[HPforGrownups] Re: Still Life with Memory Charm

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 36968

Pippin:
>So Snape sets up Frank Longbottom planning to double cross 
>the Lestranges,  rescue Frank and catch the Lestranges in the 
>act. But the Lestranges, acting on information from their secret 
>ally, young Barty, start to suspect Snape and mislead him about 
>the timetable of the planned attack. Snape arrives on the scene 
>too late. The Longbottoms Sr are a gibbering mess, and poor 
>Neville appears to remember nothing about the attack, but does 
>keep a traumatized repressed (not charmed) memory of Snape's 
>wrathful arrival. 

I've already quoted this theory of Pippin's, saying that I couldn't cope with 
yet another of Snape's attempts at redeeming himself going awry.
Yet, methinks the theory has merit.
Working from my theory that Snape's mounting animosity against Harry relates 
to the increasing number of times he has thwarted Snape's efforts to perform 
some redemptive act of heroism, I wonder if his animosity towards Neville 
also has a basis in Neville's somehow being an unwitting agent in his 
parent's downfall. I haven't worked out how, but I'm sure someone can work 
out a suitable scenario. And then, as Pippin says, Snape arrives, all 
vengeful and puts the fear of God into young Neville.
Snape can't have seen what actually happened, as then he could have been a 
witness. But it would associate Snape with the occasion in Neville's mind. If 
Neville's presence had somehow contributed to the outcome, then it would in 
Snape's way of thinking, not just associate Neville with a failure but give 
him reason to hate Neville. And of course, not only can he not cope with 
incompetance generally (as he can't cope with incompetance in himself), but 
he feels in a circular sort of way implicit in the event from which Neville's 
incompetance stems, which makes him even less tolerant of it. 
An alternative, but less satisfyng scenario is simply that he resents the 
survival of this apology for a Longbottom after his failure to save his 
parents.

Eloise, hoping that someone will come up with some suitable convoluted theory.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]