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HP: Snape's Motivation
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[info]coell
Harry Potter 6: Snape's Motivation Theory

Someone on my friendslist asked why Snape agreed to the Unbreakable Vow, which is a good place to start my HP Theorizing.

When Snape discovered Draco's task, let's assume he told Dumbledore. When Narcissa asked for the Unbreakable Vow, Snape agreed because he was willing to protect Draco while preventing Dumbledore's death, but he hesitated when she added the third condition: he must complete Dumbledore's murder or else die himself. Why?

Since a spy he's living a life always in jeopardy and regularly has to make life-or-death decisions in split seconds. In that second of pause, he decided that completing the Vow would accomplish three things: 1) Protect Draco from the stain of murder, 2) He would sacrifice his own life to save Albus, and 3) Eliminate all doubts to his loyalty to the Dark Lord, giving him his final and best shot to help the order.

I believe that Snape would die for Albus. (I also think he's going to die for Harry, or at least come so close that Harry learns the truth.)

However, I suspect that Dumbledore made a different plan upon hearing of the Vow. Just as he made sure Harry was willing to follow every command he gave (even to "save himself"), he made sure Snape would follow the order to kill him if he asked it. Most people think that the Horcrux potion is fatal, so Albus might have known he would die when he began to drink it, which is why he would not let Harry drink it. ("I am older, cleverer, and much less valuable.") He begged for his own death between gulps. Harry's face was full of revulsion that he was following such a horrid command. ("Kill me (with more potion).")

After Albus became deathly ill from it, Harry tried to rush him to the hospital, but Albus wanted Snape. Why?

Albus knew he was dying from the Horcrux potion and needed Snape to kill him first, releasing Snape from the the Unbreakable Vow and protecting Draco.

Snape came upon the scene, and two of the world's most powerful Legilimens had eye contact for just a moment, which is all Dumbledore needs to send the message, and he begged aloud, "Please." Snape's face was filled with revulsion that he was following such a horrid command and he kills him with the Avada Kedavra.

Oh, it gets better.

When Harry is released from the Freezing charm, he chases Snape and throws every curse he can. Snape only blocks them and yells at Harry to improve, which is what he's been trying to get Harry to understand all along. (You must be stronger if you're going to finish the work so many of us are willing to and dying for.) When Harry calls him a coward, Snape nearly chokes on his grief. Note that when a Death Eater tries the hit Harry with Cruciatus, Snape blocks it and tries the excuse that Harry is solely for the Dark Lord. Cruciatus doesn't kill, he was protecting Harry.


I still don't know why Albus trusts Snape or why Snape would die for Albus; we only have canon to extrapolate upon. I also don't know how Draco can survive this failure unless Snape recruits him for the Light -- which would be a scene I'll loathe to love.
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Yep, that would be the major theory we've come to in my journal as well.

Though I would add that since Dumbledore knew about Draco's task, he also wanted to protect Draco from both becoming a killer, and being killed.

Rowling has stated that there are MANY clues to the seventh book in the last couple of chapters of HBP. I think we've hit on at least a few of the upcoming plot points.

Honestly, I do NOT believe Dumbledore was just blindly trusting Snape. He knew what was going on the whole time, and he knew that even after death he could continue to give Harry advice (hello, portrait?)-- without hindering his 'hero's development'.

There's a LOT to this story that we haven't read yet, and a LOT in between the lines.

Yes! There are a few points about which I'm not very sure, but I think this is the gist of it.

Care to mention those you're not sure about? I'd like to refine my thinking.

OMG, there are so many things that I'm not sure of in this book. I can't summarise them to you now, I'm feeling drained. But I'll be posting about them on my lj, gradually.


releasing Snape from the the Unbreakable Vow and protecting Draco.

Exactly how does just killing Dumbles release Snape from the Unbreakable Vow? The UB has three parts (each of them intertwined, yet separate as well), and one of them was to "the best of (your) ability, protect him from harm". Snape's bound by the vow to protect the little bastard, even after the Dumbledeed was done. :-*

The real question in that is why would Snape make that vow to protect the little pissant (a vow that means death if broken) in the first place if there wasn't something else besides the plan to kill Dumbledore goin' on.

If I may (and I know fandom's been gone for so long in my life I probably may not, but let's just assume): Don't you think that releasing Draco from his task of killing Dumbledore - aka, Snape doing it himself - is a form of protection? Killing Dumbledore just might have been the point of no return for Draco. Of course Snape would want to keep him at least somewhat salvageable - isn't that protection?

smooth, and with much more support than my thoughts on the situation, even though they are in similar vein.