[HPforGrownups] OOtP Spoilers: Snape

[jean lamb]

No: HPFGUIDX 63452

Ok. If Snape owed a Wizarding Debt to Harry because James saved his 
life
(though I suspect it was _very_ reluctantly given the over-all 
thuggish
behavior of James et al), and Peter (Wormtail) owes a Wizarding Debt 
to
Harry because of saving his life in PoA, then how big is the debt 
that Harry
owes Snape by now? Is Harry ever going to be made aware of this, or 
is he
going to care when he does find out? I very much fear that Snape is 
Harry's
Great Moral Test, and that he's going to flunk it big time. Also, 
Snape has
a deep personal interest in Harry learning how to block Voldemort 
out. For
one thing, Voldemort undoubtedly has learned from Harry's mind by now 
that
Snape is currently a spy, which makes Snape's life not worth two 
knuts. And
Harry knows who many of the other Order members are by now. 
Dumbledore would
have to be out of his mind to tell Harry more than he absolutely has 
to,
given how bad a security risk this kid is.

Harry is undoubtedly a very powerful wizard. He was able to break 
through
Snape's memory block before snooping into the pensieve, which is 
something
that Voldemort hadn't yet been able to do, given that Snape is still
breathing. He is able to summon a coherent Patronus (note that 
Hermione can
by now as well), and resist Imperius. Fortunately, he still thinks 
what
James did was wrong, even though it was only Snape who was being 
tortured
(quick note on underwear--unwashed underwear goes yellow, not gray. 
Gray
underwear is achieved by washing it too often without being to 
replace it.
This argues a poverty-stricken background on Snape's part. Now, 
whenever
Draco goes after Ron for being poor, Harry gets upset. But hey, it's 
only
Snape...).

But from I've seen in this book, Harry is headed down that path that 
leads
to a fiery precipice where he says, "The Ring is mine". I just hope 
that
Snape doesn't have to play Gollum. He deserves better than that, but I
suspect he's not going to get it.

Just my two knuts,

Jean Lamb
"Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for you are crunchy and 
good with
lemon drops."