OFH! Snape and Harry (was: Re: Which characters are dynamic?)

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 141916

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jessica Bathurst" 
<ragingjess at h...> wrote:

<snip>

> Here's where I run into a problem with OFH! Snape - why wouldn't a 
> Snape who's concerned with his own safety first and foremost even 
> attempt to make nice with the kid who might defeat the Big Bad in 
> accordance with the prophecy?  

There are any number of possible answers to this question (which is 
also interesting to ponder from ESE! and DDM! angles as well).  One 
which I myself incline to is that one thing OFH!Snape likes about 
being where he is is that he has a boss who's really quite lenient 
towards his foibles, up to a point.  I keep coming back to the JKR 
interview comment about Dumbledore and Hagrid, and how Dumbledore 
could have gone and told Hagrid to snap out of it--but he wanted 
Hagrid to figure it out for himself, because it would be better than 
way.  Dumbledore isn't going to force anyone to have an epiphany, 
just put them into situations where he hopes they'll do it for 
themselves.  Given that kind of tolerance, OFH!Snape, so long as he 
toes some lines, is free to indulge in his displaced antagonism 
towards James; Dumbledore isn't going to *make* him get over it, just 
hope that he will.

And in at least one reading of OFH!ness, Snape prioritizes what it is 
that Snape wants.  Particularly as the books go along, it would take 
more and more to admit to himself that his judgement hadn't been 
particularly sound, and to deal with his lingering grudges and 
resentments.  Maybe he just doesn't *want* to, because he holds his 
hatreds dear?  [There's a potential object lesson for both Harry and 
the kiddies...]

One also wonders how seriously Snape takes the prophecy.  He doesn't 
know all of it, I do believe (canonically).  He seems pretty 
dismissive of Harry's chances in HBP, although of course he could be 
lying.  It's about 60/40 whether he really puts his faith in Harry as 
the man for the job, IMO.

> Both ESE! and DDM!Snape don't have this issue, because in both 
> cases Snape's sworn allegiance to someone who is not Harry and is 
> following that man's orders.  Neither one of them seemed too 
> concerned about his treatment of Harry.

Disagree about Dumbledore to some extent: I think he has reigned in 
Snape in some areas, but see above for why he wouldn't in others.

> Pippin:
> <snip> OFH!Snape is just a weasel, and I don't care what happens to 
> him.
> 
> Jessica:
> 
> He's not even a successful weasel, when you think about it.  The UV 
> and all.

But he's (IMHO) potentially a very compelling fall from grace story, 
almost classical in his undoing via his own character flaws.  This 
has some things going for it in the possiblity category.  Either ESE 
or DDM!Snape is something of a grand figure, heroic in evil or in 
good.  But I think we often forget how downright ridiculous Rowling 
likes to make Snapeykins: spitting and flying into rages hysterical, 
or exiting stage left pursued by hippogryff.  Many people (elsewhere) 
mostly were annoyed at his exit (and speeches) at the end of the 
book, calling them OOC for making him seem so unbalanced and silly.  
I thought it was the right measure of the man; consistent, at the 
least...

-Nora has a drinkie and goes to lecture