CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: Chapter Thirty seven - The lost prophecy

[vmonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 124085


Cleverwitch wrote:

That being ranted, now about Snape. Although Dumbledore tells Harry
that Snape told Sirius to stay put, and although Sirius probably
would have insisted on joining the other Order members in trying to
save Harry anyway, I hold Snape at least partly responsible. He
earlier called Sirius a coward and taunted him for "hiding in his
mother's house" while others risked their lives. Telling Sirius to
stay now, not to go to the ministry, would, in my humble (not!)
opinion still have raised the echo of those unkind words uttered at
Christmas, even if Snape were sincere and did not sneer or suggest
this time that staying home was not being cowardly. And we have
no "canon" (I hate that word!), no "textual evidence" (better) to
indicate HOW he advised Sirius to stay. I can easily hear Snape
continuing to taunt Sirius, albeit subtly, while advising him to
wait for Dumbledore--something like, "Someone needs to stay here, to
tell Dumbledore what has happened. Why don't YOU do that, Black?
Since staying put seems to be what you do best, and I know you like
to feel useful. Going to the ministry will be dangerous; someone
might get...hurt. We wouldn't want that person to be...you, would
we?"

vmonte responds:
That's exactly how Snape told Sirius I bet. Snape really reminds me 
of an Agatha Christie book called "The Curtain" (I think that is what 
it's called. I read it so long ago). The murderer in this book never 
killed anyone using physical force, poisoning, a candelstick, rope, 
etc. He just was a master at manipulating other people with his 
words. He would do things like sprinkle innuendo while giving advice, 
and he was able to make people murder other people all the while 
making them believe it was all their own idea. This particular book 
upset me because Hercule ends up committing his first murder in it. 
He kills the bad guy because he cannot put him in jail for what he 
has done.
Iago from Othello is also like this.
 
Vivian