In Defense of Snape (Against Snape in JKR's words)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 122225


vmonte wrote:
 I couldn't help reading some of the previous Snape posts 
> without adding some of JKR's documented comments about him.  
><snip>
> 
[JKR:] <snip> But you must not forget that Snape was a Death Eater. 
> He will have seen things that. . . <snip>

> vmonte:
> <snip> He was a Death Eater. And we are going to find out some 
> pretty nasty things about his past.

Carol responds:
Note "he will have *seen*," not he will have done. So while we're free
to speculate about what he may have done as a Death Eater, we merely
know from this passage that he *witnessed* a death or deaths. We still
don't know what he did. Given LV's penchant for putting his DEs to
their best use (Dolohov to murder cruelly, Bellatrix and her sidekicks
to Crucio people, Mulciber as an Imperius specialist), it makes sense
to me that Snape's chief use would be as a potion maker, especially
given that LV was still seeking immortality and didn't know, even
after Godric's Hollow, exactly which experiments had worked. Any
speculation as to what Snape did as a Death Eater is, at this point,
exactly that: speculation. I for one don't think that Dumbledore would
have hired him if he had actually killed anyone. But even if he did do
some really terrible things, he seems to have fully repented and to be
on the side of Dumbledore and the Order. We've seen him helping
Dumbledore. We do not yet have any grounds (other than Ron's and
Harry's suspicions) that he is helping Voldemort.


vmonte quoting interview:
> What about Snape?
> JKR: Snape is a very sadistic teacher, loosely based on a teacher I 
> myself had, I have to say. I think children are very aware and we
are kidding ourselves if we don't think that they are, that teachers
do sometimes abuse their power and this particular teacher does abuse 
> his power. He's not a particularly pleasant person at all. However, 
> everyone should keep their eye on Snape, I'll just say that because 
> there is more to him than meets the eye and you will find out part
of what I am talking about if you read Book 4. [WBUR-99] <snip>

Carol responds:
"Not a particularly pleasant person" is a far cry from "evil person."
And note the "however" in this quote, which follows right after "not a
particularly pleasant person." There's more to him than meets the
eye--more, IOW, than the unpleasant personality. As for what's in Book
4, that's where he remains in Hogwarts when Karkaroff flees ("Flee,
then flee! I shall remain at Hogwarts"), courageously shows Fudge his
Dark Mark and tries to explain the significance of the darkening
(Voldemort is really back), and goes off on a secret and perilous
mission for Dumbledore. Definitely more to snape than meets the eye of
someone who looks at him only as a severe and sarcastic Potions Master.

Carol