Is Snape right about Remus

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 135021

You know, reading Remus in HBP puts me in the very uncomfortable 
position of having sympathy for Snape's viewpoint.  I'm thinking 
especially of his speech to Harry over Christmas (the one written in 
nineteenth-century prose).  

Sigh.  I'm going to have to readily admit that two of my dearest male 
friends in the course of my life have been very like Remus, and I 
therefore have a very complicated reaction to characters like that.  
They are lovable and admirable -- to a point.  But my own experiences 
have taught me, much to my regret, how thin a line separates their 
virtues from being flaws.  They are scrupulously fair, reasonable, 
and patient.  Unfortunately those qualities can shade swiftly into 
indecisiveness, passivity, and (to use a very loaded word) out and 
out weakness.

I think Remus at the Xmas celebration is operating very close to the 
dividing line, and sometimes steps over it.  My response to his 
statement "I neither like nor dislike Severus Snape" was a snort 
followed by "Yeah, now tell me the one about the tooth fairy."  His 
statements "You are determined to hate him... And I understand" 
garnered the response from me, "Okay, I'm very impressed.  Now get 
your rear off the fence and join the rest of us in a world where we 
have to take sides, get our hands dirty, and put up with the 
consequences.  It won't kill your furry rear end if somebody actually 
gets mad and doesn't like you."

Sigh.  Much as I hate to admit it, I have to say, after that speech 
of Remus at Christmas I thought back to Severus comment about Tonks' 
new patronus looking weak and thought "You know, you're a jerk and a 
fool, Sevvie ol' buddy, but to quote Ricky Ricardo, you might got 
something there."


Lupinlore