MuggleNet contributor Irvin joins Andrew, Eric, Micah, and Laura inside Snape’s gloomy childhood home for Chapter 2 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, “Spinner’s End.”
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Hit play on the episode above, then read on for the highlights of our discussion.
A Chapter Full of Spun Stories
“Spinner’s End” takes us somewhere we’ve never been before: Snape’s house, in the same grim Muggle town where he grew up near Lily and Petunia Evans. Narcissa and Bellatrix show up uninvited, Wormtail is lurking around as a reluctant housekeeper, and everybody is lying to somebody.
Irvin found the perfect way to read the title. “This whole chapter is just people spinning tales and lies about each other,” he said. Snape, Bellatrix, and Narcissa are all telling their own versions of the truth, and the chapter never tells us which side Snape is really on.
Why Does Snape Still Live There?
The house is shabby and neglected, which got the hosts wondering why Snape stays. Micah thinks there’s some trauma at play. Over the course of the series, we learn that Snape’s father was abusive toward his mother and toward Snape. Eric agreed it’s “not a home of happy memories,” and pointed out that an accomplished wizard could easily fix the place up with magic if he wanted to. The fact that he doesn’t might say he’s still stuck there mentally.
Irvin had a simpler explanation. “I think he just couldn’t be bothered,” he said. Snape spends most of the year at Hogwarts, so why decorate? Laura added a more emotional reason. Snape “tries to keep Lily close as much as he can,” and living in the town where he first met her is one way to do that.
Bellatrix and the Fox
Before the sisters even reach Snape’s door, Bellatrix kills a fox because she thinks it might be an Auror. Eric called it “the first death in this book.” Andrew wondered if the innocent fox might be a symbol for Draco, who is about to be caught up in something he can’t escape.
Laura saw it as a warning about Bellatrix herself. She’s “trigger happy,” Laura said, with her sanity “hanging on by a thread.” If she’ll kill a fox on a hunch, she’s capable of anything.
Bellatrix and Narcissa: Sisters on Different Sides
Bellatrix spends the chapter trying to stop Narcissa from going to Snape, and Irvin thinks there’s real love under all that aggression. “Narcissa is probably the only person in the world whom Bellatrix actually loves, aside from Voldemort,” he said.
Still, the two sisters have very different priorities. Narcissa will do anything to save her son, while Bellatrix’s attitude is closer to “if I had sons, I’d give them up to the Dark Lord,” as Irvin summed it up. Irvin pointed out that this contrast is deliberate. Narcissa joins the long line of mothers in the series, like Molly and Lily, who will sacrifice anything for their children. Bellatrix is set up as the complete opposite.
Irvin also asked a great question: would Bellatrix rather be right or wrong about Snape? She walks in announcing that she doesn’t trust him and comes armed with receipts. Eric thinks she desperately wants to be right. Bellatrix has fallen out of Voldemort’s favor since the disaster at the Ministry, and exposing Snape as Dumbledore’s spy would put her right back at the Dark Lord’s side. Irvin added that Snape may be the only Death Eater who is anywhere near her match in magical skill, which makes him a real rival.
Bellatrix Is the Reader
Bellatrix grills Snape about everything. Where was he when the Dark Lord returned? Why didn’t he kill Harry when he had the chance? Why does Dumbledore trust him? Laura pointed out that “she’s the reader in this case.” Bellatrix is asking all the questions fans were asking in 2005, and Snape calmly swats every one of them away.
That had the hosts remembering how they felt reading the book for the first time. Eric thought Snape was good, then got shaken when Snape killed Dumbledore. Irvin came out of this chapter convinced Snape was evil, since it seemed like he was laying out exactly what he was doing. Laura believed Snape was good but saw “lots of shades of gray.” Micah even wondered if Snape was reading Narcissa’s mind and improvising the whole time, though Irvin pointed out that Deathly Hallows later shows Snape already knew about Draco’s mission from Dumbledore.
Did Narcissa Trap Snape With the Unbreakable Vow?
The chapter ends with the Unbreakable Vow, and Irvin broke it down step by step. First, Narcissa asks Snape to watch over Draco. Then she asks him to protect Draco from harm. Only then does she add the big one: if Draco fails, will Snape carry out the deed himself? That’s when Snape’s hand twitches. “Narcissa 100% trapped him there at the end,” Irvin said, and Andrew agreed that the twitch shows Snape didn’t see it coming.
Eric wasn’t so sure Narcissa planned it. He thinks she was too emotional to come in with a scheme. She showed up hoping for help, and when she saw an opening, she took it. Either way, Snape is now bound to finish the job if Draco can’t, and readers know exactly what that job is.
Who Is the Better Chess Master, Snape or Dumbledore?
The hosts closed with a fun debate. Andrew picked Snape, pointing to Snape’s line that he has played his part well. Laura agreed, since Snape is the one who has to play both sides and adapt Dumbledore’s strategy on the fly when something like an Unbreakable Vow comes up.
Micah went with Dumbledore. Snape has played his part well, Micah said, but “he’s played it well at the direction of Dumbledore.” He did give Snape credit for being the much better liar. Irvin also sided with Dumbledore for a simple reason: Dumbledore never got trapped into a promise that puts his life on the line. Snape keeps everyone guessing in this chapter, and he’ll keep readers guessing until the very last page of the series.