Twist JKR? (was:Re: Dumbledore's pleading...)

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 141694

> Alla: 
> How would it send every major character twisiting and turning,
> Jen? I am very confused now. In what aspect? In a sense that they
> trusted Snape? If it so, it was clear enough to me in HBP that 
> they really did not, they trusted Dumbledore's judgment, first and
> foremost. Would it make Dumbledore more fallible? Yes, quite
>  tragic that, I agree, but also very sympathetic to me.
> 
> Maybe you were talking about different twist and turns? If yes, 
> could you clarify?

Jen: I gave Alla an unfair answer to her question last night, 
without using canon, so wanted to backtrack and answer her properly.

First of all, that was an exaggeration. No I don't really believe 
ALL the characters have to twist to meet Snape being OFH. What I was 
saying in my original post is if we take OFH at face-value, with no 
added speculation (which is what I understand to the be the purpose 
of the straight-forward reading), then OFH has to answer the 
question of how he fooled both DD and LV and square it away with 
what we know about these two characters. That means OFH doesn't get 
to speculate about whether LV really believed Snape, or if it took 
more than a sob story for Dumbledore to welcome Snape back to the 
fold. It means you have to take at face-value that DD *did* welcome 
Snape back with few questions asked and LV *did* believe Snape to 
the point that Snape is now his 'most trusted' servant.

Now, if you do believe those things outright, then no, OFH takes 
little twisting. I see both those as going against the 
characterization we have so far of Dumbledore and Voldemort. 
Dumbledore is a trusting person and believes in second-chances, yes. 
Requiring only a story of great remorse from a known DE to allow him 
back into Hogwarts and risk the students goes beyond what even 
Dumbledore would believe prudent. Same with Voldemort. To postulate 
that he not only believed Snape's story whole-heartedly but elevated 
him in the ranks to be his *most trusted* servant, when he trusts no 
one and has no allies, doesn't fit for me without extrapolation. 
What I believe, and have gone into detail before, is Voldemort sees 
Snape as useful and is using him to get Dumbledore out of the way, 
and perhaps test his loyalty at the same time. Since I don't claim 
to have a straight-forward reading, I'm allowed the luxury of 
speculation ;).

Personally, I like this reading from houyhnhnm:
> What I've been coming around to is a view of Snape in which he is
> both OFH and DDM. That is to say, there is an underlying loyalty to
> Dumbledore which has been in conflict with his alienation and
> anti-social personality throughout the six books, but at the end of
> HBP, he makes his choice. And it is for Dumbledore.

Jen: I really dig this idea and it coincides with my belief Snape 
does have a personal motivation for joining Dumbledore's side, even 
if it turns out to be revenge toward Voldemort for something done to 
one of his loved ones. Most of the Order members have personal 
reasons for joining the Order from what I see: Lupin is interested 
in werewolf rights; the Weasleys want a safer world for their 
children and grandchildren and want to support Harry because they 
love him; Sirius joined the second time with feelings of revenge for 
James/Lily's death as well as presumably his hatred of the dark arts 
from the first go-round; McGonagall and Hagrid are completely 
devoted and loyal to Dumbledore and will go to the ends of the earth 
for him (within reason on Mcgonagall's part <g>); others we know 
little about their history such as Tonks or Shacklebolt.

Snape would be the least interested in the Good of all these people, 
but I believe as long as he wanted to see the end of Voldemort then 
he is able to join Dumbledore's side 'at great risk to himself'. He 
may not buy Dumbledore's beliefs hook, line and sinker but he 
believes in the end goal enough to be DDM.

Jen, apologizing to Alla for not playing fair.