McGonagall and Lupin's reaction to Harry's story (Was: It's over, Snape is evil

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 138525





In post 138495 Carol wrote:
> snip
> But I'm getting offtrack, sorry! I want to know if there's more to 
the
> mass rejection of Snape by his fellow Order members than meets the
> eye. Can they really suddenly think that he's always been evil after
> all the risks he's taken for the Order? Is there more to this scene,
> which strikes me as a false note in the narrative, than just a 
shared
> mistrust of Snape by both sides and a very bad position for Snape if
> he wants to continue working with the Order? 
> 
> Was anyone else bothered by this scene? Did anyone else feel that
> McGonagall and Lupin, at least, were acting out of character?
> 
> Carol, hoping that Lupin will somehow learn about the Unbreakable 
Vow
> and realize what would have happened to Dumbledore, Draco, and
possibly Harry if Snape had died

Potioncat:
Wow, someone who's better at denial than I am, and I'm real
good at 
it! (Just kidding, Carol.)  Well, yes, the scene bothered me too. I 
wanted someone inside canon to react the way I did
to have the
"I 
don't believe it, and there must be a good reason for it!"
reaction.  
No one did.  But, we only see the one moment that Harry first tells 
them that Snape killed Dumbledore. We don't see the thousands of 
posts they write each other about it in the days and weeks 
afterwards.  We've had a month or so to think about it and
discuss 
it. They've only had a few days. And there is no getting around
the 
fact that Snape killed Dumbledore.

I'm not sure that any of them are playing a role; I don't
think 
anyone had been prepared for the possibility of this happening.  All 
of them knew that Snape went back and forth between the Order and the 
DEs and all seem to have known that at one time he was a DE. That 
would make a sudden loss of faith in him very believable. 
Particularly since there may have been times that they would have 
doubted him before this. Snape told Bella and Cissy that he was the 
one who provided information that led to Vance's death. Although
we 
don't know how that occurred, it may be another situation that
shed a 
poor light on Snape from the Order's standpoint. 

Carol again:
snip

. They all assume the worst: premeditated murder
> and treason. It's just too quick. They should question it as Hagrid
> did and remember things about Snape that make them question this
> abrupt change from extremely cunning spy or double agent to DE
> murderer. Not one of them seems to see that such a move is 
completely
> out of character for Snape, who never gives away his position--and 
who
> works, always, through words instead of actions (even as he parries
Harry's curses in a scene they don't know about).

Potioncat:
Well, if they accept the fact that Snape killed Dumbledore (some of 
us don't, and we were there) it would be hard for them to think
he 
had a good reason. As far as we know, none of them knew about the UV. 
(I can explain that stupid UV, but I can't justify it!)  And,
knowing 
he was very good at tricking LV would have to make them wonder if he 
hadn't tricked them instead.  Besides, not only do we know some 
things that they don't, they know things that we don't. Too
bad we 
can't all sit down and discuss it.

So, to get to the point, I think, as written, the Order believes 
Snape killed DD in an act of betrayal. How or if he will disprove 
that will be a major part of Book 7.

Potioncat