Trelawney's Tarot Tarot Reading

[anthyroserain]

No: HPFGUIDX 134095

leslie41 wrote:
> When Harry is hiding from Trelawney in book 10, just after he's 
> discovered the HPB's potions book, she walks past him, muttering 
to 
> herself. 
> 
> But it's not just muttering. She's doing a reading.  She pulls out 
> the two of spades (conflict), seven of spades (ill omen), ten of 
> spades (violence), and knave of spades—"A dark young man, possibly 
> troubled, who dislikes the questioner."
> 
> Trelawney is doing, in fact, a tarot card reading.  Spades are the 
> lesser arcana's version of swords, and the brief interpretations 
> that Trelawney gives as she walks support this.  

anthyroserain:

Thanks for your brilliant analysis of the cards! I decided to snip 
all of your comments from this post, because they were so detailed 
and excellent that I didn't know what to take out. Everybody, read 
the original post!

I have a few comments, just to add some additional speculation to 
everything you've already said.

Two of Swords:  

If you accept ESE! Snape, this could be Dumbledore's blindness about 
Snape. He's too intelligent and trusting to make the right decision. 

But then again, it's Harry's reading, so it may be, as you say, 
Harry's need to "look at both sides." It might be he who is blind to 
the situation. 

I'd also add that this card seems to suggest occlumency. The 
description on the site you linked to says "A balance between 
equally matched opponents. A duel. Blocked emotions. Tension. 
Holding in emotions. Defensiveness." Sounds like Snape and Harry's 
final duel, and Snape's advice.  


Seven of swords:

It's The Flight of the Prince. This card, more than the others, 
might seem to point to ESE!Snape. But it also could signify intrigue 
and acting as a spy. It's Snape on the card, but whose side is he 
betraying? Of course, as in the book, it's ambiguous. And again, 
it's Harry's reading, so this suggests that perhaps he doesn't know 
the entirety of Snape's motives.

Another website 
(http://www.paranormality.com/tarot_seven_of_swords.shtml)
has the description "Reluctance to carry through daring actions when 
necessary, failure of nerve and indecision. Inability and reluctance 
to complete what has been started." 
This definitely sounds like Snape's reluctance to kill Dumbledore! 
But whether that is reluctance due to the UV (ESE!Snape) or the 
promise Dumbledore may have urged him to make earlier (good!Snape) 
is left open.


Ten of Swords: 

The clearest. Nothing I have to add here.


Page of Swords:

This is a bit of what 
http://www.paranormality.com/tarot_page_of_swords.shtml
says:
 "Upright - A good personal emissary, although sometimes a card 
associated with spying or surveying others from a detached viewpoint.
Ill Dignified or Reversed - A two faced, cunning and possibly 
vindictive person...  A seeker of hidden weaknesses in enemies, 
devious and given to snooping in other people's affairs."

Sure sounds like the Great Snape Debate :D

leslie41:
> It is my view that these readings are relatively neutral in terms 
of 
> their judgement on the character.  The negative aspects are 
balanced 
> out by the positive. 

I agree. I believe Snape is on the good side, but I think this is 
all an indication that JKR could go either way with this, and she 
intends to leave it open and surprise us all...

-anthyroserain