OoP SPOILERS: Worries for Harry? Warning: Long Reply

[innermurk]

No: HPFGUIDX 58735

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, SnapesSlytherin at a... wrote:
> One, without getting angry, I'd like to point out that they're not 
excuses 
> for Snape.  *pause*  Sorry...getting angry.  I think there are 
better words for 
> what we would say.  Perhaps "myriad of other *ideas*", 
because "excuses" is - 
> never mind, not important now.  

Innermurk replies:
Ok, fine, excuses, ideas, they really come to the same conclusion. 
You're *excusing* his behavior with your *ideas*

Oryomai continues:
> You are defending Lockhart here.  It's not a double standard.  The 
reason 
> that Lockhart becomes all the things you mentioned (fraud, 
incompetent idiot, 
> braggart, and overall John Noble) is that HE COULD NOT CONTROL 
THEM!  If Snape 
> brought in Cornish Pixies, he would be able to stop them from 
throwing wands and 
> other things around.  But if Snape were to lock the Trio in with 
pixies, it 
> wouldn't be because he wasn't competent enough to get them back in 
the cage - 
> it really would be a test or something.  My hatred of Lockhart is 
showing here, 
> but I think that he should have known how to control the pixies 
before 
> busting them out in the middle of class - that was just stupid of 
him.  My point?  
> Lockhart *is* a fraud, he doesn't become one just because of the 
infamous pixie 
> incident.


Innermurk replies:
I WAS NOT defending Lockhart. (I guess I'd know what I was doing)
I understand that he really is a fraud. 
I just wanted to point out that people will tend to come up with 
*ideas* of how Snape isn't really what he seems because they want him 
to be on the good side despite all the (seeming to be) evidence 
against it.

We don't really know that Lockhart is a fraud until the end of COS. 
Until he reveals himself as one (unless he was just acting there as 
well) he could've been playing a brilliant role as a defender of 
Harry as much as Snape could be. And you have to admit that his 
version of acting is *much* better than Snape's. No one (not even the 
other staff members) would believe he was a brilliant double agent.

Now, do I believe he was a double agent? NO.
However, until the end of COS we didn't know that for sure.
We don't know what Snape's role is in all this. We won't know until 
JKR reveals it to us.
So,...I say there IS a double standard here.
You don't like Lockhart, and so we won't be seeing many *Lockhart is 
a brilliant agent for the forces of good, but that particular 
brilliant plan got thwarted when he was blasted with Ron's wand* 
theories but we will see many *Snape is a double agent and he's 
working for the good side and that's why DD trusts him* theories.

I think everyone got hooked up on the example I provided but failed 
to see what I was really trying to say.
Hopefully, it's clear as mud now :)

Innermurk