OOP: James, Snape, God, Illustrations

[thursnext]

No: HPFGUIDX 62938

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Kewpie" <dkewpie at p...> wrote:
> > 
> > Me: 
> > The Snape was a special case rationale was that Snape never 
stopped 
> > trying to curse James, and James wasn't going to take that. Pg 
671. 
> > 
> > Did James stir Snape up to do that? Certainly, but I agree, 
James 
> did 
> > have to defend himself. Perhaps if he'd have let Snape get him, 
> this 
> > would all be over now, but I somehow doubt that.
> > 
> 
> Sounds more like Snape is the one defending himself. James is the 
one 
> who hexes people (the outcasts and loners who're minding their own 
> business most of the time) for no reason and do so purely out of 
> enjoyment for his boredom. He said so himself and Sirius/Lupin 
> confirms it. It's not a mutal, equal rivalry thing where he hexes 
for 
> defendo or whatever. And remember, Snape is not the only victim of 
> their cruel bullied ways.

Hi, I'm pretty new to this, and usually just a lurker, but I would 
like to suggest the possibility that the scene is not quite accurate.
I mean, we were looking at Snape's MEMORY/THOUGHT of a terrbly 
embarrassing event when he was 15. That was several years ago, and 
in a painful situation like that, why would it not have gotten worse 
every time Snape remembered it? We are seeing it from his point of 
view. James and Sirius would have appeared to their worst advantage. 
And they might appear totally different if we were to peek in 
Lupin's pensieve or James' pensieve. Also, it was pointed out 
several times in the book about how a 15 year old boy's view of the 
world is skewed and at times believes that everyone is against him 
and no one understands, etc...Was Snape really close enough to 
overhear all the conversation that took place under the tree, or was 
emotion filling in some gaps.
Just a thought.

Elizabeth - So happy to have discovered other grownups who read HP.