Snape at the end of GoF

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 55720

Amanda wrote:

> For those of you who have missed this particular theme of mine (for 
it has
> been long since I harped it onlist), I think Snape has never really 
bothered
> to perceive anything about Harry. I think his immediate and lasting 
way of
> dealing with Harry was by dealing with him the way he wished James 
had been
> dealt with. In his view, James and his friends were always breaking 
rules
> and getting away with murder, and so he is doing his best to keep 
Harry from
> doing that. Probably equal parts of sublimation and revenge, both
> subconscious, with a conscious intent to protect and enforce the 
rules.
>  As for Draco, Snape lets him get away with stuff, because he, 
Snape, doesn't
> think *he* got away with stuff. If Harry et al. is James et al., 
Draco is
> Snape. The emotional reactions and "programming" were set years 
ago; Snape's
> been on "reactionary autopilot" where these children are concerned, 
ever
> since they met him. Only now, now that things have taken a serious 
turn and
> contingency plans have been activated, only now is Snape looking at 
Harry
> and seeing Harry more than he is seeing the past.
> 
> In my opinion, also, none of this is conscious. Snape is a proud, 
grown man
> and has much more to do with his life than lie awake thinking of 
how to make
> this child's life miserable. I think if he realized what he's 
doing, he'd
> stop. There are loads of ways to validate how he treats all of 
them, and he
> does this. It *is* a good idea to enforce rules.

Your interpretation of his reaction to Harry makes sense, although I 
think his treatment of Draco can be given a more practical 
explanation. Simply put, he cannot have Draco running to Lucius, 
talking about how Snape isn't bending over backwards for him. It 
holds true for his treatment of Hermione as well, which really didn't 
kick into high gear until after Draco and his "mudblood" routine in 
CoS. 

I've long suggested that Snape is maintaining a cover that is natural 
for him to maintain. I've long believed that he loved his status as a 
DE and it was something external -- the life debt to James, his love 
for Lily, some loyalty to Dumbledore -- that ripped him away from 
what he saw as a good thing.

He doesn't like who he is fighting with and really doesn't hate who 
he is fighting against, but his code of honor and perhaps magical 
covenants prevent him from living the life he truly wants to live, 
which makes him miserable.

You may have heard me say this before, but I think that if Snape is 
still alive after the big showdown, he gets away from the little 
Hogwarts brats as soon as possible. 

> And I personally think that he is, consciously, exercising a subtle 
revenge
> on the Malfoys by indulging Draco so; for Draco will be supremely 
unprepared
> to face any challenge or danger (unlike Harry, who already has 
experience
> with both, and much of whose ability to weather adversity comes 
from dealing
> with Snape). He cannot take the postive action of encouraging or 
helping
> Harry--for reasons both conscious and sub--but he can take the 
negative
> action of weakening Harry's enemy.

Makes sense, although unless something changes, Draco is so far away 
from being Harry's enemy that it doesn't make sense. When you've 
beaten Quirrellmort, slain a Basilisk, conjured up a patronus to fend 
off dementors and clashed wands with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, 
nothing Draco does seems all that important. Draco needs boosting if 
he is to be a credible enemy.

> And Amanda's Take on Snape, for the record and to state this again 
publicly
> closer to the release of OoP
> 
> I think Snape loved Lily.
> 
> I do *not* think they had any kind of a "thing" going or were ever 
a couple.
> I think he loved her and loves her still; I think he worked himself 
up to
> confess it to her; I think she let him down easy so that he does 
not hate
> her; I think she only later became James' girl.
> 

I realize this crosses canon in the form of Dumbledore's comparison 
of James and Snape to Harry and Draco, but I think it would be 
interesting if prior to Snape falling for Lily, James and Snape were 
friendly. 

> I think Snape harbors a secret horrible fear that Lily told James 
about this, which adds strength to his hatred of James.
> 

And if she told James, it's a safe bet James told Sirius and Lupin, 
which adds all the more humiliation to Snape. Yeah, I'd buy this. I'd 
also buy that Lily was the one who begged (or demanded) James go 
rescue Snape from the Shrieking Shack.

 
> I think Snape asked Voldemort to spare Lily, and Voldemort said he 
would,
> and then did not. Voldemort thus transgressed, according to Snape's 
code,
> and both Voldemort and Snape know Snape thinks this. This is my 
reason for
> believing Snape is the DE who "I believe has left me forever." And 
I think
> it *is* the final reason he will not truly completely go back, in 
his heart,
> to Voldemort. I think Dumbledore knows all this as well, which is 
why he
> trusts Snape so.

Also the reason why Voldemort should not be accepting Snape back into 
the fold. Perhaps V-Mort has forgotten all about it, or Snape talks 
his way around it. OR, V-Mort accepts Snape, knowing that he's a spy, 
which makes Our Man Severus in a pretty sticky spot.

 
> I think Snape's task was to return to Voldemort, pretend to have 
been loyal
> all these years, and resume spying. I think Dumbledore's anxiety is 
that the
> temptation of Snape's old ways and power (for he would hardly have 
been an
> effective spy unless he were highly placed) might be very strong. I 
think
> the glitter in Snape's eyes is what Porphyria analyzed it to be--
for Snape's
> eyes glitter whenever he is being angry, cruel, or calculating; to 
see it
> there, as he goes to do his task, worries Dumbledore.

He also, to Harry, "looked slightly paler" than usual as well as 
having glittering eyes, which could indicate fear, a sensible emotion 
to feel, going back to Voldermort. 

Again, I hope it's more complicated that just going back and 
saying: "Hi Uncle Voldie, I'm back. What's the plan?"

Darrin
-- Hiya Amanda. Long time no see.