Snape's stalling

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 116351


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> 
wrote:
> But of course. Just because JKR doesn't want us, the readers, to 
> trust Snape doesn't mean that he's untrustworthy. She obviously 
> didn't want us to trust him at all in PS/SS, and she still wants 
us 
> to have our doubts about him. 


Alla:

Oh, I disagree with that logic, Pippin. It reminds me of "Harry is 
an unreilable narrator" argument, when it comes to Snape.

I think personally that the importance of such argument is GREATLY 
exaggerated. Sure, Harry is quite an unreliable narrator in PS/SS, 
because he is eleven and because Snape had been cleverly set up as 
villain by the author. 

But with every book Harry's POV is widening and he is noticing more 
and more things, so after OOP to me Harry is quite reliable. By the 
same token, I don't think that "just because JKR does not want us to 
trust Snape , does not mean that he is untrustworthy" is very strong 
argument anymore. I want something stronger :o) and that brings us 
to the second part of your post.


Pippin:

> But I can't think of any other time when Snape has stalled when 
> he thought Harry was in danger. He may enjoy the sight of Harry 
> confronting a giant snake, and 'lazily' tell Harry not to move, 
but 
> he does say he'll get  get rid of it. When Harry is in real 
danger, 
> Snape has never hung back. 

Alla:

Hmmm. I can think of quite a few times, when Snape was stalling. 
(Just to make sure - in this context I understand stalling as not 
doing something right away, correct?) Even in PS/SS, which is often 
brought as the most unquestionable incident of Snape saving Harry, 
he is unable (or does not want to if he is that powerful as often 
argued)to stop the Quirrel curse right away. Yes, he is supposedly 
muttering countercurse, while Harry is almost ready to fall from his 
broom.

Fast forward to the Shrieking Shack, shall we? I always maintained 
that Snape's first reason for coming there was revenge against lupin 
and Sirius and maybe then Trio's life. But regardless, if he 
seriously thought that Trio's life was in danger, why exactly was he 
hiding under the Cloack for THAT long?


So, no, I don't think that his behaviour in OOP was unusual in that 
regard.


As to the snake. :) I still think that Snape was the one, who told 
Draco to conjure the snake, so I doubt he thought Harry was in 
danger or he purposefully brought that danger on the boy in the 
first place.




Pippin:
 Anyway, it would hardly gratify 
> Snape's sadistic impulses if he thought Harry was suffering 
> somewhere in the forest and he, Snape, wasn't getting to watch.


Alla:

THAT I can agree with. :)