10 reasons why Snape is not evil......

[h2so3f]

No: HPFGUIDX 144818

~*~Sandy~*~ wrote: 
"Hi everyone I am new to this group and my name is Sandy I am 30 
years old and I am a huge Potter fan and not afraid to say so." 
<snip> 

CH3ed:
Hi Sandy. You've found a good group to hang with then. Welcome!! :O)

Sandy wrote:
"10. He (Snape) hates James Potter and what's even worse? His son 
Harry looks just like him! But even though this grudge is foolish it 
isn't enough to forget the fact that James was so cruel to him. Who 
doesn't love paybacks ...now, who's bullying who? Snape feels some 
sort of comfort in bullying Harry.


CH3ed:
I have to say I would expect a decent Snape to be able to restrain 
from taking the sins of the father out on the innocent son, though. 
This doesn't make Snape evil, but it does make him as bad a bully 
James ever was.


Sandy wrote:
"9.Why would you send an idiot like Quirrell to do such a lousy job 
when not only is Snape helping to protect the stone but in reach of 
it! Don't you think it would've been easier for Voldemort to use 
Snape instead of Quirrell???" <edited>

CH3ed:
LV used Quirrell in Book 1 because it was Quirrell who went to 
Albania and ran into LV in hiding (Quirrell tells Harry in 'The Man 
With Two Faces' in Book 1). Then when they got back to Hogwarts 
Snape was working loyally for DD so LV didn't make himself or his 
mission with Quirrell known to Snape because LV didn't trust him 
(thought he had changed camp to be on DD side for good). This was 
explained in Spinner's End (HBP).


Sandy wrote:
"8. A simple little diary isn't necessary to create such havoc. 
Couldn't Voldemort have told Snape to release the damn monstrosity 
of serpent?"

CH3ed:
LV did not trust Snape from Book 1 onward since Snape tried to 
prevent Quirrell(with LV on the back of his head) from obtaining the 
Philosopher's Stone. And the use of the diary to open the Chamber of 
Secrets in Book 2 was unauthorized by LV. Lucius Malfoy jumped the 
gun on that one for his own end(to get rid of DD and take over the 
school?). And LV is not happy about it (DD tells Harry somewhere in 
HBP)


Sandy wrote:
"7. Who wants to pay off a life/death debt. When Harry was 
clinging for dear life during the Quidditch match. Why not let him 
fall off and die. But no....Snape had to save Harry. Snape could 
have received a gran reward for that one...and in front of an 
audience and all."<edited>

CH3ed:
I don't think we know all there is to know about life debts yet. 
There may be consequences to refusing to repay such debt when the 
opportunity arises (I'd be surprised if Wormtail doesn't have 
something really bad happen to him in Book 7). Besides, Snape was a 
teacher. He was supposed to protect his students. What would DD do 
to him if Snape had let Harry fall off the cursed broom in his 
presence?


Sandy wrote: 
"6. Do friends of enemies count as enemies also? Snape had Lupin in 
the palm of his hand all the time but Snape opted for the noble 
action of brewing his wolf drink every full moon. Do you think those 
poor kids would've survived having a werewolf lurking around the 
forest every full moon? And then come back to normality as a tired 
teacher." 

CH3ed:
Again I don't think DD would take kindly to Snape messing up the 
Wolf's bane Potion. Snape is a good (very much an understatement in 
the light of the HBP) potion-master. I think if anything he would 
prefer to out duel Lupin rather than to have others think that Lupin 
get seriously ill or die because Snape brew a poor potion. That 
would reflect badly on him.


Sandy wrote:
"5. Snape comes across the Marauder's Map upon entering Lupin's room 
and runs after to see what is going on. He could have confiscated 
the map and the invisible cloak that was left just outside the 
whomping willow but he does nothing with both. Yet the advises both 
Harry and Ron that they are out of bounds in the company of a 
convicted murderer and a werewolf. If was truly evil he would've hid 
the map and cloak and used it to his advantage."

CH3ed:
He could have taken the map instead of leaving it on the desk, but 
then taking it wouldn't help much since the Shrieking Shack lies 
outside the map's scope (he saw Lupin running off the map's edge in 
the tunnel). Snape did take and made use of the invisibility cloak, 
however. He used it to sneak into the room and listened in on the 
discussion between Sirius, Lupin and the trio... before revealing 
himself after the story of The Prank was told.


Sandy wrote:
"4. Not only isn't Karkaroff present when the death eaters reunite 
with the reborn again Voldemort but Snape's missing too. If he was 
evil he would've been present. What else does Voldemort want? He had 
what he planned to do....he had Harry in the palm of his hand. 
Wouldn't that be enough for Snape to leave Hogwarts and re-enter 
Voldemorts service?" 

CH3ed:
Snape was at Hogwarts patrolling the perimeter of the maze with the 
other teachers in view of the audience (and DD). If he is in league 
with LV he couldn't have just left without blowing his cover with 
DD. At the time the scar on his wrist was burning Harry had not 
returned from the graveyard yet. Nobody at the quidditch pitch-
turned-maze(except for the fake Moody) knew that something had gone 
terribly wrong inside the maze. Snape didn't know LV's plan because 
the fake Moody didn't let him in on it(he hated the Deatheaters who 
walk free, remember?) and LV thought Snape had left him forever. 
(deduced from LV's speech at the graveyard and confirmed by Snape 
in 'Spinner's End' in HBP).


Sandy wrote:
"3. Snape gives Barty Crouch Jr. veritaserum.....therefore exposing 
thy enemy and sending him off to Azkaban for the second time. What 
about giving him fake serum like he did with Potter when Umbridge 
was around?"

CH3ed:
With DD and McGonagal watching? 


Sandy wrote:
"2. Bellatrix doesn't trust Snape and if there's anyone more 
conniving it might as well be a woman. He had to make that 
unbreakable vow in order for her not to suspect anything."

CH3ed:
Yep, that I agree. Seems he might have gotten himself impelled upon 
his own sword with the third requirement of the vow. I'd say it was 
more Narcissa's fault, tho.


Sandy wrote:
"1. Occlumency, why teach the enemy the art of shutting out external 
penetration of the mind? Why not let Voldemort know that Harry can 
see what Voldemort is sensing and feeling. He could've damaged Harry 
for good had he let Voldemort know. Remember at the end of the sixth 
book when Snape warns Harry while trying to block Harry's 
attempts..."Blocked again and again and again until you learn to 
keep your mouth shut and you mind closed Potter! " Snape had Harry 
on the ground and Dumbledore dead. He could have taken Harry and 
delivered Harry himself to Voldemort but instead he left him there."

CH3ed:
DD ordered him to teach Harry it and DD is an excellent ligilimen 
himself. But I do think Snape was offering Harry some good lessons 
with those advises at the end of HBP and that he did protected Harry 
from the other DE's cruciatus curse. But why he did it can still go 
either way... he is DDM or he is ESE Snape (that really was what LV 
ordered) or even OFH Snape. 

I personally lean heavily toward Snape being on Dumbledore's Man 
(DDM), but also think he could just be out for himself (a true 
Slytherin). So we do agree he is not loyal to LV. I don't think 
Snape's stance is clear though. JKR has done a good job of leaving 
him leeway to go either way. 

CH3ed :O)