A loophole at last?

[rj_anderson]

Ever since I read DH I've been feeling a bit sad that I can never write a canonical conclusion to my Darkness and Light trilogy. I'd intended to at least write something about Maud visiting Snape's grave if that should become necessary, but even that's impossible now, because JKR's made it plain that Snape never had anyone like Maud in his life -- it was all Lily, all the time, or as he said himself, "Always." I suppose one could still try to sandwich Maud in there, but it would end up being pretty one-sided on Maud's part, and therefore pathetic at best, if not downright creepy.

However, I have just realized that JKR left me one glimmer of hope... not about Snape, but about Uncle Alastor. You see, unless I'm misremembering, Mad-Eye's body was never found. All we ever saw was his fake eye, and that could easily have popped out when he tumbled into a haystack somewhere. Yeah, yeah, I know it's unlikely considering that Voldemort himself cursed him in the face, but work with me here.

So here is the idea I don't have time to write, but it makes me feel a little better just thinking about it: After being struck by the curse, which was not a Killing Curse because... uh... Voldemort decided to use a different and less fatal curse just for kicks, Mad-Eye fell from the sky and lay terribly injured and near death until a nice witch named Imogen Crump found him, hid him and nursed him back to health. Which took a long, long time, and happened far away from the main action so nobody knew about it. Yeah. And...

...

Oh drat, you can't fix injuries caused by Dark curses, right?

*wilts*

*shakes fist in the direction of the UK* CURSE YOU, JO!

*sigh*

No, not really. But it was harsh of her to kill off both Snape AND Mad-Eye, I think.

Comments

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

You didn't expect Mad-Eye's death?

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I hoped that he might survive, in much the same way I hoped that (by some miracle) Snape might. Though it seemed to me Mad-Eye had a slightly better chance at living -- but obviously JKR wanted to drive home the point that not even Constant Vigilance would be enough to protect the good guys from Voldemort.

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

I figured Moody would die teaching Harry how to destroy the Horcruxes and thus set off more tension creating the idea that the Horcrux could only be destroyed with a death and/or destroying them is very dangerous.

[risti.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, I found myself wondering the same thing. That is, that Mad-Eye could have survived. If only because there was no body, and the eye still managed to make it's way to Delores/The Ministry. Too many mysteries where they say never to believe a character is truly dead until you at least see a body...

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

Ah but ... remember, the curse at 12 Grimmauld Place still operates even after Mad-Eye is presumed to be dead. I think that is some evidence that he survives; there are other instances even within Book 7 where a spell or curse dies at the caster's death. So we have canonical evidence for his survival.

[jenny-moss.livejournal.com]

I feel unsettled about the way Snape was handled. I agree with a lot of what "Courtney" on the blueboard said about him. I feel there was a missed opportunity there -- for something more lasting, beyond the book.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I think she made her point well.

[(Anonymous)]

could we have a link? i'd like to read that :)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

It's here (http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php?topic=20425.msg212255#msg212255), sorry about that.

[ozratbag2.livejournal.com]

But it was harsh of her to kill off both Snape AND Mad-Eye, I think.

No body, no confirmed death, though in Mad-Eye's case, his eye as a trophy in the door might just count as a confirmed death.

Snape though - well, I still think he might have got out of it. I am a Snape-optomist after all. :p

[sunsethill.livejournal.com]

Love, love, love the icon. I wish I had figured out the whole process of acquiring other people's icons, because I would definitely steal that one.

I almost wonder if Jo didn't let us see Snape's body or his ghost just so we could write and read fun "Snape survives somewhere" stories.

[ozratbag2.livejournal.com]

Love, love, love the icon.

That icon is by Grym and I picked it up at the Snape Icon Archive. I'm away from home, so I can't check the web address - and a quick search hasn't helped either.

...I wish I had figured out the whole process of acquiring other people's icons,...

Just go to my profile page, then look in the right hand corner. They'll be a pic of my default userpic, then a link saying - 'see all userpics'

Hit control+C, then control+V (once you have a folder open for pics on your computer and it should copy. If not, The Snape Icon Archive has a huge range of Snape icons, including my default icon.

This icon is by the very talented cunning_croft

[sunsethill.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you.

Runs to try it out.

(Sometimes it's rough being a geezer in the online world.)

[ozratbag2.livejournal.com]

My pleasure. :)

Did it work?

[sunsethill.livejournal.com]

Yes, with the help of my 17 yos. "All" 50 year olds need a 17 yos to help them navigate the complexities of the computer. And now I will stop spamming Rebecca's LJ, but I did want to thank you.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

Oh drat, you can't fix injuries caused by Dark curses, right?

Not completely, but you can live with some of them. George's ear doesn't appear to keep bleeding all his life or anything.

And Voldemort has opted for less deadly curses on occasion. Personally, I suspect they're less energy-intensive.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Also, if he kills someone, there is no space left for all the gloating and bragging he loves to indulge.

[risti.livejournal.com]

Drat you, you now got me theorizing on how Snape could still be alive. The reasoning is in my journal...

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that's interesting! I hadn't thought of the bezoar angle. But I think the others are right about Snape dying from loss of blood rather than being poisoned by Nagini's venom per se.

[infiniteviking]

:(

*grasps at any straw* Voldemort's used other curses, hasn't he? Crucio, especially? I can see him, with his invincibility complex, saving his own Killing Curse for Harry. And that curse doesn't leave physical injuries.

[singingtopsy.livejournal.com]

Well, you know...
The Snape-loves-Lily motivation is only really prominent in the memories leading up to Snape switching sides. Afterwards it's not really mentioned until Dumbledore and Snape have their big confrontation (the "Always" bit) and Snape cries over Lily's letter and rips the photograph. Also, considering that the fact that Snape's Patronus was STILL the silver doe after "all these years" seemed to shock Dumbledore to tears, it suggests to me that Snape wasn't going "Lily Lily Lily" during those intervening years. Meaning he had some additional motivation to serve the Light (like a conscience? good sense? honor?).
So, if I were Snape, and I was trying to fulfill my mission with my dying breath (giving Harry the information he needs), I would cobble together the memories that would most effectively convince Harry to believe the information he receives (and perhaps clear my name). I wouldn't necessarily give him a full, balanced look at my life and character. A Maud, or whomever, would simply be distracting. Just because you feel loyal to the woman you loved and whose death you *accidentally* caused doesn't necessarily mean you can't truly fall in love with someone else, does it?
And that is my very tenuous "Lily Obsession" loophole.

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on this. I'm still willing to believe (a) Snape survived and (b) Maud fits in just fine.

[singingtopsy.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, really? How did he survive? (I agree with the Maud/OC sentiment wholeheartedly).

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

See rose_in_shadow's comment for one faint possibility, below...

[rose-in-shadow.livejournal.com]

Poor Maud. Demoted forever to the realm of AU?

It's easy enough, I think, to make Snape survive. risti brought up the point that Snape was a potions master, knew that Lord V had a poisonous snake that he liked to sic on people, and didn't bother to carry a bezoar? Then again, of course, if he died from blood loss, that could be a lot tricker since I think those injuries were proving tough to close up if I recall from Ootp...

But anyway, clearing all that away, perhaps you could wrangle how Snape's first love was Lily, but he did have room in his heart for Maud? Rather like people who've lost spouses they've loved, but managed to remarry?

I'm grasping at some very slender straws here. *L*

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I obviously need to write another fic called "If Snape Survived". :)

[rose-in-shadow.livejournal.com]

Heh. Perhaps for your ficathon meme? ;)