JKR's flipflop on Snape [Was: Snape's Destiny/JKR quotes/]

[mnaper2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 105261

> "K":
> 
> > > Royal Albert Hall Appearance 
> > > June 26 2003
> > > Q&A with Stephen Fry
> > > 
> > > SF: Where as most of the character, like Snape for example, are 
very 
> > > hard to
> > > love but there's a sort of ambiguity [...]in the first book we 
> > thought he was the evil one and a 
> > > aprt form Voldemort the most evil and in the second we thought 
that 
> > > and slowly we just get this idea that maybe he's not so bad 
after all
> > > 
> > > JKR: Yeees. You shouldn't think he's too nice, let me just say 
that.
> > > 
> > > SF: Right I shall bear that in mind. Worth watching Serverus 
Snape
> > > 
> > > JKR: He's worth keeping and eye on, definitely

Ally:

This quote is very interesting to me, because it's not the first time 
JKR has used it, and the context is totally different.

Prior to Book 4 coming out, she was asked a question about Snape and 
responded as such:

JKR: Snape is a very sadistic teacher, uh, loosely based on a teacher 
I myself had, I have to say. Uhm, I think children are very aware, 
and we're kidding ourselves if we don't think that they are, that 
teachers do sometimes abuse their power, and this particular teacher 
does abuse his power, he's not a particularly pleasant person at all. 
However, everyone should keep their eye on Snape, I'll just say that, 
because there's more to him than meets the eye, and you will find out 
part of what I'm talking about if you read Book 4.

The same warning - keep an eye on him - but in context, it seems 
quite positive here.  All we knew about Snape was what a nasty fellow 
he can be, so the "keep an eye on him" bit seemed to be JKR hinting 
at finding out a GOOD thing about Snape - that he was a spy working 
for the Order.  And this is only "part" of what she was saying when 
she said there was more to him than meets the eye.  

Now we're hearing that we shouldn't think him too nice and to keep an 
eye on him.  I wonder if JKR isn't perhaps playing a bit fast and 
loose here to keep us on our toes.  

I still think its quite possible that Snape will do something awful 
because he can't control certain impulses (DD's words "Some scars run 
too deep for healing" seem almost prophetic), but I also wonder if 
JKR won't ultimately paint Snape as a good man but not a nice man.  I 
would definitely think she was going to give him a mustache to twirl 
and a train track to tie Harry to, though, if it weren't for her 
using the same warning in apparently two totally inconsistent 
contexts.

I think it's quite possible that Snape did something that may have 
indirectly or directly contributed to the Potters' demise.  The way 
he flinches when Harry talks about hearing his mother scream after 
the dementor close call is quite suspicious - characters often flinch 
in the HP universe when something hits too close to home.  Maybe he 
was there that night and that will be the "not to nice" thing we 
learn about him, as someone else suggested.