Snape/Harry coincidence?

[vmonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 140242

Carol wrote:
...On another occasion in the same book, Harry is described from the
outside (not seeing himself in a mirror--the narrator is briefly
stepping outside Harry's POV). Oddly, the wording strikes me as
virtually identical to a description of Snape in GoF.

Harry has decided to take his first really courageous and selfless
action, entering the forbidden corridor to retrieve the Sorceror's
(Philosopher's) Stone:

"Well, that's it, then, isn't it?" Harry said.

The other two stared at him. His face was pale and his eyes were
glittering.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the
stone first."

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have
said? You'll be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets the
stone, Voldemort's coming back! . . . . There won't be any Hogwarts to
be expelled from! . . . I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and
nothing you two can say can stop me! Voldemort killed my parents,
remember?" (SS Am. ed. 270)

Despite his error in thinking that it's Snape who has the stone, there
can be no mistaking Harry's motivation or his courage. He's risking
death (as well as expulsion) to save Hogwarts...
Compare this passage from GoF:

"Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must
ask you to do. If you are ready. . . . If you are prepared. . . ."

"I am," said Snape.

He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes
glittered strangely.

"Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of
apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius. (GoF
Am. ed. 713).

...Could the SS/PS and GoF passages I've quoted also be deliberately
coincidental, the later recalling the earlier to create a parallel
between Harry and Snape? Why else would JKR have the narrator deviate
from the normal POV to describe SS/PS Harry from the outside and then
repeat virtually the same description for a character Harry hates
three books later?

I suggest that it's because Snape, like Harry, is performing an act of
selfless courage in opposition to Voldemort. His action cannot in
itself save Hogwarts or Harry, but it's a vital step in Dumbledore's
plan to save the WW. Whatever the explanation for HBP Snape, the pale
face and glittering eyes suggest an almost fanatical willingness to
risk death for Dumbledore's cause, exactly like Harry preparing to
enter the corridor in SS/PS.

vmonte responds:
I don't think that it is a coincidence. She is making a comparison.
It's funny; your post reminded me of a comment Snape made to Narcissa
and Bella during Spinner's End. It's when Snape mentions that he
first thought that Harry might be the next evil overlord. This idea
is something that would have never occurred to me. (Come to think of
it, it almost implies that Snape had an idea that Harry might be a
horcrux. I'm sure someone's mentioned this idea already.)

Anyway, I wonder if Dumbledore saw baby Harry's scar and wondered
what that might imply as well. Is it also possible that Dumbledore
was first unsure about Harry, but gave him the chance to prove
himself worthy?

I love this moment in HBP:

"He accused me of being 'Dumbledore's man through and through.'"

"How very rude of him."

"I told him I was."

"Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.
Behind Harry, Fawkes the phoenix let out a low, soft, musical cry. To
Harry's intense embarrassment, he suddenly realized that Dumbledore's
bright blue eyes looked rather watery, and stared hastily at his own
knees. When Dumbledore spoke, however, his voice was quite steady.
"I am very touched Harry." (P358, A Sluggish Memory)

Call me corny, but this moment really touched me. It really affirms
Dumbledore's faith in Harry and vise versa.

I wonder if the comparison is to show that Snape and Harry were both
given the same chance to prove themselves. One failed, the other
did not.

Carol, I really liked your post. I'm going to sleep on it, and
consider what you've said.

Vivian