In defense of Harry's honor/Dumbledore's parties

[innermurk]

No: HPFGUIDX 55801

There have been a lot of posts recently that rebuke Harry for never 
thanking Snape for saving his life.
I don't think that Harry's really had the chance to do so, and I 
fully believe that if that chance should come up, he would do so 
immediately.
In PS/SS Snape certainly saved him during the Quidditch match, 
(although it could be argued that Hermione was more effective and was 
the one who ultimately saved his life) but Harry was never in a 
position to know that he did until Quirrell told him so at the end. 
He couldn't rush out of the final challenge to thank Snape then, and 
he was lying unconcious for three days afterwards IIRC. Dumbledore 
never brought up exactly what Snape did to help Harry during their 
talk, and implied that Snape was trying to pay back a life debt he 
owed James, something Harry didn't know anything about. The fact is, 
there was very little time left in the stay at Hogwarts to allow 
Harry any interaction with Snape. Snape didn't come to visit him in 
the hospital wing that we or Harry know of, so he couldn't thank him 
there. Classes were over, so Harry didn't have any stay late for 
class excuses to interact with Snape. Unless he'd gone up to the 
teacher's table in the Great Hall during the feast (and with Snape's 
reaction to Gryffindor winning the House Cup would you have?!) and 
thanked him then, he really didn't have a chance.
Harry might've sent a note to thank him. We certainly don't know if 
he has or not. After all he buys presents for birthdays that we never 
hear about, and I'm sure there are other things that cannot fit into 
the plot. 
Its a bit of an awkward situation though isn't it? Snape has never 
come forward to tell Harry himself that he saved him, or was trying 
to help him. He's only ever been openly hostile towards him. If Snape 
doesn't know that Quirrell or Dumbledore mentioned him at all to 
Harry, he most likely doesn't have any reason to suspect that Harry 
knows at all. If they hadn't told Harry, he would have no reason to 
suspect that Snape was trying to help him.
It's exactly because Snape is so cruel to him that he suspected Snape 
of being the bad guy in the first place. And remember that it was 
Hermione that thought Snape was trying to kill Harry during the 
Quidditch match. Harry just took her word for it, because he had no 
idea what was up with his broom.
In POA Snape's whole "saving" of Harry depends on your point of view 
and which theory you subscribe to. When Harry was in the SS he didn't 
really need saving. So Snape might think he saved him and Harry knows 
he didn't. Why then should he thank him since in Harry's POV he was 
perfectly safe the whole time?
When Harry et all were being threatened by the dementors, Snape was 
lying unconcious. He didn't save Harry then, and in fact it could be 
construed that Harry saved him! Harry was the one who cast the 
Patronus Charm that stopped the dementors from giving him the Kiss. 
Would they have stopped with just him, or would they have cleaned up 
by giving everyone present the Kiss? We aren't sure how much time 
went by before Snape woke up and he could just as easily have become 
Dementor prey as Harry was.
We aren't sure if Snape knows exactly what happened that night, and 
so we aren't sure if he knows that Harry saved his life (or soul or 
both depending on how you look at it) We can just as easily say, why 
hasn't Snape thanked Harry for saving his life!?

Both situations are as follows:
Both saved the other without the other's direct knowledge.
Both would have to bring the subject up without knowing the whole 
story.
Both would have to admit some kind of misperception about the other.
Both would have to admit some kind of guilt/debt to the other.

I think they both decided that there were too many things underlying 
the stories to bring them up safely.

I'm sure there are other instances or examples that I've missed. I 
just wanted to stand up for Harry as I've never understood why he 
should be under attack for this particular thing. I believe Harry 
gives Snape an awful lot of respect for the treatment that he 
recieves from him.
Just to be perfectly clear.....I believe Snape has his reasons, but I 
don't believe they're all perfectly unselfish. And if his whole 
treatment of Harry is part of some larger plan that Harry isn't clued 
into, he shouldn't be so bitter that Harry doesn't particularly care 
for him. Taken at face value, he has no reason to.
Harry is a lot more forgiving than I would be. And I believe he 
wouldn't hesitate to save Snape again if it was needed.


On another note in a post a while ago (sorry I don't have the name or 
a reference) someone also said that Dumbledore attended several 
parties before coming to Privet Drive and that shed some sort of 
doubt as to his character. In my US version of SS, he says he PASSED 
several parties on his way. I always took this to mean he was trying 
to focus on the good of what happened (that Voldemort is gone and his 
reign of terror has ended) and is trying to help McGonagall do the 
same. He never said he attended any of the parties, just that he 
passed by them. I couldn't let DD go under that kind of attack and 
not stand up for him.


Innermurk 
knowing that Snapeologists everywhere will be rebuking me now as well.