Who Saved Harry? ...NOT Snape.

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 115323


dzeytoun wrote:
> Let's turn all the arguments about Harry thanking Snape, or not,
> around. A couple of people have pointed out that, while it is true
> that Harry does not thank Snape for saving his life in PS/SS
> ...edited...

bboyminn replied:
>>OK, let's straighten this out once and for all, Snape did not save
Harry. At best, Snape assisted Hermione in saving Harry. Snape was
muttering counter-jinxes against Quirrels jinx which at best were only
marginally effective. The truth is Quirrel was winning and he had
Harry hanging by one hand and losing ground quickly.
[snip]If Harry should thank anyone, he should thank Hermione, which 
I'm sure he did.
I seriously doubt that anyone Harry's age would feel even the
slightest desire to thank a person who regularly seems to hate them,
abuses them, and makes their life miserable.<<

HunterGreen:
How about later in the story when Snape referees the Hufflepuff / 
Gryffindor match? You could argue that he was doing it just to make 
Gryffindor lose, but hasn't done it since. However, I agree that it 
would be awkward to have Harry march over to Snape and thank him. I 
doubt that Snape cares either way, which might be why no adult has 
encouraged Harry to do so. (perhaps Snape would be offended by it in 
some way?)

bboyminn:
>>As far as Snape /saving/ Harry in PoA, one could interpret it that
way, but he did so in the most mean-spirited, spitefull, vengefull,
viscious, and self-serving way, so again, thanks but no thanks.<<

HunterGreen:
Unless its the action of putting Harry/Hermione/Sirius/Ron onto 
stretchers, I can't see how he "saved" Harry at all. For one thing, 
when Snape went after Lupin, he had no idea that Sirius or anyone 
else was out there, just a hunch. He was trying to catch Lupin in the 
act of doing something (I don't blame him at all for his suspicions 
though, Lupin did, after all, have knowledge about Sirius that he 
wasn't sharing, and that information *would* have aided in keeping 
Sirius out of the castle), not trying to save Harry. Once he was 
there, his main goal was catching Sirius and Lupin, and putting on a 
show of saving the trio, who weren't in any immediate danger anyway, 
which he knew  because he stood behind the door for five minutes 
before revealing himself (just my take on the situation, anyway). 

Had Sirius *actually* been trying to kill Harry (ignoring the fact 
that he would have suceeded or been apprehended by Lupin by then), 
then I suppose Snape *could* be credited with saving Harry. However, 
there was nothing alturistic *at all* in his actions, and since he 
didn't end up saving Harry, I can't see why would need to thank him. 
As for thanking him for putting him on a stretcher, well, it would be 
rather neglectful of Snape to just leave three students passed out in 
the woods with a werewolf running around (its *Sirius* who needed to 
thank Snape in this situation, but of course Sirius would *never* see 
that).