TBAY: Definitely NOT a Snape Theory (long)

[nkafkafi]

No: HPFGUIDX 145336

> Pippin:
> It follows directly from Dumbledore's explanation in PS/SS. 
> "Well, they did rather detest each other. Not unlike yourself and
> Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never 
forgive."
> "What?"
> "He saved his life."
> "*What*?"
> "Yes..." said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way some people's 
minds
> work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your 
father's debt..."
> 
> 
> Snape hated James, but he hated being under obligations to James 
even
> more. Then he put himself further in debt to James by endangering 
James's life. 
> Naturally Snape would regret that deeply. But it didn't stop him 
from hating
> James...why should it?
> 
> Then James died, and Harry inherited both the debt and the hatred. 
Snape has
> an obligation to Harry and, according to Dumbledore, wants very 
much to 
> be quit of it. But nothing in the obligation requires Snape to be 
considerate of
> Harry or like Harry or feel sorry for Harry. So he  isn't and he 
doesn't.
> 
> Think of all the people who hate their landlords or their mortgage 
holders,
> think the whole property-owning class is rotten and their children 
are
> spoiled brats who will grow up to be just  the same, but are far 
too proud
> to even dream of  defaulting on their payments, much less murder.
>


Neri:
Pippin, you are precisely illustrating the point I was making. The 
canon you quoted is the basic assumption of LID, not of DDM. There's 
nothing in Dumbledore's words here about Snape's remorse or about him 
changing sides or being Dumbledore's man, which are the necessary 
assumptions for DDM. So I repeat the point – Snape's hatred for Harry 
does *not* follow directly from the basic assumption of DDM, and it 
*does* follow from the basic assumption of LID.

BTW, Faith would be quick to point out here that LID is the only 
Snape theory that its basic assumption isn't an assumption at all – 
it's canon (the very canon you quoted above). This is why she claims 
that LID isn't even a theory.

Neri