[HPforGrownups] Re: OOP: James, Snape,

[pjuel13 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 63889

I said:
>>Did he ask for it to be excused?

And Jens replied: 
>I certainly don't think Harry would have minded if Black or Lupin had said 
>something to make what James and Black did okay. Think of how often Harry is 

>compared to James and then think of what Draco would have had to do to get 
>Harry to attack him like James did.
>Had Snape done anything to that degree, I think Lupin of Black would have 
>mentioned it.

I'll try this again. I wasn't refering to Harry asking for an excuse I don't 
know where that was pulled from.
Perhaps I should have been more explicit when making the statement "Did he 
ask for it to be excused?" But since my comment directly followed "The only 
excuse out of Black's mouth" I made the obviously flawed assumption that it was 
obvious that -Black- was the person to whom I was refering when writing of 
asking to be excused. 

And again, we don't know what Snape did or did not do but it is just as 
reasonable to assume that Snape did rotten things as a kid too and took an active 
role in the feud between James and himself as it is to assume that he didn't. 
If we're to make assumptions from limited text evidence, which seems to be 
accpetable given some of the interesting assumptions I've already seen flung 
about, then how much of a stretch is it to believe that a man who chose to follow 
evil for a time while a young man did some pretty nasty things and held some 
pretty nasty views as a teen too?
But the point is right now we don't -know- and as is obvious, those who 
believe that Snape was a poor misunderstood waif who never did anything wrong 
-ever- and joined the Death Eaters for the tough tat and the stylishly goth 
wardrobe will build a case from the canon or lack of canon (since the assumption is 
now that "Lupin and Black would have said") to support their view and those who 
believe anything on the continum of possiblities beyond that single view will 
do likewise.

What Sirius and James did was repugnant but we can't presume from that event 
alone that Snape was forever the innocent victim or that he didn't also 
actively take part in what went on between James and himself. 
Nor can we assume that the pensive scene is the sum and total of who James 
and Sirius were, no matter how easy and tempting it is to do so. 

-Stripedog






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