Getting out of Life Debt

[sistermagpie]

I was reading this thread today about the Most Complicated Life Debt Theory Ever, and I realized I never really put down my thoughts of how the Life Debt works or how it can be paid down anywhere. I blushingly confess that as usual I manage to bring this back to Draco, though it's really about Snape.

The Life Debt seems like one of those Metaphorical Bits of Magic in the Rowlingverse to me. When asked if Ginny owed Harry a Life Debt JKR replied that no, she didn't really. Of course not. Having your life saved by your knight in shining armor is something a girl would dream about, not fear as something that puts her in his debt. That's what knights in shining armor do. It would be rude to suggest a pretty girl owes a guy such a thing. It’s a privilege to save her!

So what is a Life Debt? Well, we've got two in canon that we know of, Harry saving Peter and James saving Snape. Both cases where the saver, by the rules of the Potter Heroes, had probably earned the right to let the other guy die, scary as that is. The "Life Debt" is just a magical way of speaking about that awful feeling of knowing that somebody you never wanted to be attached to at all is now the reason for your existence, and the person you always wanted to be superior to has saved your arse.

In the case of Peter, this is obviously going to lead to something, but I honestly don't know what. We saw Peter nervous about using Harry for the ritual in GoF, which could be connected to that as well as Peter's general good sense. Dumbledore says Voldemort now has a servant in Harry's debt. However, whatever happens, the only way I think Peter could literally *repay* the debt would be to die, experiencing the death that Harry saved him from.

Does this mean Snape is going to die? Well, he might, of course. That would free him from the Debt--if he died protecting Harry. Then he would be experiencing the death he avoided when James saved him, and dying for the sake of James' son, which James would accept. Harry being James' son would be key there, because the father would willingly accept Harry for himself in this case. In a sense Snape is doing something more valuable for James than James did for him.

Snape could not, imo, have paid his debt simply by saving James, because the point of the Life Debt is that you yourself have every reason to want the person dead and the only reason to really save them is that it is right to show mercy. Once Snape has been saved by James, he no longer has the freedom to make that decision. He will already owe it to James. Similarly, Snape can not free himself just by saving Harry's life, because Harry does not have the same relationship to Snape that James did. Snape has many good reasons to save Harry beyond mercy, and no true reasons (even by his own pov, imo) to want him dead. He is James' son, but he has never made Snape feel the way James did. Unless he dies doing it, saving Harry doesn’t feel like enough.

This is where Draco comes in. This isn't a prediction for the way things are going (though JKR has certainly set it up so that it would work if she was going that way), but just a way of illustrating how I think the Debt works. In order for Snape to be free of the Debt without dying, or perhaps to free himself from the Debt before death so that he dies debt free and his own death is a noble sacrifice on top of that, the debt *could* be repaid through Draco saving Harry. Way before OotP, I think, I remember arguing with someone over Snape's debt to James and trying to explain why Snape might not feel the debt was fair. Back then I used Harry and Draco as an example: Imagine Harry thinks the Slytherin trio is up to something. He's following them. Really they've got this monster that eats non-Slytherins. Goyle gets the idea to trick Harry into the tunnel where it lives. Perhaps Draco suggested it as a joke or something, if it seems too much for Goyle to come up with on his own. Harry slips into the tunnel, thinking to catch the Slytherins at something nefarious. However, when Malfoy finds out about the Prank at the last minute he thinks it's a bad plan--it will get them in too much trouble, it's too risky, it's just not something they can do, as much as he hates Harry. So he drags Harry away. Now Harry owes a Life Debt to Draco. Wouldn't he be furious? Wouldn’t Malfoy still be the same bastard he’s always been? That’s Snape's situation.

As of HBP Draco is still free enough that if he saved Harry for some reason, it would be like James saving Snape. Harry has never saved Draco. Draco hates Harry, Harry sent Draco's father to jail, Harry almost killed Draco. Sure Draco has always been rotten to Harry--but so had James been an even bigger bully to Snape, it seems. So Harry could owe Draco in that type of situation in ways he could not owe Snape.

