Snape, James and Harry WAS Snape and Lily- I just can't see it

[bluesqueak <pipdowns@etchells0.demon.co.uk>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48112

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Darla 
<Talkative_alien_4000 at y...>" <Talkative_alien_4000 at y...> wrote:<Snip>
> I think Harry is more sensitive about his mother and 
> comments made about her then his father... After all, it's kinda 
> understandable. He remembers her scream as she *died* for him. And 
> call it crazy but I believe Snape realises this... and perhaps 
> holds himself back from bad mouthing her because of it. He is not 
> really such a bad guy... Yes, he allows his grudge against James 
> to overcome him often, but... I do believe he has a code of 
> morals, and iron self control, and enough sensitivity not to push 
> Harry beyound taunting and into the grounds of real, damaging     
> cruelty.
> Darla.
> ***********

Quite possible.
In PoA, Ch.19, Snape screams at Harry "You'd have died like your 
father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black." [p. 
265 ]. Earlier, in Ch. 14, he tells Harry his version of James 
saving his life, which is extremely unflattering to James.

But he has never, ever used against Harry what he must quite surely 
realise - that the father whose memory Harry idolises is the man 
whose faulty judgement killed himself and Lily, and nearly killed 
Harry himself.

In a sense, Harry is an orphan because James Potter *was* too 
arrogant to believe his friends would betray him. Dumbledore offered 
to be his Secret Keeper. James was warned that one of his friends 
was a traitor. [Ch. 10 of PoA]. But he preferred not to believe it.

But Snape has never said 'your father nearly got you killed', or 'if 
it wasn't for your father, you wouldn't be an orphan'. That has been 
left for Harry to work out. 

What Snape *has* said is that James wasn't a hero, wasn't a saint, 
and struck Snape, at least, as arrogant.

Which may well turn out to be quite true. ;-)

Pip!Squeak