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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.
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.
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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.
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