was months before GH), and 
NailedSnape!Son hasn't happened yet, then the whole raison d'etre 
for Blackwidower/Snape!Son is up the pictures.
Can't have that. Dearie me, no.
One of me favourite theories rip't untimely from the womb, t'ain't
right... mutter...mutter...
Your theory needs some work, I think.

Kneasy