The Powerful Slytherin (Re: Snape/Harry coincidence?)

[rlai1977]

No: HPFGUIDX 140675

Jumping in here ;-)

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Jen Reese" <stevejjen at e...> 
wrote:
<snip snip snip>
> Harry truly hates Draco and sees few redeeming 
> qualities because they are so different

While I do not think Draco would be Harry's main 'shadow' in the 
series, I don't think they are stark contrasts in terms of 
personality, really. In OOTP, when Harry was feeling a bit of 
resentment towards Ron for getting the prefect badge, he thought to 
himself "if he was arrogant like Malfoy". A sense of superiority is 
something Harry can't help feeling at times, and it's also something 
he doesn't like about himself, so he fights to repress it. In POA, 
when the Trio found out about Sirius's alleged betrayal of Harry's 
parents, Ron and Hermione were all "oh nono you mustn't go after 
him!" Harry thought that his two friends simply *did not understand* 
his desire to revenge, and vengeance is again something both Harry 
and Draco have felt, at a different time. The fact both boys are 
competitive and find it natural to give orders to their peers, are 
another similarity between them- though these aren't negative in 
themselves. 

<snip snip snip>
> Jen: This is curious to me. I see elements of what you say here in 
> Harry, maybe not to the same extent you do, but it makes me wonder 
> again why their paths diverged so radically. 

I think the crucial difference between Snape and Harry's 
circumstances would be the existence/lack of a support system. Pre-
PS/SS Harry was bullied, alone, unloved (as far as he knew), bitter, 
and felt he was different from everyone else. IF, instead of Hagrid, 
it was a much darker character who first approached him, offered him 
protection and power, and tempted him to go down the dark path- 
would Harry have chosen to? In Rowling-speak, the support system 
might translate into 'love', and likely why she said in a way Snape 
was 'more culpable even than Voldemort' because at least Snape has 
been loved, while Voldemort never has.

Though of course love will be rather simplistic an explanation to 
why three people with similar backgrounds would choose to make very 
different choices (Harry, much loved: good; Snape, loved by one(or 
more?):between good and bad; Voldemort,never been loved: BAD) :-D. 
And I believe Snape has long turned away from the original path he'd 
taken, it's just his road to redemption is hard, long and loney :-(

RP