Which characters are dynamic?

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 141896

> Pippin:

> 
> Supposing that JKR did wish to indicate that the AK was possibly 
fake and that conspiracy 
> or legilimency between Snape and Dumbledore, unknown to Harry, was 
a possibility. What 
> more  should she have done to suggest this without giving the game 
away?
> 

Lupinlore:
Well, suggesting it isn't really the point.  The point is that such 
contrivance, suggested or not, is incredibly cheesy.  "Oh, I'll show 
this scene but manage to come up with some convoluted and 
unbelievable way of completely turning the situation around so that 
Harry is completely wrong about Snape (yet again) and Snape 
completely in the clear."  Which is what I mean, partially, about JKR 
being in a corner.  She's presented a situation that lots of people 
(mainly DDM!Snape supporters, I suppose) find impossible to believe, 
view as an emotional and thematic betrayal, and/or find aesthetically 
repugnant. However, the only way out of said situation is to create 
escape hatches in the plot that lots of other people (mainly OFH!
Snape and ESE!Snape supporters) find impossible to believe, view as 
an emotional and thematic betrayal, and/or find aesthetically 
repugnant. In one blow she severely limited her options and 
practically guaranteed that there will be widespread disappointment 
with the last book no matter which way she moves.  Maybe she doesn't 
care about that ("some won't like it, etc"), and if so that is 
certainly her prerogative.  But whether she cares or not does not 
alter the fact of the matter.

Pippin:
> What I really can't understand about OFH!Snape is that it seems to 
presume that Snape is 
> somehow  less culpable for killing Dumbledore if he did it in 
pursuit of his own ends than 
> if he did it at Voldemort's orders. And I don't understand that at 
all. 

Lupinlore:
Oh, I don't think any OFH!Snape theorist is limiting Snape's 
culpability.  What OFH!Snape does that DDM!Snape does not is allow us 
to accept the facts as presented without building a series of escape 
hatches into the plot to explain why what we saw in the book's 
pivotal scene isn't really what we saw in the book's pivotal scene.  
For that matter, unlike either ESE! or DDM! it allows us to accept 
most facts as presented without a great deal of twisting and turning 
to explain how X or Y that Snape does fits into him being on DD's 
side or Voldy's side.  By and large one is able to say that when 
Snape appears to be doing something to benefit DD he really is doing 
that, and when he appears to be doing something that benefits Voldy 
he really is doing that, and when he appears to be trapped and 
conflicted he really is trapped and conflicted. 

So, unlike DDM!Snape, OFH!Snape really does believe that Snape has 
done something wrong, that he really HAS done something that serves 
Voldy's purposes (although maybe not for Voldy's reasons), and he is 
culpable for that.  But, unlike ESE!Snape, OFH!Snape believes that 
when Snape was appearing to help Dumbledore, he really WAS helping 
Dumbledore (although maybe not for Dumbledore's reasons), and this 
gives precedent that allows for him to redeem himself in the end, 
although certainly at a very high cost.


Lupinlore