Slughorn /Heroes or not

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 145154

> Potioncat:
> WHAT!
> Oh, excuse me, I meant to say, why of course, if you think so.
> 
> However, I'd like to point out:
> Slughorn didn't know Ron's name by March even though he was in a 
NEWT 
> level class. 

Alla:

HAHAHA. Indeed, BUT I definitely think that Harry and Neville would 
have preferred Snape NOT knowing their names at all, if it meant 
leaving them alone. As in " if you cannot tell something nice to the 
person, do not talk to this person at all". :-)


Potioncat:
Slughorn panicked when Ron was poisoned and Ron would 
> have died without Harry's quick thinking. 

Alla:

When did Snape save Ron? Just curious.


Potioncat:
Slughorn didn't favor his 
> own House, but he did favor those who could possibly return favors 
in 
> the future.

Alla:

I would phrase it differently - he favored those with real talent 
AND therefore they would achieve a lot and return favors to him.


You know, it is strange, I am  still trying to work out why Slughorn 
club gives me creeps and really cannot, because I don't see anything 
inherently bad in the Slughorn way of doing things . Typically 
Slytherin, but not inherently bad, IMO. The best I can come up with 
is that Dumbledore's warning to Harry sounded as a warning to me 
too, but I still want to figure out why what Slughorn does is bad.

I mean you probably remember that sometimes I have doubts about his 
loyalties, but assuming that they are not true and they are probably 
not and I HOPE they are not, I think Slughorn is fun, A LOT of fun.



Potioncat: 
> Well, yes I'd like to see him back, I'm just hoping he won't be 
the 
> Deputy Headmaster or worse the Headmaster!

Alla:

Why not? :) But as I said earlier my favorite Headmaster would be 
Lupin of course . That IMO would show how WW truly changed at the 
end without necessity of going into details. One - that would show 
that werewolfs are treated differently and since we know that Lupin 
is a good teacher, it would make sense to me to expect that he would 
promote the same among the teachers he would hire,

JenD:

> In the narrowest sense of the word, there can only be one hero, no
> doubt. But redemption is not the same as being the hero.

Alla:

No, redemption is NOT necessarily the same as being the Hero, true,
but to me after HBP Snape fallen so deeply that the only way he can
gain redemption is to play a pivotal role in defeating Voldemort and
that IMO IS Harry's job. Posters argue ( Sydney?) that Hermione,
Ron, Lupin help Harry too. Too true, they do, BUT I have never seen
either Hermione or Ron or Lupin occupy CENTRAL place in the fight,
IMO of course and I am not sure we will see it in the last book.
HELP Harry defeat Voldemort? - Yes, take his place in defeating
Voldemort - I personally doubt it very much.


JenD:
How can it
> threaten someone's very precious notion of who Harry is to see a
lesser
> and very troubled character find a measure of redemption?

Alla:

Not the way you phrase it, of course not. If Snape commits a MINOR
act of helping Harry which will lead to defeat of Voldemort at the
end, I can totally buy it. If without Snape defeat of Voldemort will
be impossible, if his help will be SO crucial that without him Harry
fails, that IMO makes Snape the Hero and not Harry.



JenD:
<SNIP>
It
> seems that Snape having any peace at the end of this thing brings
out
> the anger in people. Why is that?

Alla:

Brings the anger in people? More like some people feel ( myself
included) that it would not be emotionally satisfactory if Snape
would get peace before making amends, I cannot speak for others of
course, but to me the answer is very simple and even though I
answered the similar inquiries many times, I don't mind answering it
again.

To me and to me only after all evil that Snape had done, after
basically helping Harry to become an orphan, after mercilessly
tormenting him at school, after making Harry watch his mentor being
killed in front of him, Snape has to pay, AFTER he paid what he
owes, he can have some peace by all means. And again, this is simply
what I wish to see, I don't think that JKR will be a bad writer or
anything for not following my wishes. :-)

JMO,

Alla.