Snape's Trustworthiness

[anthyroserain]

No: HPFGUIDX 103682

pandrea100:
> I'm not sure I agree JK made a mistake or didn't realise Snape's 
> impact.  After all, if in book after book Harry & co suspect that 
> Snape is bad only for him to be proved good, would it not get 
really 
> silly?  You can only cry wolf so many times before people stop 
> believing you.  I think the 'shift' towards Snape being seen as 
more 
> firmly on the good side is simply that he has consistently proved 
> himself to be, despite his many other faults.  Unless new 
information 
> emerges showing that he's been a spy the whole time or something, 
the 
> characters are accepting that fact for now - it's not because JK 
> realised people liked Snape more than she expected or whatever.


     I agree. In the very first book, after all, Snape saves Harry's 
life (countercurse to Quirrell's curse) even though Harry&Co. were 
convinced he was evil. If JKR intended for him to be an eventually 
traitorous character, I don't think she would have put this in. Not 
to mention the innumerable times Snape protects/saves Harry later on.
     As pandrea100 says, it would get old pretty fast if Harry and 
friends kept seriously doubting Snape's loyalty. I think they might 
just be getting sharper.
     I would like to think that JKR doesn't change the books 
according to reader perception. There are a number of places she 
could have gone the more popular route and didn't. (Heh. I wonder if 
she reads this list, considering her quick change of the FAQ on her 
site. I bet she does.) 
   
Katie
who likes both Snape and Sirius, and is not in favor of character 
assassinations of either 

My favorite line is Luna's in OOTP:
"You heard them, just behind the veil, didn't you?... They were just 
lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them."