Snape's temperament and D.A.R.K. L.A.D.L.E.S. (minor TBAY ref)

[marinafrants <rusalka@ix.netcom.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52079

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tom Wall <thomasmwall at y...>" 
<thomasmwall at y...> wrote:
>  Although I *firmly* believe that we're going 
> to see a Very-Competent!Snape post GoF, I don't think that Snape, 
pre-
> GoF has been much more than the angry guy that the text would 
> indicate. IMO it's great to work on background theories, but in 
> Snape's case, I'm not entirely convinced that it works.

Well, I think we have been seeing Very-Competent!Snape in many cases 
already, but it's not the same as Cool-and-Collected!Snape.  The two 
concepts are separate.  I think canon shows pretty clearly that 
Snape is a powerful wizard, an expert potions maker and a very 
intelligent man; and the mere fact that he's still alive and walking 
around indicates that he was also a competent spy.  But none of this 
precludes him being vengeful and angry, or having to continually 
wrestle with his temper, or blowing his cool once in a while.

> I *don't* think that the answers lie in what is *not* there.
> 
> I would say that PA/DL (still out on that one) is, perhaps, 
PRESSURE 
> COOKER with an agent twist... 'cause I don't recall anything in PC 
> that would indicate an Agent!Lupin, although I could very well be 
> wrong.

I'm afraid there *are* no agents in PC.  Everyone is acting on their 
own, following their personal agendas.  Pettigrew's escape and his 
life-debt to Harry are unpredicted consequences of an unpredictable 
situation.  Dumbledore can make use of these things now that they've 
happened, and he intends to, but he did not plan them in advance.

If you must have an agent, though, then Agent!Lupin is more 
compatible with PC than Agent!Snape.  Especially since I agree with 
your inference that Lupin was brought to Hogwarts for the express 
purpose of helping the staff deal with Sirius, so in a way, he *was* 
there as Dumbledore's agent, even if it wasn't in the way DL 
posits.  (And even if his concealment of important information made 
him an extremely flawed agent.)

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com