Where it becomes more important is this--just as Snape's Unpay-able Life Debt to James is somehow transferred to James' son (making it even more unpay-able) in Snape's mind and perhaps on some mythical level, so could Harry's debt be used to pay back Snape's. Both Life Debts would then be earned freely, so be of equal worth. More importantly, it would be up to Draco making a free choice to offer his Debt to free his father figure, a son paying his father's debt. That, on a mythical level, works. It's also more of a resolution because first, it breaks the cycle. Instead of just winding up with the reverse of PS/SS where Harry owes a Life Debt to a guy he can't stand, giving him reason to resent him and possibly giving Draco a great way of driving him crazy and perpetuating the endless Gryffindor/Slytherin fight, they're literally even. Harry is free, so has no reason to hate Draco for saving his life. Draco has given up his hold over Harry, thus making his original Life Saving more valuable. This evens things up even more than Snape dying to pay his Debt. That story is about one man’s Debt which he carries all his life, this one has family, school houses and society making peace with each other for the sake of that Debt.

For Snape it's even more valuable, because of the way it gets back to that love theme. Snape has no children in the series, but JKR's been careful to set Malfoy up as the Snape Jr. proxy in school. It's Snape, not Lucius, who mentors and protects Draco in HBP, who sticks with him through his adolescent outbursts and willingly lays down his life to protect him. Remember how in Beauty and the Beast the Beast has to not only learn to love but earn love in return? Here goes Snape doing that—possibly without even meaning to, which makes it more valuable. Draco's willingly giving up his Life Debt because he'd rather do something good for Snape than do something bad to Harry would be a genuine offer of love. And not too out of character either, after all. It's not like Snape hasn't done a lot to earn Draco's affection, or like Draco is a character impervious to that sort of thing. In fact, Draco's been pretty much slotted into the "sins of the father" role throughout the series, especially where he takes Lucius' punishment in HBP. We’ve also seen scenes that show Draco does feel positively towards Snape.

As I said, this isn't a prediction. I don't by any means think this is the way it has to go. But I think that even if it doesn't, the way Rowling has set Snape up in his Debt says a lot about his character. She gave him good reasons to resent James' saving him instead of the petty ones Harry originally imagined before he knew how genuinely cruel his father could be to Snape. She has him reminded of his Debt by Harry without ever really establishing the idea that he's magically compelled to do so. And she did give him this friendly relationship with Harry's own hated classmate and reminded us of it in each book, ultimately presenting him with a grieving mother willing to do anything to protect her son--a sort of distorted version of Lily. She has him vow to protect this kid even while the kid is fighting him. If Snape unrequitedly loved Lily and became bitter, here he's potentially dealing with rejected love again and hanging on. If Draco were to change sides and do the right thing, I don't doubt he'd credit Snape for saving him as much if not more than Dumbledore.

It's hard to really understand Snape's feelings for Draco, mostly because we rarely get to see them alone together. But if Rowling has planned out an elaborate redemption for Snape, his positive relationship with this kid is probably an important part of it, especially if it was natural on Snape's part. I mean, I can see Snape reacting to Draco's tantrums in HBP by thinking well, it's not like he'd expect anything else. As much as the kid might have looked up to him at 12 of course he didn't really feel anything for Snape. Not like he'd feel for Lucius or like Harry would feel for Dumbledore. To have Draco--anyone--spontaneously think Snape was important? That just might be an important piece in the puzzle that is the redemption of Snape.

I guess in some ways it seems like a necessary piece. That you’ve got someone who’s so bitter and is perhaps has confined himself to only ideals and codes of honor because he doesn’t believe in love—or rather, is so certain that it’s not something he will ever get. So it’s only where he’s not consciously thinking about it, where he’s not thinking about himself (it’s not romantic love where he wants the person for himself, and he’s always recognized Lucius as Draco’s father while he’s just a Potions teacher), where he gets it. Not the flowers and candy grand romantic love of It Girl Lily Potter but the no-less passionate love of the scrawny, over bred, obnoxious pointy kid with circles under his eyes. It's a personal affection between two people to balance out the more impersonal code of right and wrong. That's important too.

