Q: why readers love Snape (Was:Draco/ Snape parallels)

[david_p2002ca]

No: HPFGUIDX 33346

Eloise wrote (in part):

> Perhaps we're just all hopeless romantics. By the way, does Snape
> have any 
> male fans?

To which tex23236 replied (in part):

> Now, I wonder if the whole HP series is about Snape. 
> He seems to me to be the most developed character
> by the end of PoA. When we find out what he really is, 
> or when he is tranformed, it will be a major resolution 
> in the HP story.
> 
> To me, he seems like the cop in Les Miseribles where
> the struggle is between two ideas of good,
> rather than between good and evil per se.

Time to delurk myself... I can't resist a thread that encompasses 
two  of my favourite characters - Snape and Javert from Les 
Miserables.

I must say from the outset that I do not see any great similarities 
between the two.  Snape is a marvellously convoluted and complex 
concoction, both bitter and noble, who has undergone a virtually 
complete reversal in his life, while Javert is a rather stiff 
absolutist who suicides rather than accept change (I do love his 
song "Stars", though...)

What do we know of Snape?  Certainly, he is petty, seeming to enjoy 
arbitrary penalties and points deductions.  But if we look at his 
major actions, what has he done?  I would argue his actions have been 
almost exclusively designed to protect Harry.

Examples?
 
- The first Quidditch match, where he was attempting the counter-
curse until Hermione set him alight (PS/SS)
- The second Quidditch match, where he took over as referee to 
protect Harry (PS/SS)
- He went out to the Shrieking Shack to protect Harry (and 
incidentally Ron and Hermione) from a werewolf (PoA)
- He leaves Hogwarts to return to his former Dark Lord as a spy, at 
great risk to himself (GoF)

In PoA we are told that a spy within He Who Must Not Be Named's 
organization had revealed the plan to attack James and Lily - my bet 
is that it was our friend Severus.

So, let's think about this a bit.  James had saved Snape's life 
(discussed in depth in PoA).  Snape risks himself to warn of the 
pending attack against James and Lily - and it's all for naught; they 
die anyways.  But the Dark Lord is defeated, so Snape can return to 
an (almost) normal life.

And then, a decade later, a boy shows up at Hogwarts.  The spitting 
image of James Potter.  And all the unresolved issues between James 
and Snape are uncerimoniously dumped on poor Harry's head, with Harry 
having no knowledge at all of what had transpired in the past.  Yes, 
much of Snape's behaviour is childish and petty.  But his ultimate 
aims are good, his efforts are noble.

As for his DADA aspirations: given is past as a DE, who at Hogwarts 
would be better suited to teach the subject?  In the words of Fred 
and George, "He knows.  He's seen it all."

Just my two knuts.

David P.