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

[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.

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

I thought that was one of the worst moments of Snape's teaching, as well. Harry felt horribly guilty and bad when Snape discovered him over Draco's body in the bathroom. By the end of his detentions, he didn't feel guilty or bad about what he had done at all--just angry with Snape. If Snape had been Lupin, the master of the guilt trip, he would have made Harry come with him to the Infirmary. Then he would have asked Harry to suggest his own punishment. Harry would have offered to quit Quidditch if he had done that.

But Snape doesn't seem to want to teach Harry anything, just to prove to Harry that he's wrong about this, that and the other thing.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's a good point.

I'm beginning to think more and more that part of Snape's task at Hogwarts was to make sure that Harry hated HIM above all others. That it's going to prove necessary in the end.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

SNAPE IS A HORCRUX AND HARRY HAS TO KILL HIM!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I still want it to be true!

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

If you compare Lupin's and Snape's reactions to Harry going AWOL to Hogsmeade in Prisoner of Azkaban, you can see how Lupin works. Snape tries to intimidate Harry, and Harry faces him down. Lupin only has to say a word about Harry's parents, and Harry feels terrible and vows to do better.

You could say that Lupin is more manipulative, and I think that's true. It's also true that Lupin puts a lot of energy into thinking about how to reach each student, at least each Gryffindor. Snape has the capacity to be an excellent teacher--his authority, his knowledge of and passion for his subjects--but he's too invested in being right where Harry is concerned.

This is a bit of a hobby horse with me, can you tell?

[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.