Is Harry an idiot because he thinks Snape is guilty? Was: Why wizards are so i

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 140589

Combining 
Alla:(140550)

I think that he is acting as any person who would just witnessed a
killing in front of his eyes, but that is just me.

Sherry: (140576)
Here's what Harry had to deal with that night. Would any of us be 
thinking or acting rationally under these circumstances? 

Jen:(140577)
I seriously doubt any human, wizard or Muggle, would be
capable of detaching himself and cooly analyzing that situation
<snip>
that analysis is for message boards, not terrible, shocking moments 
when your brain is frozen in horror.

Pippin:
Um, that's what I said. He's not acting rationally. I didn't say he
should be expected to. If you would like me to say, "His
judgement is impaired" rather than, "I'm pretty sure he's
acting like an idiot" -- okay :-)

But given that he's not acting rationally, is it good judgement
to appoint himself judge, jury and executioner? 

If he only wanted to bring Snape to justice, I wouldn't have
used the word idiot. But he's already tried to crucio him.
That's not justice. His last word was that it will be the better for 
him and the worse for Snape if Harry catches up with him
--which I take to mean,  if Harry finds him before the Aurors 
do.

If he knows even less about Avada Kedavra than we do,
is it not unwise to pre-empt the judgement of those who 
know more? 

If he knows more, if he knows for certain than the
killing curse can throw a living target into the air,
or that the body can assume a peaceful expression or bleed
after death, then JKR is cheating. So far she has been
very careful not to cheat, even to the point of admitting
unintentional red herrings. 

In fact, she's said that there *is* hope that Snape is not guilty, 
and she refused to say that he was evil. Granted she was laughing,
but is the laugh on those who presume innocence until guilt is 
proven, or on those who have made up their minds in advance?


I suppose I sound as if *I* have made up my mind in advance.
But I would  probably be as much on the fence about Snape
as anyone  if it weren't far too late for the Evil!Lupin clues
to turn out to be intentional red herrings. They could be
unintentional red herrings, cough*Vampire!Snape*cough, 
of course.

But I think it hangs together far too logically for that, something
even I never claimed for Vampire!Snape

Pippin