Snape/Pettigrew the martyr?

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 14036

Scott wrote:

 > --Wow, this is really interesting. I REALLY like this theory. Harry 
> does struggle with his guilt, and that is a real problem for him. 
> What would make Harry more guilty, killing Voldemort, or say having 
> Dumbledore die saving him from Voldy? And if Snape were to die to 
> save Harry (as horrible as it sounds) would he be sort of, glad. 
Glad 
> in a sense that he didn't have to die, and neither did oh say Ron, 
> Hermione, Hagrid or someone else.  The thought of the adult and 
> person (aside from Draco) that Harry hates the most giving his life 
> for Harry, and how he'd react to that is something that could bring 
> about a lot of possibilities. However this would probably be in book 
> seven and so there might no be a lot of time to explore Harry's 
> reactions.

I like this theory as long as JKR, in keeping with my plea a few posts 
back, doesn't make it too easy for us.  I want us to really care about 
Snape before he goes to his noble death.  Among the folks on this 
list, I don't think it's a problem <g>; kids, however, may still hate 
Snape absolutely, so they wouldn't feel the loss.  But she has a long 
time to turn that around. 

Now, Snape has already repaid his debt to James by saving Harry from a 
very nasty death in his first Quidditch match.  But I wonder how much 
other guilt SS is carrying around from whatever he did while a DE.  
I'm reckoning he has a lot of sins on his conscience that may not feel 
redeemed until he's done something spectacular against V.  Even if he 
was the spy who tipped off J&L, whatever redemption that should have 
given him may have been diminished in his eyes by the fact that they 
were murdered anyway.  (Yet another reason for him to hate Sirius 
passionately . . . it's not just a grudge from their teenage years.  
He still hates him for betraying J&L, which, as far as we know, SS 
still believes he did right up to the second-to-last chapter of GF.)

I was happy Peter didn't repay his debt in book 4.  I'm betting he 
will in time, but I would've been disappointed if it happened too 
soon.  It seems much more realistic that he'd do Harry a lot more dirt 
before grappling with his conscience and standing up against 
Voldemort--and he sure has.  (PPs don't do too well in these books, do 
they?  Peter Pettigrew, Piers Polkiss--if Muggles could be 
Slytherins, he'd be one--Pansy Parkinson.  Poppy Pomfrey is the 
exception.  But I think of Poppy as a nickname for Mary or Margaret, 
not sure why.)

Amy Z
still hoping Snape survives Book 7

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   "What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia.  Her lips tightened
 as they always did if he dared to ask a question.
   "Your new school uniform," she said.
   Harry looked in the bowl again.
   "Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."
                           -HP and the Philosopher's Stone 
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