rm | HP -- incoherent version with lots of !!!!!?!!

Okay, I think we still have _no_ idea where Snape's loyalties lie. First Dumbledore might not be all that dead.... phoenix anyone?

Second, protecting Draco is the only choice Snape can make that allows him to show some loyalty to each side -- protecting Lucius' son and protecting a Hogwarts student. Snape's hands are already dirty (probably moreso than JKR will ever share with us in a children's book), regardless of whose side he's on, truthfully, how does this really make it worse? In the end a lot of people are going to be after his head either way.

Also, regardless of whose side he's on, he had to have gotten a charge over getting to kill Dumbledore either permanently or temporarily. He _grovelled_ to this man. This man has owned his life. Regardless of how he feels about Voldemort, I can see a lot of ways he could justify choosing Draco's life over Dumbledore's. Especially when Draco isn't jsut another student, Snape's known Draco all of Draco's life.

Anyway... no, Snape is not a nice guy. And he's walking a finer line than I ever thought, but people who are sure he's with Voldemort? I'd say think twice. He may be on noone's side. No matter what though, I think he's finally wound up in over his head in a way he can't fix.

Also, Kali and I laid the groundwork for a fanfic series this morning. Which is about the whole Lucius/Narcissa/Bellatrix/Severus/Lestrange clique shortly after their graduationsfrom Hogwarts. Once we solve timeline issues we'll be writing soon.

ETA: And as I continue to read... I'm right. it's Snape! It's fucking Snape is the HBP!!!! Oh, I just adore him more than ever now. Stupid pretentious teenager. Ah sigh. And I knew the second it talked about crushing that ingredient with the side of a silver knife... JKR always goes into details about his skill and precision with knives when doing potions (he may even do that exact crushing with the side of the knife in the first or second book, but that could also be a false memory, since I've spent a lot of time on the subject of fannon Snape). I knew it. hahahah! Dude. Poor guy.