They're teenagers

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 125520


Juli:

One thing I try to remember while I'm reading the HP books is that 
we are dealing with teenagers here. 

<SNIP> 
>Thus, both Ron's and Hermoine's reactions in the Shrieking Shack--
refering to Lupin by the derogatory "werewolf"--are to me very 
similar to Snape's angry dismissal of Lily as a "mudblood." They all 
spoke under stressful situations, in the heat of the moment. They 
said the first thing that came to mind in their anger and/or fear. 
<SNIP>
To me their words demonstrate more their lack of maturity than their 
truest opinions. And, in the case of Snape, his words as an 
adolescent don't necessarily reflect his beliefs as an adult, since 
we all mature and change as we become adults (well, most of us 
anyway!).

Alla:

Juli, I agree with you - they ARE teenagers and that is why I am 
willing to be more lenient to Ron and Hermione, while still thinking 
that they  may be showing prejudice, because at the heated moments, 
we may be less guarding of true subconscious thoughts.

>From what I SEE of Ron and Hermione I have no doubt that they are 
all together GOOD people, who will outgrow their prejudices .

There is another reason why I am not so sure whether Hermione even 
has them in the first place. She is muggleborn. How deep can her 
prejudice against werewolf be if two years ago she did not even know 
who "werewolf" is in the first place.

Anyways, as I said in my previous post I DO find Ron's lashing out 
at Remus and Snape lashing out at Lily to be similar, sort of.

What I disagree with is your last sentence - Snape's adolescent 
beliefs definitely become his beliefs as adult,IMO, since he did 
join Voldemort ( unless of course you believe that Snape joined DE 
without subscribing to their ideology, which I don't).

And I can be proven wrong of course, but I just don't see Ron 
becoming Dark Wizard. I just don't. That is why even though we have 
seen adult Snape and adolescent Snape and only adolescent Ron, I can 
forgive Ron more, because according to my understanding of his 
character, he will never go implementing his prejudice of werewolves 
into something  "real", more likely he will outgrow it as one of the 
flaws of his childhood. To me, especially after OOP Ron had proven 
that he is on the right side.

As to Snape, even though he came back to Light, I can not help but 
share Valky's fear that Snape never truly did away 
with "purebloodism" ideology. No, I don't think it is supported by 
much of canon, except "pureblood" password of Slytherin dorms in CoS 
( and even that we don't know who comes up with them), just my 
speculation.


Just my opinion of course,

Alla