Did Snape betray his friends? Round 3.14159

[judyserenity]

No: HPFGUIDX 34801

Cindy said (about why Snape risks his neck after GoF):
> > > Oddly, this is a problem under all of the theories....
> > > It's also a problem under the Snape loves Lily theory, because 
> > > Snape continues to risk his neck after GoF when Lily is dead,
> > > dead, dead.

I responded:
> > Well, Harry still loves James and Lily, even though they are dead, 
> > dead, dead.  
 
And Cindy replied:
> Mmmm, it doesn't really seem like quite the same thing.  First, 
> Harry's motivation for risk-taking has never been to avenge the 
> death of his parents.  Ironically, Harry's motivation for risking 
> his neck in his confrontations with Voldemort appears to be 
> avoiding Harry's own premature demise....
> The Snape-Loves-Lily theory, on the other hand, says that Snape 
> performs all of these heroic tasks and puts himself in harm's way 
> for the stale memory of a relationship with a woman Snape never had. 
> If that's true, then that makes Snape, well, kinda pitiful, no? <g>


I prefer to think of it as a tragic and touching, not pitiful.

I'm not saying Harry has the same motives as Snape, just that 
emotional attachments don't necessarily end when the person you love 
dies. 

As for Snape carrying a grudge against Voldy for that long, hey, if 
there's one thing we know about Snape, it's that he's really good at 
carrying grudges!  

Anyway, my idea was that Snape finally realized how evil Voldy was, 
once Voldy went after the Potters.  Even if Snape "got over" his love 
for Lily, his worldview wouldn't change back. 


> I also said (on the Mercy theory):
> > Snape *hates* James for saving his life.  Snape 
> > doesn't hate Dumbledore.  
 
and Cindy replied:
> Actually, I think Snape has been straightforward about why he hates 
> James:  (1)  Snape tells us he thinks James was in on The Prank but 
> got cold feet; and (2) Snape is jealous, complaining about James' 
> arrogance, strutting around with his friends and admirers.
>....  (And it doesn't really make sense that someone would 
> hate someone for saving his life).

Well, in PS/SS, Dumbledore says that Snape could never forgive James 
for saving his life.  So, yeah, Snape has lots of reasons for hating 
James, but I don't think Snape would like Dumbledore if Dumbledore had 
saved Snape's life.  

-- Judy