Snape is an HONEST nasty person (was Lupin Is Not An Airhead! (WAS Remus: Once more with feeling, )

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 39273

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> wrote:
> Pip!squeak, responding to Cindy (I think), quipped
> 
> > > Now, is there any good reason to believe Snape here?
> >
> > Just here? Is there ever any good reason to believe Snape at any
> > point in the entire series to date? [grin] ( Except possibly when 
> > he thinks Harry isn't watching him).
> 

Amanda *growls*
> Point of fact. Snape is not a liar. Snape is an obstructionist, and 
> Snape firmly believes in his own interpretations of events. We may 
> disagree with said personal interpretations, but they *are* 
> honestly-held different interpretations. Snape has his faults, but 
> lying is not one of them. 

Hmmm....
I present to you J.K. Rowlings helpful definition of 'spy', which we 
know Snape was and possibly still is, given in the Sphinx's riddle in 
GoF (UK hardback p. 546).

	First think of the person who lives in disguise,
	Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.

Interesting when applied to Snape, huh? It's that I'm thinking of 
when I joke that as of the end of GoF we can't believe Snape at any 
time Harry may be watching him - unless there's other evidence to 
suggest he's telling the truth in his very own style (like with James 
and That Incident). Not a new idea, I know.

We don't know yet his real role in the Senior Trio, and we don't know 
yet whether it is essential to his cover that Harry genuinely 
believes Snape hates him. Certainly it might make it possible for him 
to survive going back to Voldemort; if there's one motive Voldemort 
truly understands it's deep hatred.

>I'm sitting here trying to think of one 
>instance where he has lied, and I'm pulling a blank (except 
>possibly about believing the kids were Confunded, which I don't 
> think he did).


Oh, now if Snape *is* under cover, the Confunded episode is 
completely brilliant. I mean, he can safely scream about expulsion 
all he likes with Dumbledore and McGonagall - they know what he's 
doing. But Fudge? Fudge really does have the power to insist Harry be 
expelled; or even taken to Azkaban 'for everyone's safety'. But Fudge 
also knows that doing this to the famous Harry Potter is not going to 
be popular.

So what does Snape do? He FIRST plants in Fudge's head a perfect 'get 
out' clause - the kids weren't responsible. They were Confunded. (And 
yes, he's lying. He's doing a Slytherin 'bad means are worth it for 
good enough ends') Then he tentatively walks a very difficult 
tightrope between keeping in character in case Harry has woken up, 
and *not* convincing Fudge to expel anyone. Look how many pauses are 
written for Snape's lines here.

Oh, and why does Dumbledore look as if he's 'quite enjoying himself'  
(PoA, UK hardback, p. 306) when Snape pulls his "Those darn kids" 
hysterics at the end of PoA? A valued colleague is having a nervous 
breakdown and you're having *fun*?

Or has Dumbledore had time to pull Snape to one side and say 
something along the lines of 'Look, you know I trust you, just do me 
a favour and trust me on Black. Now go in there and convince everyone 
that you hate Potter's guts.'

Is he enjoying the finest acting performance of Snape's career?

Pip
(who thinks that Snape is just as good an actor as Alan Rickman. And 
when Rickman gets to these particular scenes, Snape is going to chew 
the scenery with *style*)