Snape passionate about the dark arts? [was: Snape]

[severelysigune]

No: HPFGUIDX 89755

> "severelysigune" wrote:
> 
> > And there is still the fact that Dumbledore isn't 
> > really sympathetic towards practitioners of the Dark Arts, 
whereas 
> > Snape is passionate about them.
> >

> Siriusly Snapey Susan now:
> 
> Sigune, the point I'm addressing isn't your main point, but I still 
> think it's worth asking about.  Do we KNOW that Snape is passionate 
> about the dark arts?  Isn't one of the things we readers are often 
> cautioned about concerning JKR is that we should question 
statements 
> of "fact" made by CHARACTERS?  I know Percy first told Harry that 
> Snape wants the DADA post, and other students have said it, too, 
> saying something like "everyone knows" that he fancies the position.
> 
> But has Snape ever said--or DD or any other teacher--that he truly 
> wants the position?  I am just wondering whether "passionate about" 
> the dark arts might be going a little too far, for what we know of 
> Severus.
> 
> Please fire away if I'm way off and there is concrete evidence in 
> canon!
> 
> Siriusly Snapey Susan


Sigune again:
Erm - yes, it's true, we hear that from Percy... 

I would like to clarify one thing first: if I called 
Snape 'passionate about the Dark Arts' I wasn't referring to the DADA 
position but to a general interest, so I would like to split up my 
arguments.

1. Interest in the Dark Arts as a branch of magic:
We know - though, well, again not from Snape himself - that Snape was 
already into Dark Arts when at Hogwarts; that would be Sirius (or 
Remus? I haven't got my book here) saying so in OoP [somewhere after 
the Pensieve bit, where Harry wants explanations for James's 
bullying]. They explain James's antipathy towards 'Snivellus' by 
pointing out that Potter hated the Dark Arts whereas Snape studied 
them.

2. DADA:
June has made a good post on that one. She argues that the whole 
issue of Snape not getting the DADA position and applying for it year 
after year looks like something orchestrated to keep people in the 
dark as to Snape's true loyalties, and she remarks that the Dark Arts 
business fits in with his surface persona. 
That sounds very good to me and may very well be true. But it does 
not explain the fact that Snape already had the Dark Arts 'slur' 
sticking to him at school.

I don't know if this sounds at all convincing; I am aware of the fact 
that /again/ we hear that stuff from people who are biased.

Personally I like the idea of a Dark Sorcerer who isn't quite as bad 
as he looks at first sight; I can imagine someone taking an 
intellectual interest in the Dark Arts without necessarily growing 
into a Voldemort. I mean, they /are/ fascinating after all. Also I 
must agree with the person [sorry sorry, forgot who it was] who 
posted on another thread that they can't believe Dumbledore would 
trust Snape if he had killed Muggle(born)s under LV's command - 
though I don't know how he could have avoided it and stay alive... 
But then I suppose he would be cleverer than my humble self :).

Yours severely,

Sigune
- who hopes Severus Snape will replace Phineas Nigellus as the most 
unpopular Hogwarts Headmaster in history :).