None of which helps me pay my student loans.

Comments

[teratologist.livejournal.com]

Can we tape-record this and play it to JKR while she sleeps?

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

LOL! Maybe beam it subliminally through her radio and TV...

[earth-magic.livejournal.com]

I've been trying for ages to work out this whole Life Debt thing because there doesn't seem to be any real order to it. I now must bookmark this post and read it again when I don't have a headache *g*.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Hope it holds up without the headache! (And just that the headache doesn't last)

[q-spade.livejournal.com]

When asked if Ginny owed Harry a Life Debt she replied that no, she didn't really. Of course not. Having your life saved by your knight in shining armor is something a girl would dream about, not fear as something that puts her in his debt. That's what knights in shining armor do. It would be rude to suggest a pretty girl owes a guy such a thing.

Ah, but...As any woman who has had a guy pay for the entire check can tell you, the "knight in shining armor" always, always expects payback. Looking at it that way, I suppose it was inevitable Ginny would put out for Harry at some point – she does owe him after all! (Leave it to JKR to say NO when she means YES!!!) ;)

The "Life Debt" is just a magical way of speaking about that awful feeling of knowing that somebody you never wanted to be attached to at all is now the reason for your existence, and the person you always wanted to be superior to has saved your arse.

There's definitely an element of humiliation there, and feeling forced to deal with mutual enmity. You just can't walk away from a no-win situation in the Potterverse; you're stuck with it forever and ever until either you accept it or you die. Lovely, isn't it?

More importantly, it would be up to Draco making a free choice to offer his Debt to free his father figure, a son paying his father's debt. That, on a mythical level, works.

The concept of the child paying for the past inappropriate actions of the parent is a hallmark of Ancient Greek drama; the Gods have exceedingly long memories, and will haunt a family to the end of its line if an ancestor has caused displeasure. The idea of Draco (A BLACK!!!) saving Severus by being owed a debt by Harry is pretty clever, and – if the three manage to come to an agreement – would make for a far superior "moral stance" than Bad Nasty Teacher Dies To Save Harry.

That you’ve got someone who’s so bitter and is perhaps has confined himself to only ideals and codes of honor because he doesn’t believe in love—or rather, is so certain that it’s not something he will ever get. So it’s only where he’s not consciously thinking about it, where he’s not thinking about himself...where he gets it. Not the flowers and candy grand romantic love of It Girl Lily Potter but the no-less passionate love of the scrawny, over bred, obnoxious pointy kid with circles under his eyes.

I can totally get behind that – the ones you thought were the "villains" of the series end up showing the hero what love – Philia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philia) – is really all about. :D

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

Looking at it that way, I suppose it was inevitable Ginny would put out for Harry at some point – she does owe him after all!

This is why I will loathe H/G unless Ginny saves Harry's life at some point.

Not that I'm wild about it even now. Ginny's characterization or lack thereof still bugs. But I've seen it coming even pre-OotP, and I don't hate the idea of it in general--except for the part where Ginny owes Harry. Because she does owe him, whether she's got an actual magical life-debt or not, and when they end up together it's going to seem like he gets her body in exchange for saving her life. Which, yick. JKR should take a lesson from Dorothy Sayers about the inadvisability of relationships where one party owes an enormous debt of gratitude to the other.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Looking at it that way, I suppose it was inevitable Ginny would put out for Harry at some point – she does owe him after all! (Leave it to JKR to say NO when she means YES!!!) ;)

Pretty much. Though I totally agree with the post below that JKR has gone out of her way to say no, this totally is not what's going on she swears! Which is kind of weird because you'd think Ginny would feel indebted to Harry, but no. She won't be, like, guilty around Hermione either. It's like her actions have to consequences. Because she's really just there to be a love interest. It seems like those are literally the only kinds of actions of Ginny's that have meaning.

