A lot of thoughts

[medeacallous]

No: HPFGUIDX 133076

Hi all; I posted a bit during OotP.  I tried to get caught up reading 
what other people have said before posting but I think it's hopeless so 
I'll just go ahead :-)

'Big Death' specific comments/questions:

1.  At the end of HBP I was certain Snape was loyal to DD, but I've 
wavered a lot based upon some of the convincing arguments in this 
forum.  Still hope he's not ESE, but I think it could go either way.

2.  To me, the issue of whether or not Snape is ESE hinges on the rules 
of TUV, and whether or not DD knew of Snape's UV.
- Did Draco's UV mean that if he didn't fulfill it *that night* he 
would die? Or would he get another chance? 
- Did Snape's UV mean the same? If so, how could the scenario have 
ended differently? Snape fights the DEs, only to die along with Draco?
Could Snape have even succeeded at defeating them?  I understand what 
people are saying about DD not asking Snape to kill him because it 
would harm Snape's soul, but if the alternative is Snape dying, isn't 
his life worth a little damage to his soul?  I can't imagine DD asking 
Snape to sacrifice his life for him. I don't remember exactly, but 
didn't DD say something to Harry during the trip to the caves along the 
lines of DD's life not being as precious as Harry's because he was so 
much older?

3.  I also wonder why DD stunned Potter.  The only reason I can come up 
with is that DD didn't want him to interfere with either Draco or Snape 
fulfilling their UV; if Potter had succeeded at stopping them they 
would have died.

4.  I don't believe that DD didn't ever, in 16 years or so, discuss 
with Snape the possibility that Snape would be required to promise, on 
pain of death, to kill Dumbledore.

5.  On the ESE!Snape front (I found a lot of the arguments in favour of 
this very compelling, but I'm not addressing too many of them because I 
really *hope* it will turn out not to be true): if Snape had made a 
prior UV to protect Harry, that would account for Snape's action to 
help and protect Harry (I'm thinking of - don't we assume Snape told DD 
about Harry's mistreatment at the Dursleys'?) while leaving him free to 
hate/hurt Albus.

6.  On the redeemed!Snape front: I think the discussion about DD being 
wrong and his mistakes being bigger has merit (I also like the argument 
that it's time Harry started listening to his intuition; that's IMO the 
scariest piece of ESE!Snape evidence), but wasn't DD wrong about an 
awful lot that night?  The wisdom of leaving the castle, Draco's 
pursuit of DD to kill him, the imperviousness of the castle to DE 
raids... is it logical that he would *also* be wrong about Snape?

7.  And... the most convincing redeemed!Snape evidence (for me) is from 
OotP, when - sorry, I'm not like you guys who quote chapter and verse - 
at the end of the book Snape seems to be so pleased to see Minerva 
return from St Mungo's.

General comments/questions:

A. Is it possible that Snape fancied Tonks, and that was why he was so 
nasty to her at the beginning of the year?

B.  I thought the new MoM was a complete bust.  He seemed to me to be 
exactly like Fudge (actually like some kind of meta!Fudge) but with a 
different name/appearance.  I thought a lot could have been made of him 
and his conflict with DD; otherwise why bother to get rid of Fudge at 
all?

C.  Shipping = YAWN.  Sorry, I know they're teenagers, but ... yawn.

D.  I really wonder what happened to Ollivander, and if it's 
significant.  I like some of the ideas.

E.  Loved the opening chapter.  I LOVED it.

F.  Some scenes seemed rushed, and some characterisations seemed weak.  
I mostly agree with what has been said already on the topic.

G.  I had a thought when I first addressed in my mind the idea of ESE!
Snape: After OotP, there was discussion about the potion that had been 
mentioned (the one that caused recklessness) possibly being fed to 
Sirius by Kreacher.  Did ESE!Snape help Kreacher drug SB?

H.  Interesting about Tonks; did she change because she took the DM? 
Would that cause a change to her Patronus? Justify Snape's comment that 
it was `weak'? Like her?

I.  Regarding some people's connecting the alterations of different 
Pensieve memories: Why would Snape tamper with a pensieve memory that 
he didn't want anyone to see?  I just don't buy Snape altering a 
pensieve memory then arranging for Harry to see it (especially since he 
gets dangled upside down showing his underwear). I don't think he'd 
expose his own weaknesses to Harry in that way for arguably negligible 
returns.

J.  I find an interesting element about Snape I haven't seen addressed 
post-HBP: his magical power.  I've read a lot of fanfic (particularly 
SS/HG) where he is made out to be a genius at potions but not so good 
with a wand, and/or an artless, powerless hanger-on on the outer edges 
of Voldemort's circle.  There were several things in this book and Ootp 
that suggests to me he's actually a very powerful wizard (among them 
Remus's respect for his Occ/Leg ability, his facility with silent 
spells, his easy deflection of Harry's curses at the end of HBP despite 
the fact that Harry fared better against Voldemort two years earlier, 
the way the DEs stood back respectfully when Snape strode through them 
at the end of HBP, his spell creation, etc).  I wonder if actually he's 
a powerful force among the DEs? Maybe LV depends on him quite a lot 
(and yes, I remember what DD said about LV being a loner) and that's 
part of why he was so quick to accept him?

K.  And finally, isn't it interesting that it seems to be shaping up 
that most if not all of the most powerful magical people are *not* 
purebloods? Lily, Snape, Tom Riddle, Lily, Harry (I believe it's 
accepted that even though he has two magical parents he's not a true 
pureblood).

Anyway, enough for me for now; back to reading, and hello to all the 
people I got to know last time!

Medea Callous.