Snape and the Edinburgh Festival

[severelysigune]

No: HPFGUIDX 111174

Let's continue this, for the sake of the argument :).

Neri wrote:
< OK, I'm adding "Snape biding his time" to the list of Snape 
theories, with author rights to Severely Sigune. But I don't think I 
buy it, and not only because of the lack of dramatic potential. I 
think it also suffers from one of the usual problems with Snape fans: 
they'll just assume he's that awesome, brave and altruistic guy 
without even noticing they do it. They'll say he's selfish, 
egocentric and "not nice", while making him behave like a hero.>


Sigune:
Exactly *how* is my version of Snape awesome, brave and altruistic? 
1) He's not nearly powerful enough to settle his account with Voldie 
on his own; b) he lurks by the sidelines, waiting for his chance; 3) 
he's working for himself, not anyone else. Not very heroic, or not to 
my mind.


Neri:
< In your theory, for example, you had Snape fed up with Voldy. Sure, 
I have no problem believing this, even if Snape is selfish and 
egocentric. But this does not explain why did he become DD's right 
hand man, and why is he volunteering to what is obviously one of the 
most dangerous jobs in the war. If he was just fed up with Voldy, his 
best chance was to disappear completely, change identity and find 
himself a DADA post (or even a Dark Arts teacher) in some school 
abroad, preferably a school with sinister traditions and gothic 
atmosphere that suits his tastes. Or, if he doesn't like teaching 
(and it doesn't look like he does), become an independent Dark Arts 
villain, free to follow his own interests in the level of good/evil 
that suits him.>


Sigune:
He became DD's right hand man - exactly. He improved his position no 
end. It's called career planning. He had no future with Voldy, but 
Dumbledore has offered him one.
Disappear completely and change identity? Much to obscure for an 
ambitious young man. He doesn't want to fade away, he wants to make 
it.
A school with sinister traditions? Why should he do that if he can 
have a post at the *best* wizarding school? Surely he doesn't care 
*that* much about the decor. And there is charm in being the /only/ 
Dark wizard in a place.
Independent Dark Arts villain? He's not strong enough for that; he 
doesn't rank with either Voldie or DD, magically speaking - though he 
may yet improve, he's still young. No, my theory says he seeks out 
men like DD and Voldy because he wants to learn from them and 
eventually best his enemies. He's not ready yet to be entirely and 
safely independent.
And I do think he likes teaching, strange though it may seem.


Neri:
< Instead he goes straight to DD, Voldy's big opponent, 
where he can't indulge in Dark Arts ...>


Sigune:
We don't know about that. What does he do in his dungeons in his 
spare time - with a library with a large Restricted Section at hand? 
We know DD lets him get away with a lot; why not some Dark 
experimenting, too? You could argue that a school like Hogwarts 
doesn't need such a collection of forbidden books in the first place, 
but they are there, aren't they?


Neri:
< ... or even become the DADA teacher, 
and is forced to teach Potions to idiot teenagers, look after the 
hated Harry Potter, fight on the side of the hated Gryffindors and 
serve two masters, DD and Voldy, at the same time.>


Sigune:
But that may have its advantages. In a sense, he always wins :).


Neri:
< I can't see Snape signing for this only because he enjoys the 
sports of deceiving Voldy and torturing students. So either he is 
really the brave and altruistic hero (and in this case why is he 
pretending to be so bad?) or he has some vendetta, some geis, some 
debt, or another twist of fate that requires being stuck in his 
current dangerous and far-from-ideal position. And such a twist of 
fate also has (how conveniently) much more dramatic potential.>


Sigune:
Altruistic he certainly isn't, and brave only in a Slytherin way. But 
I agree the stake must be something worthwhile for Snape risk so much 
in his work for DD. However - how about eventually winning control 
over the power nexus of the Wizarding World, Hogwarts? (See Carolyn's 
post 108963, which I find particularly enchanting). I'd say that's 
something worth fighting for.

And I don't think he pretends to be bad. He is the polar opposite of 
Remus Lupin. Instead of trying to hide his bad character traits, like 
Lupin so anxiously does, he flaunts them. That is all. And he has a 
sense of drama, of course.


Neri: 
< I believe Snape has a secret. There's a BIG reason why he changed 
sides, there's a BIG reason why DD trusts him, and our job as readers 
is to try guessing this secret.>


Sigune:
I'm doing my best, Neri, in my own modest way :).


Yours severely,

Sigune