There's definitely an element of humiliation there, and feeling forced to deal with mutual enmity. You just can't walk away from a no-win situation in the Potterverse; you're stuck with it forever and ever until either you accept it or you die. Lovely, isn't it?

Yes! It's a manly manly world! No compromise! No peace without victory!

The idea of Draco (A BLACK!!!) saving Severus by being owed a debt by Harry is pretty clever, and – if the three manage to come to an agreement – would make for a far superior "moral stance" than Bad Nasty Teacher Dies To Save Harry.

The NTDTWH being something I'd love to avoid at all costs. I love the whole Black family saga, Greek Tragic overtones included.

I can totally get behind that – the ones you thought were the "villains" of the series end up showing the hero what love – Philia – is really all about. :D

Wouldn't it be great? I mean, we've seen the good guys love and frankly, it makes them look bad. Let's see how those "evil" folk manage it. They honestly seem to be better at it. Even when they're insane and violent, they've got style.

[trobadora]

This is the first Life Debt theory I've read that makes perfect sense to me. I've always been puzzled about why certain life-saving actions produce a life debt and others don't, but this explanation is perfect, and very Potterverse (i.e. slightly mean-spirited but not nonsensical). But it's not just how it works in your theory, but your description of what could be done with it that makes it so fabulous - there would be a point to its existence, which I don't think is there if all it does is lead to Snape dying for Harry. Thank you!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

i.e. slightly mean-spirited but not nonsensical

Exactly! If you follow that rule you can't go wrong.:-)

I admit it's the point to it that makes me like it too. I'd just love to add something beyond payback, plus you can see "bad guys" actually having feelings for each other. I think Snape deserves it.

[mariannec.livejournal.com]

My allergies must be acting up, am tearing up as I read this.
Brilliant as always.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

:-D

[ljash.livejournal.com]

Ohh dear. I had managed to escape HP thoughts for a while. I guess they're dragging me back. This is too interesting.

Where in canon is the Life Debt mentioned? I only have the vaguest recollection. I'd especially like to see where it's mentioned in relation to Snape (is it Dumbledore telling Harry about it?). If Snape owes James a Life Debt because James decided not to kill him that day, he'd be apoplectic (slightly unfairly stated, but not entirely).

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

If I can't drag myself away from HP thoughts I will suck others in!

I honestly can't remember just how much we know about Life Debts in canon. When Snape's was first brought up I always assumed it was something he just felt, like a debt of honor. I think it's in PoA when Dumbledore explains re: Peter that it's deep and ineffable magic. But I still think that in Snape's case the magic is kind of irrelevent. It's just an affront to his personality and he wants to pay it.

[violaswamp.livejournal.com]

I've never thought Snape was under a formal life-debt. I thought it was just that he felt himself in debt and hated feeling like that. Because honestly, if we're supposed to believe that James had the same excuse for letting Snape die as Harry would have had for letting Pettigrew be killed...well, fuck, that totally kills any pretensions Rowling might have about her books being "moral" like she wants them to be.

But whether it's a "real" debt or not, this scenario works and is fascinating and I really hope she goes somewhere in this direction.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

I agree-like I said above, I think with Snape whatever magic there is or isn't is irrelevent. It's just part of his personality to be bothered by this and want to make it right. With Peter maybe the magic would come more into play because he doesn't really have a sense of honor. With Snape it's just something to highlight what he feels.

And yeah, the idea that James was doing anything other than the minimum ethnical thing to do in not letting Snape get KILLED BY A WEREWOLF is ridiculous. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't Dumbledore who put the idea into Snape's head that he owed a debt to James over it. I don't think James deserved anything more than acknowledgement that yes, that was the right thing to do.

[lilith-morgana.livejournal.com]

Now Harry owes a Life Debt to Draco. Wouldn't he be furious? Wouldn’t Malfoy still be the same bastard he’s always been? That’s Snape's situation.

