MAGIC DISHWASHER and PERSIL AUTOMATIC/DARK LADLES/ Snape's character

[Tom Wall <thomasmwall@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52068

Eloise wrote:
I agree totally. For a start, it seems 
obvious (to me, at least) that the 
'old crowd' didn't know that Snape 
was spying for Dumbledore. If Sirius was 
part of that old crowd (and yes, Tom, 
that's an inference, but I think it's a 
fairly logical one) then why would he 
have been so surprised to hear that 
Snape was at Hogwarts? 

I reply:
I agree as well. I think I said that I thought it was a decent 
inference, too, but I might have forgotten to include that... always 
missing something. ;-)

It's not that I have a problem with inferences per se... as you can 
see, I make them myself fairly often. I think inferences are 
necessary in any analysis of canon, or of anything else, really. I 
like and really admire well thought-out, logical, believable 
inferences... for instance, the MD connection of Azkaban!Hagrid with 
the switch in Secret Keepers. I think that's a *great* inference.

What I tend to dispute are inferences that used so often that they 
are mistaken for canon. Nine times out of ten, that's the reason I 
ask anyone for canon support on a point. It's one thing to say that 
you think something is the case... just tell us it's an inference so 
that we all know what we're talking about. It's totally different to 
say that something *is* the case when you only think that it is... 
just my own semantic perspective. *chuckle*


Eloise wrote:
Snape had, after all, been warning Dumbledore about Lupin all year. 
He quite simply thought Dumbledore was wrong about him and finally 
took matters into his own hands. This is true, whether Lupin was a 
spy or not. In either case, we have to explain why Snape apparently 
remains Dumbledore's right hand man after such a blatant act of 
insubordination. I think it says a lot both about their relationship 
and about Snape's importance to Dumbledore's plans.

I reply:
I agree again - I think we're going to see a very Competent!Snape in 
OotP... IMHO, Snape's slip didn't really bother Dumbledore too much, 
and I'd submit that Snape, as a previous informant, is really quite 
vital to any plans that Albus is, um, planning. In other words, even 
if Dumbledore *wantes* to fire Snape, I really doubt that he would, 
because Snape's so significant.

It's also my pet idea (zero canon to support it, really, which is why 
I haven't ventured out on this particular rickety limb thus far) that 
Lupin, like Snape, is also way more important than we know just yet. 

First, I have a suspicion that Lupin was brought to Hogwarts 
expressly to deal with Sirius, although we're not given any canon on 
that. Second, given that he leaves very quickly at the end of PoA, I 
have this bug stuck in my head that Lupin went off to work on 
something for Dumbledore, since there's no need for him to deal with 
Sirius any longer. When I read that conversation between Lupin and 
Harry, I just kind of get this idea that Lupin is off on some sort of 
an errand. Third, JKR keeps saying that Lupin is one of her favorite 
characters - and somehow, I just think (or maybe, I just want to 
believe) that she'd give one of her favorite characters something 
very important to do.

-Tom