[HPforGrownups] OOP First Reactions (Spoilers)

[Kimberly Dawkins]

No: HPFGUIDX 64364


On Sunday, June 22, 2003, at 07:56  PM, inkling108 wrote:

> Spoiler alert!
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> One thing I did not quite understand was what exactly Harry was
> blaming Snape for at the end when he resolved never to forgive
> him.  True, Snape stopped giving him lessons when he
> discovered him peeking into his  most private thoughts, but 
> surely Harry must recognize that he was partly responsible for
> the breakdown of that situation.  He can't expect Snape not to be
> a human being with human reactions -- can he? If Harry is
> honest with himself he can't blame the fact that he was unable to
> block out Voldemort on Snape.  He never took the lessons as
> seriously as he should have, despite numerous warnings, and
> he never tried  to apologize to Snape for violating his privacy.  I
> hope he doesn't think he must hate Snape as a way of being
> loyal to the late Sirius.   Harry really does need to clear his head
> and grow up fast if the second, overt war against Voldemort   is
> about to start.
>
	
Harry really does need to be able to clear his head, but, at the time 
he thinks that he will "never" forgive Snape, he has not been able to 
do that yet.  After all, it has only been 3 days since Sirius died.  
And for a fifteen year old, especially one who sees only the black and 
white of things, "never" is a reasonable time period.

Now for what he will never forgive:  everything.  Snape is Harry's 
scapegoat.  He needs someone to blame because he is overwhelmed with 
emotion.  In Dumbledore's office:  "...he [Harry] felt a savage 
pleasure in blaming Snape, it seemed to be easing his own sense of 
dreadful guilt..."

	Snape sneered at Harry when he warned him of Sirius's peril
	Snape goaded Sirius about staying in the house
	Snape made out Sirius was a coward
	Snape stopped giving Occlumency lessons
	Snape made it worse...Harry's scar hurt worse after the lessons
	Snape hated Harry's dad

Not forgiving Snape for any role he may have played in the events 
leading to Sirius's death gives Harry some respite from his own 
overwhelming sense of guilt.  Harry is comfortable hating Snape; it has 
been a constant in his life for five years now.  I just hope that JKR 
has a plan to get these two characters to a point of mutual respect if 
not friendship by the end of the series.

Kim

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