But you're forgetting that James was a good person, whereas Snape was always ugly and evil and also an OMG RACIST with petty tricks and stupid hair and cramped massmurderer-esque handwriting.

(I'm sorry, I'm high on snark today.)

It's Snape, not Lucius, who mentors and protects Draco in HBP, who sticks with him through his adolescent outbursts and willingly lays down his life to protect him.

I swear to those powers I don't believe in that Snape and Draco will break my heart in the final book. (Go team Snalfoy! Go! Beat them all!)

In my head, book 7 will have a Draco who's initially very careful around Snape, very suspicious of his motives and everything he does - probably telling Snape this, too, in his teenage ways - only to end up wherever Snape ends up, OUT OF LOVE. Oh the love.

*cough*

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

But you're forgetting that James was a good person, whereas Snape was always ugly and evil and also an OMG RACIST with petty tricks and stupid hair and cramped massmurderer-esque handwriting. (I'm sorry, I'm high on snark today.)

LOL! I'm sure that's the guiding thought on it though, don't you? So far, at least, I haven't noticed any of our guys being under debt to any bad guys--even Snape, who seems to be risking things for them.

I swear to those powers I don't believe in that Snape and Draco will break my heart in the final book. (Go team Snalfoy! Go! Beat them all!)

In my head, book 7 will have a Draco who's initially very careful around Snape, very suspicious of his motives and everything he does - probably telling Snape this, too, in his teenage ways - only to end up wherever Snape ends up, OUT OF LOVE. Oh the love.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I just had to repeat that bit because I loved reading it. I'm picturing Book VII being like, "And there's Team Snalfoy pulling ahead in the emotional drama stakes. I think they may just come out the winning characters in this series..."

[lotesse]

Yay on Life Debts as metaphorical magic--you make so much sense, girl. *Heart*

Also? That sheds quite a bit of light on the creepy of Harry/Ginny. Apart from the Ginny-Lily thing, I can so see them as a "do -blank- and she'll have to put out" situation. Ick.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Heh--one of the things about Ginny, to me, is that she's always just been the love interest. Anyone could have been in the CoS. Ron would actually have been a far more interesting choice, storywise. So it's kind of hard to not see it as just a necessary obstacle in Harry's romantic path.

Life Debts

[talanoa.livejournal.com]

I blushingly confess that as usual I manage to bring this back to Draco

Ah. But everything is about Draco. We know that. ♥


I really, really like this metaphorical explanation of Life Debts, and how they might be paid off, but I think it's quite possible to see Life Debts to be less about the savee's feelings and more as a bit of magic dependent on the saviour's intent.

I think for a Life Debt to be made, the saviour has to make an active, conscious choice to save the savee's life, and the action that saves them has to be made primarily in order to save them. That is, you can't accidentally do somthing that puts somebody in a Life Debt to you, and you won't be in Life Debt to somebody if your saviour are primarily fighting for their own life.

When Harry destroys the Diary, he does so to destroy Tom and save his own life; at that moment Harry is not presented with the choice "do I want to save Ginny's life, or not?", he is fighting Tom with all his resources. Ginny surviving is just a by-effect. (That doesn't make the Hero -- H/G any less icky, though.) It's the same with Grawp, he doesn't choose to save Harry and Hermione from the centaurs.

In Snape's case, though, and Peter's, too, their saviours consciously choose to save them, a bit like giving them a reprieve. I think this intent (the mercy of the saviour?) behind the saving action is what creates a Life Debt.

I'd love to see Draco save Harry's life as a result of what he has learned from Snape, though. :)


In the case of Peter, this is obviously going to lead to something, but I honestly don't know what.

I think Peter does have to die if he is to repay his debt, like you suggested. He also has to die because he is already dead in terms of the Wizarding world; he's been buried, he's been given the medal, he's been mourned -- what he has left to do is to earn his hero's death. I think he will end up giving his life for Harry, or possibly Remus.

Re: Life Debts

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Ah. But everything is about Draco. We know that.

