[HPforGrownups] Snape (and a bit about Sirius/Hagrid

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 34778

In a message dated 05/02/02 21:07:01 GMT Standard Time, 
ritadarling at ivillage.com writes:

> Also, with Igor, he appeared to give no real secrets of which side of the 
> fence he sits.  All he did was tell him if he was afraid that he should 
> flee, and that he (Snape) would make his excuses.

An interesting little exchange, if one thinks about it . What are its 
implications?

First of all, Snape has no reason to do Karkaroff any favours after Karkaroff 
at his hearing attempted to betray him in order to save his own neck. Yet he 
does. Why? 
Is this a glimmer of humanity?. It could certainly on one level be construed 
as a 'good' action on a personal level, a rare thing for Snape, as is the 
fact that he seems to have forgiven Karkaroff's action (presuming he knows 
about it).
Does it also put into context the infamous prank? If he can let bygones be 
bygones with Karkaroff, then why not with Sirius?
I think we have a perception problem here. As I said the other day, I think 
we've got this whole prank thing way out of proportion. Not in the sense of 
it 'only' being a bit of schoolboy high spirits that got out of hand - I for 
one think it was a bit more serious than that -  but because I don't think 
it's Snape's main *adult* motivation in his behaviour towards Sirius. I think 
that for him it is more important as an indicator of how the man *can* behave 
- proof in Snape's eyes, if any were needed that Sirius  was quite capable of 
being the one who betrayed Lily and James and killed Pettigrew and all those 
muggles. The only time that I can recall Snape *himself* bringing up the 
subject is in this manner: to remind Dumbledore of Sirius' potential 
violence. It is others who assume that it is this is his *prime* motivation 
for hating Sirius, just as so many people assume that Snape wants the DADA 
job, when in fact the only canon evidence is student hearsay.
(Incidentally, for me *this* is where Snape scores over Sirius. He has good 
reason for both distrusting and hating him, based not just on childhood 
enmity, but on what he believes he has done as an adult - and as Dumbledore  
says, his actions are hardly those of an innocent man. Sirius on the other 
hand has simply not got over a childhood hatred and cannot admit that their 
bad relationship has anything to do with him.)

Secondly, he is doing something that he seems to feel is risky. Karkaroff is 
afraid, but *he* is going to see things through . Karkaroff is faced with the 
choice between fleeing and returning to Voldemort. Snape is choosing a third 
way: loyalty to Dumbledore. (I however am staying at Hogwarts : and I *don't* 
just think as some have suggested its because he's safe there - he 
unquestioningly goes to do whatever it is when Dumbledore sends him).

I think that this exchange is perhaps where we glimpse the best of Snape.

Marina:

> Hmmm.  It is correct that Dumbledore trusts Snape, but I don't 
think 
> it is the same sort of trust that Dumbledore has in Hagrid.  
> Dumbledore trusts Hagrid with his life, and Hagrid has a blind 
> loyalty to Dumbledore.  I think Snape is held in lower regard; 

I find it highly worrying that Dumbledore would trust Hagrid with his life. 
In fact I have a dreadful feeling every time I see/ hear that passage at the 
beggining of PS/SS that this is a prediction of his end. Look at all the 
mistakes he's made in his good-natured, loyal way. Yes, Snape has done things 
against Dumbledore's orders, but one could argue that in the Lupin case he 
was almost being too vigilant. He is utterly and completely *convinced* that 
Dumbledore is wrong about Lupin and although his action is petty and spiteful 
and laced with all sorts of nasty revengeful motives, at the same time I 
think he thinks he is just doing what Dumbledore himself should have done a 
long time ago if his vision wasn't blurred by all that fuzzy forgiving 
niceness. I don't think Dumbledore questions his loyalty for one minute. And 
I know which of the two I'd trust with *my* life. Loyalty IMHO isn't improved 
by blindness.

Eloise


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