Snape as the dark young man (Was: Trelawney's part in HBP)

[ceridwennight]

No: HPFGUIDX 137616

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at y...> wrote:
> As for your question about Snape being the young man referred to by
> the Tarot card, that was my immediate reaction, too, except that I
> thought the qustioner was Dumbledore. Snape is dark (except for his
> pale/sallow complexion) and wears black robes, and he's quite young
> compared with Trelawney (much less Dumbledore). He is certainly
> "troubled," having placed himself (and Dumbledore) in a terrible
> predicament by taking the Unbreakable Vow. 

Ceridwen now:
Geoff Bannister answered the question about where it is, as did 
someone else (in the chapter called 'House of Gaunt', page 195 US 
edition).  Thanks, Geoff and other!

I think the 'questioner' in question is the person the reading is 
being done for.  Also known as the 'querant'.  If Trelawney's reading 
cards by herself in the halls, she's reading them for herself, the 
questioner.  She even stops after her reading (Conflict... ill 
omen... violence... dark young man...), says that can't be right, 
reshuffles the cards, and starts over.  If so, then the 'dark young 
man, possibly troubled, who dislikes the questioner' (reads like 
instructions from a book, that 'who dislikes the questioner' part), 
would be a troubled, dark young man who dislikes Trelawney.

And, it would be a very unfriendly thing for Snape, or anyone else, 
to get Trelawney tossed out of Hogwarts after what Dumbledore says 
about danger awaiting her if she left.  Killing Dumbledore, who was 
her protector, could do just that.  I doubt if Snape would really 
care.  I'm not into ESE!Snape, but evil and uncaring about others' 
feelings, most likely, if he doesn't care about them.

Probably why I can't accept the reason Dumbledore gave for trusting 
Snape.  It doesn't sound like him.  Remourseful?  Hm, maybe.  But not 
quite to the level of such trust that he's kept in a school full of 
children.

Interesting, though, about all the people who might or might not have 
questioned Snape throughout the books.  Considering the amount of 
posts he generates, it might not be a bad idea to go back over all of 
that!

Ceridwen.