Harry begins to act like someone I know...

[LadySawall at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 99061

In a message dated 05/21/2004 7:12:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Sherry G. 
writes:
Dudley has tormented Harry all these years,
but he still tries to protect him and does save him.  To me, that shows good
stuff in Harry's character.  I don't know if I think Snape would have acted
the same in similar circumstances.  And I'm not one who thinks Snape is a
traitor or anything.  I find his character to be very complex and
interesting.  I just think that Harry acted with compassion, and I don't
know that Snape would have.  I guess it all goes back to Harry's desire to
save people.
> toptopera replies:

> But we know exactly what Snape'd do when he'd see a 
marauder facing a  dementor. In the end of PoA, he refused to 
believe Sirius's story and  would gladly receive an Order of Merlin 
for having him capture and kissed.<

And Pippin rebuts:

> That's what he says. But Snape's actions are often at odds with 
his words. When he comes to and sees the Dementors 
returning to their stations at the gates, Sirius is utterly in his 
power. He does not turn Sirius over to the Dementors. Instead 
he puts Sirius on a stretcher, treating him with far more dignity 
that Sirius accorded to him, and turns him over to Dumbledore. 

My thoughts:

First off, I think Snape's actions in that situation would depend entirely on 
which Marauder we're talking about, and at what point in his life it happened.

If he is likely to have compassion for any Marauder, I would say it's Lupin 
(which is not to say that I think he likes him, or that he wasn't very willing 
to get him kicked out of Hogwart's.  He's probably still scared to death of 
him.  But it occurs to me that he is probably also very well aware that he was 
not the only one who could have suffered terribly because of the Prank.  Part 
of his current dislike of Remus may stem from the fact that the latter refused 
to turn his back on Sirius, leaving him, Snape, to carry the grudge for them 
both.)

Following the Prank, there was the life-debt to consider, so he might well 
help James, especially if he could do it without too great a risk to his own 
neck.

As far as the stretcher goes, we do have to keep in mind that Sirius isn't 
working for DD and isn't trying for an Order of Merlin.  He can be as nasty to 
Snape as he wants as long as he doesn't do him any permanent damage, and it 
won't cost him anything, other than brownie points with DD.  OTOH, it was in 
Snape's best interest to appear magnanimous.  So it's hard to judge from that 
incident whether he would have done the same under other circumstances.

I do think that Sirius occupies a special place on Snape's hate-list, above 
and beyond any other Marauder, perhaps even James.  Look at Sirius through his 
eyes: not only did the guy torment him throughout their school days and 
contribute to James doing the same; not only did he put Snape in a position where he 
could have been maimed, lycanthropized, or killed; but he betrayed the trust 
and threatened the well-being of one of his own best friends, just because he 
thought it would be funny.  It's no wonder Snape isn't willing to give him the 
benefit of the doubt, or thinks anyone who does is out of their mind.

Jo Ann


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