META: Did Snape know Draco's task?

[amanuensis1]

Little bit of meta here, my take on one question posed by the Spinner's End chapter of HBP: did Snape indeed know what Draco's task was when he claimed to Bellatrix and Narcissa he did? Here's what Snape says:

"It so happens that I know of the plan," he said in a low voice. "I am one of the few the Dark Lord has told."

Some readers have speculated that he might not have, that he was bluffing. If that's so, that means he didn't know exactly what he was signing up for when he agreed to make the Unbreakable Vow. Why would Snape have taken such a risk? Possibly because he didn't know Draco's task and figured he darn well needed to know what Voldemort was plotting, so, by telling Narcissa "It's all right, you can speak freely with me," he'd have the chance to find out something crucial.

I don't see anything in that chapter that directly contradicts that idea; Snape's hesitation before he says the last words of the vow could also be said to support it. Perhaps he hesitates because he has no idea what he's promising, but knows he can't back out at that point without having his bluff called. However, one can also explain the hesitation if Snape does know that Draco's been directed to kill Dumbledore, because Snape would realize that by doing so, he's signed his own death warrant, since he's thinking there's no way he'll carry it through.

I'm more inclined to think that Snape does actually know, even though we have no hard-and-fast evidence. What we do have, though, is what can be seen as a clean example of an author's contrivance to keep the knowledge from the reader, by shrouding the element in "we must not speak of it, the Dark Lord has commanded," and "I already know of the plan." Keeps the reader in the dark. And that's all the explanation you'd need, as to why he says that. I think that's the most compelling element to sway me in that direction. But I do think that the chapter, and all the rest of the text, can support either hypothesis.

Comments

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I swear, at multiple points in the book, I thought Albus was planning to kill Harry. So, yeah. With you on the cold thing.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's fascinating! Where and when did you think Albus was going to kill Harry? Can you remember offhand now?

[catrinella.livejournal.com]

Oh, I thought Albus was going to kill him in the cave when they went Horcrux-hunting. I was seriously surprised when Harry made it out alive :)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, THANK you for saying that. If you look at my response below, I thought exactly the same thing. Harry was a horcrux and Dumbledore was taking him there because he had to kill him.

[catrinella.livejournal.com]

Yes - and even more chilling because all of a sudden I was truly aware of just how powerful Albus Dumbledore was, and that he was utterly capable of fragging Harry and calling it collateral damage in pursuit of a greater purpose, no matter how fond he was of the boy (or of Severus, for that matter).

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Holy wow! That never even *occurred* to me -- and I think Albus is an utter bastard and was happy when he croaked.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Of course, I think he also knew that it was Draco who was providing the mysterious near-deaths of students (or he damn well should have) and chose not to do anything about it, either because he just didn't care or to see if Harry would figure it out. Well, okay, maybe both.

How could he not know, when Snape is busy making Vows over Draco's Voldie-given orders? I suppose you could conclude that such life-threatening attacks are just business as usual at Hogwarts.

[nemesister.livejournal.com]

Of course he knew. He didn't intervene because he wanted Draco to make the decision not to be a killer and thus save his soul and most likely because he wanted Snape to kill him and be able to go under deep cover. I really don't think that part has anything to do with training Harry. It was Snape's job to prevent dangerous situations like with Katie and Ron or the DEs in the school. There were near misses, but they definitely tried.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

I guess Snape wasn't busy enough already. Good to know that Draco's soul would have been worth the lives of the the innocent and that other students were acceptable losses.

That sort of ties in with the thought I've always had, though -- as a general, Dumbledore was a lousy headmaster, and vice versa.

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

Dumbledore's whole educational philosophy is "let them work it out for themselves." Which is fine if what you are talking about is a math problem, but not so fine if the students are in danger of their lives.

Let's look at that crazy scene in the girls' bathroom. Imagine if Harry and Draco weren't two boys with wands willing to cast violent spells, but instead had the analog weapons in their hands. Draco attempts to shoot Harry (Cruciatus) and Harry stabs Draco (sectumsempra.) In a real school, both boys have to face some kind of suspension or expulsion. At Hogwarts, Harry gets detention and everyone figures that Draco almost died so he's off the hook. Hello! You can't go around shooting and stabbing people.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Draco's bleeding from Sectumsempra, possibly to be permanently scarred, and the worst Harry gets is detention? That prevents him from participating in Quidditch. Yeah. Cry me a river. And the plot? Culminates in him snogging Ginny in, what, six pages later. Gimme a break.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

In a real school, both boys have to face some kind of suspension or expulsion.

