Prank revisited.

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 99174

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "snow15145" <snow15145 at y...> 
wrote:

Snow: 

> > Lily, as I see it, attempted to do what was right, as Harry 
always 
> does, but in the end what was it that Lily said to Snape, after 
> Snape's mudblood reply? OOP pg. 648- "Fine," she said coolly. "I 
wont 
> bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, 
Snivellus."  
> Wouldn't this statement from Lily be just as bad as what James 
did, 
> extremely insulting? (the tongue is mightier than the sword) Lily 
> seemed a bit Hermione-ish here. Like don't embarrass me Snape, 
can't 
> you see I am attempting to help you.

Renee:

IMO, Lily certainly isn't lily-white here. Sure, she defended the 
victim against his bullies, but if someone is treated unjustly and 
you intervene, lack of gratitude and even racial slurs should *not* 
cause you to turn your back to them. What Snape says, doesn't make 
James's and Sirius's treatment of him any more justified than it 
was. Of course, it would take a saint to ignore Snape's reaction 
altogether; that Lily pays him back in kind shows she's no saint or 
angel but a normal human being. It's what she does next that I find 
so disappointing. 

In the first place, her words to James show that her desire to take 
him down a notch plays a major role in her decision to intervene. 
This makes her indignation look somewhat less righteous than before, 
and it makes me suspect it wasn't difficult for her to do something. 
Then she leaves, practically begging James to continue his torment 
of Snape. After all, how else is he to remain cool in the eyes of 
the general public? So he pretends to be unaffected and goes on as 
if nothing has happened. (Maybe he actually took Snape's pants off - 
it seems unlikely that Lupin suddenly acquired a bit of spine and 
took over Lily's part.) 

Would James have turned Snape upside down again if Lily had stayed, 
without defending Snape verbally, yet showing she wasn't going to 
abandon her responsibility as a prefect? I don't think so. But she 
does leave Snape to his fate. To me, this almost brings Lily down to 
the level of the other actors in this drama. Though I'm not sure if 
this is what JKR intended. 

Renee