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

[jenny_ravenclaw]

No: HPFGUIDX 39276


> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> wrote:

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).> 

and bluesqueak responded:
 
> 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.>

Okay, I'm a bit confused here by what you said.  If Snape is lying 
about the Trio being under a Confundus Spell, then really, he is 
helping them by excusing their behavior (hmmm, wonder why he didn't 
say they were under the Imperius?).  Is that what you are saying, 
bluesqueak?  Because if you are, then we are in agreement.  

I most definitely agree with Amanda here (we 'geists usually stick 
together, except when it comes to House Elves :-P).  I would find it 
hard to believe and even harder to accept if Snape turns out to be a 
bad guy after all.  JKR has made him deliberately vague and confusing, 
and quite unlikeable, which is exactly what makes him such a brilliant 
character. He is very real.  Don't we all know people who aren't very 
nice but aren't bad, either?  I work with someone very much like that.  
I think she is the nastiest woman I've ever met (she is certainly as 
nasty to me as Snape is to Harry), yet she is very involved with the 
school and the students and is generally liked by them.  *I* just 
can't stand her.  Snape, too, is a nasty man.  However, he is a very 
capable teacher and we have seen more times to refute that he is there 
to help Harry.  I am still impressed that he risked so much at the end 
of GoF to show Fudge the Dark Mark on his own arm.  That takes 
chutzpah!

One last comment here: Fudge.  We all know Fudge would never support 
expelling Harry, but I don't think he's the one who has the power to 
do so anyway.  Dumbledore is the the Headmaster of Hogwarts and 
Dumbledore alone is the one who has the power to keep or expell Harry 
or any other student.  Fudge may try to put pressure on Dumbledore 
from time to time, but Fudge has nothing on Dumbledore, IMO.

--jenny from ravenclaw ********