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

[frumenta]

No: HPFGUIDX 75820

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tara" <killerwhaletank at h...> 
wrote:
> Hello all.  This is my first time posting to the list, and I had 
to jump in
> on the Snape discussion.
> 
> e wrote:
> > Until book 5 I was never very fond of Snape as a character.  He 
seemed to
> be
> > there as yet another way to make Harry's life miserable.  But 
after
> reading
> > the end of Book 5 I suddenly realized that Snape and Harry are 
in the same
> > boat when it comes to Voldemort and that makes some of Snape's 
actions in
> > the earlier books much more interesting.
> 
<snip>

  I always thought that one of the reasons Snape was so eager to
> drop the Occlumency lessons was because perhaps some of these 
memories that
> he was seeing of Harry's had the danger of humanizing Harry to 
him.  I don't
> think Snape wants to feel anything other than dislike for Harry.  
I'm not
> saying it's the entire reason, but I wondered if it wasn't a 
factor.

> Tara

That's a *very* interesting theory (one that hadn't occured to me at 
all, I must admit). It could be that to an extent Snape staged the 
pensieve incident (he was certainly pushing his luck with removing 
his memories in front of Harry and then just leaving the pensieve 
out,  knowing Harry to be as curious as an army of cats)

And it ties with other behaviour from Snape. He wants to hold on to 
his grudges and his hatred every way he can and probably doesn't 
trust himself sometimes not to be convinced (the scene at the 
Shrieking Shack where he bound and gagged Lupin comes to mind. I 
always read that as Snape not wanting to listen to Lupin afraid the 
werewolf might convince him.) 


Mim