In a real school, both boys would have been taking time *off* from school to attend their trials -- at some time in the future, at least - with (at their age) incarceration a serious possibility. In our burg, the state would press charges if nobody else did.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's scary if you think about how much collateral damage Draco could have caused just with his Dumbledore-offing task, let alone the let-DEs-in task.

[markeyisapunk.livejournal.com]

he certainly dumped harry off with the dursleys easily enough--no sign of checking in to see if the boy's okay or worse, he did check in and did nothing to intervene (though the events of the series make it clear that the dursleys' fear of magic can be used to make them ease up on harry a bit). and all this despite the fact that harry is the child of the beloved james and lily. so yeah, I'm not surprised that you suspected him of plotting to kill harry--I just wish I'd thought of it too!

[j-daisy.livejournal.com]

That always bothered me. It was November! Ane he leaves the poor kid outside with only a blanket! No Warming Charm or anything!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I still think it would have been way cool(er) that way. *blasphemes* ^_^

[markeyisapunk.livejournal.com]

well don't be too disappointed yet, I'm not convinved he isn't setting harry up to die anyway...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

That "Can I come with you when you destroy it?" That was the puppy who runs up to you all tail-wagging in his "Can we go for a ride in the car?" happy-wag when you've come to take him to the vet to be put down. WAH.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, can I ever. First off there was this genuine sense of "what the hell is with Dumbledore?" as the book progressed. Things like him assigning Harry to get the memory from Slughorn. Why on earth couldn't Dumbledore get that himself? It seemed like a huge contrivance. In hindsight I can agree with those who describe it as an example of how Dumbledore was teaching Harry how to do for himself. But at the time, I was wondering if this meant that Dumbledore couldn't because--he wasn't Dumbledore? He was being controlled? What?

Plus all of the pensieve jaunts. I couldn't believe that they were mere exposition. I felt JKR was a better author than that. So I thought, maybe something else is happening with those pensieve jaunts. Something. Like maybe every time they go into that pensieve it...weakens Harry. Or puts him further under the power of the person who took him into the pensieve. Something! Just not mere exposition. It had to be hiding something, because the exposition was a terrible way to pad out that book.

And then Harry learned about horcruxes. And I freakin' knew that what all this had been leading up to was that Harry was a Horcrux, and Harry had to die, and this was why Dumbledore had been dancin' all around this, and...doing something to Harry, so that he'd be vulnerable to being killed (much to Dumbledore's distress, mind! But something that needed to be done). And here was the kicker: when Dumbledore tells Harry that he knows the location of one of the horcruxes, and Harry says, all trustingly, "Can I go with you when you destroy it?" and Dumbledore is described as having this odd well of emotion about him...I was sobbing, "Oh, HARRY." All through the cave scene, I really, really, really thought Dumbledore was taking him there to kill him.

[snegurochka_lee]

Okay, that? Is an AWESOME theory. I wish my brain had gone there when I read it!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Hell, I wish JKR had gone there! :D *is blasphemous*

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Wow! That all makes sense (even though it turned out not to be the case). I just don't have that suspicious a mind.

In fact...okay, you know how *not* suspicious a mind I have? So...I was spoiled (mostly) three hours before I bought the book by a post on snape_potter that said "Why would you people slash Harry with a murderer????"

And yet? When I got to the tower scene and Snape is standing over Dumbledore, wand pointed at him, surrounded by Death Eaters, I was still saying to myself "Gosh, I wonder how he's going to get out of killing Albus?"

*is pathetic*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

You're not pathetic! You know Snape is tricky like that!

Except that Dumbledore's tricky like that too, darn him. ^_^

[mtnjoy.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. It makes sense that you would think that, as it sounds like something you would write. ;)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*giggles like mad* I suppose fandom gets me running away with my expectations. But I like my expectations!