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

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 89756

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "severelysigune"  wrote:
> > SIGUNE:
> > > 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:
> > 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?  <snip> 
> > But has Snape ever said--or DD or any other teacher--that he 
> > truly  wants the position?   
> 
> SIGUNE again:
> 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 <snip>  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. <snip> 

Siriusly Snapey Susan:
Point well taken that we have some add'l. evidence that Snape was 
renowned for an interest in the dark arts while still a student.

Yes, I agree that June has put forth an idea that I like very much--
that Snape & DD have orchestrated this "apply for the DADA job & be 
denied" thing to perpetuate the impression that Snape could be a 
nasty guy. :-)  There's no more evidence for that than there is that 
Snape is PO'ed that he keeps getting bypassed...which I guess was my 
point:  we can't be positive whenever we're basing a position on what 
a character says is true about another character.

As for this--

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

--well, that's interesting!  I honestly never even contemplated Snape 
as headmaster, probably because I'm afraid he's toast before the 
series is through.

Siriusly Snapey Susan