What is brave? (WAS Re: Snapers vs. Sirists; Snape knew about the passageway)

[ck32976]

No: HPFGUIDX 35153

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "lucky_kari" <lucky_kari at y...> wrote:
> 
> Does anyone ever act particularly out of bravery? Bravery is an 
> attribute of actions not their originator, unless you're really 
weird. 
>  Revenge, especially, no matter what its morality, has always been 
> thought to be a matter of especial bravery. 

I see your point!  People are often brave without realizing it.  I 
don't personally see revenge as a brave thing. _Sometimes_ I think it 
is more brave NOT to seek revenge, but that's just my personal view 
of it.  (Not that I don't believe in revenge...)

> Lupin and Black were highly skilled wizards. Of course, he needed 
to 
> fear them. Notice, though, how quickly he disposes of the two. 
Another 
> argument for Snape's competence.
 
I certainly will not argue that Snape is incompetent, for I find him 
to be quite a powerful wizard. But again, I don't think that fear was 
foremost in his mind.  I am having trouble arguing this point.  I 
don't really know how to address it.  I know that "Because I just 
think so" is not a very good argument, but in this case, that is how 
I feel about Snape's being brave... He absolutely has done brave 
things (spying on LV), and I suppose that here there may have been 
some bravery.  I guess the point I'm trying to make is not 
neccessarily that he wasn't brave, but that bravery wasn't his 
motivation.  Does that make any sense at all? I apologize if it 
doesn't, but I am at a loss as to how else to explain what I'm 
thinking.

> 
> "You're wondering, perhaps, how I knew you were
> here?" he said, his eyes glittering. "I've just been to your office,
> Lupin. You forgot to take your potion tonight, so I took a gobletful
> along. And very lucky I did... lucky for me, I mean. Lying on your
> desk was a certain map. One glance at it told me all I needed to
> know. I saw you running along this passageway and out of sight."
> 
> No mention of the potion's presence or non-presence, but it seems 
it's 
> not there, since Snape doesn't seem concerned about it, and Lupin 
> doesn't pick it up and drink it. 

I thought maybe he left Lupin's office in such a hurry that he may 
have left it on the desk. 

> So, we can add Snape to the number of people who were very stupid 
that 
> night, eh?

It seems to me that stupidity was running rampant on the Hogwarts 
campus that fateful evening.  Although we would probably not have 
much of a story if everything was cleared up nicely at the end of 
PoA, would we?  I suppose we need to be thankful, although it is fun 
to wonder what if...


Carrie