Is Harry an idiot because he thinks Snape is guilty?/Some UV again (LONG)

[lupinlore]

No: HPFGUIDX 140652

> Betsy Hp:
> Hmm.  I think, actually, it will be very important for *Harry* to 
be 
> the one to finally take a good rational look at the tower events.  
> How else will he leave his childhood behind? (The child can afford 
to 
> be irrational; the man doesn't have that luxury.)

Oh, I don't know.  We haven't seen Snape being rational the entire 
series where Harry or Lupin or James are concerned.  Of course, Snape 
isn't really an adult, IMO, so if we want to say he's an example of a 
40 year old snivelling child, I think you are on to something here.

Betsy Hp:
  This sort of 
> critical thinking is exactly what Dumbledore was teaching Harry in 
> their jaunts through Dumbledore's pensieve.  And Harry does seem to 
> have picked up some skill.  The more open-minded view he has of 
> Slytherins in general, and Draco in particular, is encouraging, IMO.

Lupinlore:
Where do you see this open-mindedness?  Harry is horrified at what 
happens to Draco after the Sectumsempra spell, but continues to 
insist that Draco is guilty and is proven absolutely correct.  I 
don't see much evidence of open-mindedness toward Slytherins in 
general, although if you want to count the Prince, I'll let you have 
that one.  Certainly he has no open-mindedness toward Snape at the 
end of the book -- and neither does anybody else at Hogwarts that we 
can see, Hagrid's initial protests notwithstanding.


Betsy Hp:
> 
> A rational view of Snape and his role in Dumbledore's death will 
take 
> more effort on Harry's part, but I think he's up for it.  I think 
all 
> he needs is a good nudge.  Petunia Dursley saying something about 
> Lily's friend, Severus, for example.  Or maybe some anonymous 
source 
> Harry hunts down.  Or even a letter or bottled memory from 
> Dumbledore.  JKR will have to fill us in on Snape's background 
> somehow (the Prank, his leaving the Death Eaters, etc.) and I bet 
> we'll learn more about Snape right alongside Harry.
> 


Lupinlore:
If I had to bet money, I'd be pretty comfortable saying your not 
going to get your way on this one, Betsy.  Harry may end up with a 
different view of Snape, but I can't imagine it will occur because a 
nudge makes him rethink what happened on the tower, in large part 
because there isn't much, IMO, about what happened on the tower to 
rethink.  I can't think of a single shred of evidence from that scene 
that a real world policeman, judge, or jury would accept as pointing 
toward Snape as "Not Guilty" in the case of the murder of Albus 
Dumbledore, even if said policeman, jury, and judge knew as much 
about the Wizarding World as we and Harry (or as McGonnagall, Lupin, 
Hermione, Ron, Tonks, and the Weasleys, all of whom seem to regard 
Snape as obviously guilty). Even allowing Snape all the 
constitutional rights Sirius was denied, all the evidence we have 
from that scene and from what Harry or anyone else knows is solidly 
for "Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

As JKR has said, it's now personal between Harry and Snape on a level 
it has never been before -- even more personal than it is between 
Harry and Voldemort.  At this point, a revelation that Lily and Snape 
were friends would likely only magnify Harry's fury even further -- 
Snape would be that much WORSE of a traitor.  Any "rethinking" of 
Snape will have to be based on some VERY big and VERY solid 
evidence.  Documents or pensieve memories left behind by Dumbledore 
would be a possibility.  So would Fawkes if he ends up going to Snape 
(which I rather doubt, I suspect he'll find his way to Harry after 
he's had a chance to shed some Phoenix tears and spend some time with 
his Mom in the ol' nest behind the sun).  I don't see, barring 
breathtakingly bad writing on JKR's part (which she has, 
unfortunately, proved herself capable of with such, err, stuff, 
as "Sirius wouldn't want me to brood so I won't" and "Mary Jane ... I 
mean Ginny ... I have to go fight Doc Ock ... I mean Voldemort ... 
first") how a slight nudge followed by rethinking of the tower scene 
could ever do the trick. Oh, and I don't think Snape's patronus would 
be of any help in this situation. McGonagall, Lupin, Hagrid, and 
others would already be familiar with it, and nothing about it caused 
them to go "Oh no, Harry, Snape couldn't have killed Dumbledore.  You 
see his patronus proves that's impossible."


Lupinlore