Too true.

I think for a Life Debt to be made, the saviour has to make an active, conscious choice to save the savee's life, and the action that saves them has to be made primarily in order to save them. That is, you can't accidentally do somthing that puts somebody in a Life Debt to you, and you won't be in Life Debt to somebody if your saviour are primarily fighting for their own life.

I totally agree. And I think that's something Rowling would be aware of. The scene in the Tower is a different thing, but related in that it's important that Draco establish that he's in control, and then lower his wand, rather than have the DEs bust in before he's come to that place inside himself.

The other good thing about this is I do like the idea of James actually having to admit that he considered letting Snape get killed. Or at least that he had to realize that he shouldn't be killed, if that makes sense. Harry hasn't actually really done that with Draco. He had something similar with Sectumsempra when he almost killed him and then was just saying no, that's not what he meant to happen and later felt guilty. But it's not quite the same realization that no, he doesn't want this person to die, and they don't deserve this.

I'd love to see Draco save Harry's life as a result of what he has learned from Snape, though. :)

Oh, me too. I don't think that plotwise there'd be anything OOC in Draco saving Harry if the opportunity arose. It doesn't suddenly make him Mr. Nice Guy or Harry's bff.

he's been buried, he's been given the medal, he's been mourned -- what he has left to do is to earn his hero's death. I think he will end up giving his life for Harry, or possibly Remus.

I totally didn't think of it that way but you're right--I love it.

[seaislewitch.livejournal.com]

I blushingly confess that as usual I manage to bring this back to Draco, though it's really about Snape.

Two of my favorite characters...it's a must read!

This is a great essay, as usual, and I do like your theory about Draco paying back Snape's debt to James by saving Harry. (That's a mouthful.) Merlin, I hope that happens!

I see Snape as a mentor for Draco as well. Snape's been guiding Draco since he's been at Hogwarts, which leads back to the Prefect selection--just another way Snape was trying to influence Draco. I think Snape was already going to try to protect Draco before the Unbreakable Vow. To what extent is unknown, but I think you're right about Snape caring about Draco and Narcissa. (And not in a naughty way...unless we are talking Narcissa.)

Post HBP Draco is mad that Snape killed Dumbledore because he took away the chance of escape Dumbledore offered. He will be suspicious of Snape, just as you mentioned--without a doubt. Somewhere along the line, they will play a role in the downfall of Voldemort. Then Draco and Pansy can marry and live the life they are entitled to live. *smirks*

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

ITA with everything.:-) It's funny because on the list where I started thinking about this the question came up of Draco owing Snape for the Vow etc. and I realized it seemed important to me that he didn't owe Snape. That is, I think this whole incident is very important for their relationship and it should effect him, and hopefully it will lead to a more mature reciprocal affection between them. But Draco was right to reject Snape and Narcissa's help and to not acknowledge the vow, even as it put him in danger. He had to grow up and experience this stuff to be any real help later on. On some level Snape may even understand this. He should understand it, really, because if he switched sides he might realized that sometimes you have to experience this stuff to really understand it.

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

nope, you don't know me, found you through a friend and realized you're also on the HP4GU list where I lurk (and gosh, doesn't that make me sound like a horrible stalker, so I'm friending you). I've always found your posts there very reasonable and well-thought out, especially when smacking down some particular lameness.

And this one was too. Life-debts are not very well explained in the text, IMO, but I think you teased out a good theory for why JKR introduced them at all and what they might be good for. Besides making Snape even more ambiguous, anyway -- is he bad, good, or bad-but-being-magically-compelled-to-be-good?

Your theory also gives me at least a smidgen of hope that Snape may actually make it to the end alive, after all. So for that, yay! (But Peter is so dead)

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Hee-thanks and welcome! I'm glad I don't sound to crazy on that list.:-)

I do hope this theory means there could be some hope for Snape. Even if he does die I'd like him to die with some dignity, not just "he deserved it for being so unpleasant to all the nice characters" or whatever.

