TBAY: Definitely NOT a Snape Theory (long)

nrenka nrenka at yahoo.com
Fri Dec 23 15:14:55 UTC 2005


No: HPFGUIDX 145263

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "spotsgal" <Nanagose at a...> 
wrote:

> Christina:

<snip>

> The reason that DD trusts Snape just *isn't any of Harry's 
> business.*  Now Dumbledore should have realized from the happenings 
> in OotP that Harry isn't the sort to trust DD blindly on issues like
> Snape's loyalty, but that still doesn't mean that it's OK for DD to
> break a confidence with Snape to answer Harry's concerns. 

Why not?  Doesn't that fall under the heading of tough decisions that 
need to be done for the good of the overall cause?  (Or does that 
only apply to things which Harry has to do?)

Dumbledore must have realized from the end of OotP that it was going 
to take a lot to get Harry trusting Snape again; he may have been 
blind or underestimating the issue beforehand.  But post those 
events, Dumbledore is actively involving Harry in his plans, telling 
him things, because he knows *and Harry knows* that Harry is going to 
have to handle a lot of heavy lifting.  Harry is treated more like a 
partner than he ever has before, and it's about time because he needs 
to be his own agent now.

Given Harry's importance and Dumbledore's knowledge of Harry's 
temperament/etc., I find it hard myself to put Snape's Issues ahead 
of that.  Of course, Dumbledore probably doesn't--and hence his own 
responsibility for much of the mess at the end of the book.  It's 
hard to speculate on what the characters can work out logically for 
themselves, because we just don't know what kind of information is 
out there.

But Dumbledore's whole modus operandi is, IMO, tending to 
infantilization of people he ought to be giving more respect and 
information.  And it's wholly thematic that his tendency to secrecy 
and to take the whole load fully upon himself (contra Harry with the 
Trio, who he's told about all kinds of things) bites him in the ass 
in the end.

> Whatever it was that made him turn is obviously deeply personal, 
> and DD has no right to go blabbing Snape's private life to a kid 
> (particularly one he has no close relationship with).

I don't know; I'm struck by a probably spurious parallel to the 
American legal system, where someone who wants to make a plea in 
court must adjudicate fully to their crime.  That involves standing 
there, looking what family members who choose to be there in the 
face, and saying what they have done.  A criminal is considered to 
have that obligation to those he has wronged.  Harry is certainly a 
wronged party, particularly if Dumbledore's story about Snape being 
upset about finding out it was James and Lily who got targeted is 
true.

I find that right of Harry's to know *why* he should trust someone 
more compelling than Snape's right to keep his secrets, particularly 
because Harry is, frankly, also more important in the long run to 
actually fight Voldemort--and this knowledge may help him.

-Nora enjoys the balmy warm winter weather







More information about the HPforGrownups archive