Snape and Redemption (was: JKR's best interview)

[frumenta]

No: HPFGUIDX 75636

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Emily Rose <jedillore at r...> 
wrote:
> "John, C" <c.john at i...> 
<snip>
> But, we also now know that James tormented Snape in school and so 
his
> feelings of animosity towards Harry based on the treatment by 
Harry's father
> are fairly justified.  So, could you imagine what was going 
through Snape's
> mind during say Book 1 when he was trying to save Harry from 
Quirrell's
> broom jinx?  It could have been Dumbledore or McGonagall who tried 
to save
> Harry, but instead it was Snape.  He probably wanted nothing more 
than to
> watch the offspring of the school bully hit the ground from 50 
feet in the
> air, but instead he protected him.  I know it was a plot point to 
make it
> appear as though Snape was the bad guy, but given what we know 
about Snape
> now, it gives the act new meaning.

First of all, welcome to the list! Good to have another Snape fiend 
among us. Now, I think that for Snape to want to see Harry fall 50 
feet down to his death because of what his father did, would be a 
bit much, don't you think? 

We don't know Snape's exact motives there (could have been the life 
debt to James) but I'm thinking that although Snape has difficulty 
telling Harry appart from James, he doesn't want his *dead*. 
Expelled, maybe but knows that Dumbledore would never do that...

(can't wait for whatever Dumbledore will do to get Harry accepted 
into Snape's Potions class, next year)
> 
> Even so Snape isn't a good guy in bad guy's clothing.  He still 
pits Harry
> against Malfoy at Lockhart's dueling session well knowing that 
they were
> going to try and rip each other apart.  I'm sure he enjoyed 
watching it too.

Well... considering what an exceptional wizard Harry is, he was 
putting Draco in harm's way more than Harry. And there is the fact 
that he whispered in Draco's ear before Draco went to face Harry (a 
detail absent from the movie so perhaps isn't as important as I'd 
originally thought it to be). I always thought Snape told Draco to 
go for "serpensortia" to test his theory that Harry may be a 
Parseltongue (and was still shocked to discover that because it must 
have been a slight chance)

If there is something that makes me see Snape in a very unflattering 
light it's of course his treatment of Neville as well as his "I see 
no difference" comment to Hermione (which has been debated to 
death), esp. considering that Hermione in particular has always 
treated him with respect.
<snip> 

> By the way - this is a great list.  I love the ideas of adults 
reading and
> talking about Harry Potter books.  Rowling's world is way too rich 
for it to
> be just another kid's franchise from Warner Bros.
> 
> -e

Oh, i agree, this list is excellent. It contributes to keeping me 
and the people around me sane.

Mim