But yeah, Peter is so dead.

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting theory, although if Harry ends up owing Draco a life debt that could be a bit too neat. I much prefer it to Snape dying to repay the debt, though. Would Dumbledore have owed a life debt to Draco if Snape hadn't killed him, do you think? Not that Dumbldore seems like he would mind.

After reading the comments on H/G and gratitude, I was thinking aout Norse Mythology again. Sigurd rides through fire to reach Brunhilde, and when he marries someone else she feels betrayed. In Brunhilde's case the whole thing was a test of courage for her future husband, which Ginny's obviously wasn't, but maybe it's more like Girl gets the Hero. If someone goes to the trouble of rescuing her they'd better be going to marry her as well.

[khilari.livejournal.com]

That was me.

[(Anonymous)]

Just delurking to say congratulations on another thought provoking piece of meta- I love your writing! Great explanation of the Life Death scenario. I love the thought that there might be some way for Snape to get out of Book 7 alive, but if Rowling is going for a redemption tale with his character I really can't see her letting him out of it alive, simply because he killed Dumbledore, and irrespective of whether this was on orders or not, in the morally black and white, good or evil world that Rowling has constructed up to this point (at least in the struggle against Voldemort and the Death Eaters) the only way that Snape could be excused this sin is to repay it with his own life (an eye for an eye so to speak). This would also fit in with him making up for his past misdeeds as a Death Eater. If she were to spare Snape it might involve an acceptance of moral grey areas in life (something that sometimes comes with growing up, which is a major theme of the books). I really hope she goes this way, but part of me fears that her target audience (which includes a large number of children) may influence her in keeping things more straight forward with the boundaries between right and wrong more clearly defined.

[meganinhiding.livejournal.com]

I love this theory but I'm too pessimistic to think it will happen. I like this because of the parallels between Draco/James and Snape/Harry and I would love to see a positive relationship that doesn't involve Gryffindors, but I have this ominous feeling that it will be Snape sacrificing himself for Harry so that the power of love will defeat Voldemort. I'm not to keen on love as the weapon against LV, partly because of the way Dumbledore was yammering on about it and partly because it sounds like what comes across as a shallow teen infatuation will save the world.

[quivo.livejournal.com]

I'm not to keen on love as the weapon against LV, partly because of the way Dumbledore was yammering on about it and partly because it sounds like what comes across as a shallow teen infatuation will save the world.

In a nutshell, that's totally me. *rolls eyes* I mean, it would mean more if the relationships weren't so shallow or so cut-and-dried, or if Ginny wasn't merely Harry's Love Interest And Future Life Partner - if she questioned herself more, like others above you noted. I guess I'm pessimistic as well, cos I don't see JKR really finishing the whole arc off in a more satisfactory manner than it is that she's been pretty much hinting at. *le sigh* That's one of the things that makes me so perversely into improbable, non-canon-supported ships like Harry/Draco and so on - the entire series would be wickedly interesting if it deviated from the path to take the road less travelled by teenage epics in the same style.

[discordiana.livejournal.com]

I think it would be supercool if Harry ended with the Life Debt -- but (total tangent) I'd like some heavier hinting at the other parallel everyone likes to forget: James/Harry and Snape/Draco. Even though... I really don't want Draco to owe Harry a Life Debt. Conundrum?

Conclusion: you're so smart and awesome.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

How am I suddenly behind on all these comments? Not very smart or awesome of me!

Thanks!

I would so love Harry to have a Life Debt to Draco. I mean, Harry's already almost killed him so it's just not fair for Draco to owe him. I can imagine Draco not even believing it was true--the universe never works in his favor that way!

[sarahtales.livejournal.com]

The no-less passionate love of the scrawny, over bred, obnoxious pointy kid with circles under his eyes.

Maybe I'm amazed at the way I love you.

Every time I'm out you speak and I'm in. Damn it! Why don't you write fic? I must write fic!

Once I get back from Montreal, I am going to cry at you over that line so hard. I love it.