Snape Question
Sep. 16th, 2010 03:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kerravonsenQuestion for the Harry Potter fans on my flist: if Snape had not joined the Death Eaters at all, how would history have changed?
We don't know whether Snape joined the Death Eaters while still at Hogwarts, or after he'd graduated, but I suppose for the purposes of this question it doesn't really matter. The crucial part was the chain of events triggered by Trelawny's prophecy.
1. James and Lily were already married, and already had Harry, and had already defied Voldemort three times. (Does anyone remember how old Harry was when Voldemort killed his parents?)
2. Snape applied for the Potions position (or did he apply for DADA?)
3. Snape overheard part of the prophecy, and told Voldemort.
4. Voldemort targeted Lily and James.
5. Snape went to Dumbledore and asked for protection for Lily.
6. Dumbledore arranged for James, Lily and Harry to be hidden.
7. Sirius was suggested as Secret Keeper.
8. Sirius swapped with Peter as Secret Keeper.
9. Peter told Voldemort.
10. Voldemort killed James, offered to spare Lily, she interposed herself, died, then Voldemort's curse rebounded from Harry.
11. Sirius confronted Peter, and was framed by Peter.
If Snape didn't join the Death Eaters, I can posit that there could be a very different future, or a fairly similar one.
A. Snape doesn't tell Voldemort about the prophecy, Voldemort doesn't target the Potters, Lily doesn't sacrifice herself, Voldemort is not defeated.
B. Someone else (Peter Pettigrew?) tells Voldemort about the prophecy, Voldemort still targets the Potters, Dumbledore figures out the Potters are in danger without being warned, Lily still sacrifices herself, Voldemort is still defeated, and Peter could frame Sirius just as he did in canon.
Even if we go with option B, certain things will be different. Snape will be sad, but he won't feel so guilty. Mad-Eye Moody won't gunning for Snape.
Other things will be the same. Snape will still hate Harry without reason, and he will still loathe Sirius and Remus. And he's still likely to be dark and sarcastic, though not to the same degree.
If he is teaching Potions (rather than doing something completely different) he will still probably be a harsh teacher; being the youngest professor on staff would be enough motivation, to try to maintain discipline amongst students that he's not much older than. The amount of favouritism he shows to Slytherins would probably be proportional to the amount of favouritism Dumbledore shows to Gryffindors.
So what are your theories?
We don't know whether Snape joined the Death Eaters while still at Hogwarts, or after he'd graduated, but I suppose for the purposes of this question it doesn't really matter. The crucial part was the chain of events triggered by Trelawny's prophecy.
1. James and Lily were already married, and already had Harry, and had already defied Voldemort three times. (Does anyone remember how old Harry was when Voldemort killed his parents?)
2. Snape applied for the Potions position (or did he apply for DADA?)
3. Snape overheard part of the prophecy, and told Voldemort.
4. Voldemort targeted Lily and James.
5. Snape went to Dumbledore and asked for protection for Lily.
6. Dumbledore arranged for James, Lily and Harry to be hidden.
7. Sirius was suggested as Secret Keeper.
8. Sirius swapped with Peter as Secret Keeper.
9. Peter told Voldemort.
10. Voldemort killed James, offered to spare Lily, she interposed herself, died, then Voldemort's curse rebounded from Harry.
11. Sirius confronted Peter, and was framed by Peter.
If Snape didn't join the Death Eaters, I can posit that there could be a very different future, or a fairly similar one.
A. Snape doesn't tell Voldemort about the prophecy, Voldemort doesn't target the Potters, Lily doesn't sacrifice herself, Voldemort is not defeated.
B. Someone else (Peter Pettigrew?) tells Voldemort about the prophecy, Voldemort still targets the Potters, Dumbledore figures out the Potters are in danger without being warned, Lily still sacrifices herself, Voldemort is still defeated, and Peter could frame Sirius just as he did in canon.
Even if we go with option B, certain things will be different. Snape will be sad, but he won't feel so guilty. Mad-Eye Moody won't gunning for Snape.
Other things will be the same. Snape will still hate Harry without reason, and he will still loathe Sirius and Remus. And he's still likely to be dark and sarcastic, though not to the same degree.
If he is teaching Potions (rather than doing something completely different) he will still probably be a harsh teacher; being the youngest professor on staff would be enough motivation, to try to maintain discipline amongst students that he's not much older than. The amount of favouritism he shows to Slytherins would probably be proportional to the amount of favouritism Dumbledore shows to Gryffindors.
So what are your theories?
