Truth vs. what meets Harry's eye (Was: Is Harry an idiot because he thinks Snap

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 140676

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at y...> wrote:
> > SSSusan:
> <snip>
> I think we *do* have 
> > evidence in the book of several situations where what appeared to 
> be 
> > true turned out not to be, even if it made *sense* that the person
> (s) 
> > believed what he/they did.  Carol's examples of Hufflepuffs 
> believing 
> > Harry to be the Heir of Slytherin and the witnesses' belief that 
> > Sirius had killed all those people are excellent ones.  In the 
> tower 
> > scene, we know what we witnessed, but did we witness enough?  Do 
we 
> > *know* enough?  
> 
> Alla:
> 
> Well, actually, even though I think that Hufflepuffs believing 
Harry 
> to be the Heir of Slytherin could be analogised to the situation, 
> sort of, I don't think that witnesses' believing that Sirius 
killed  
> the muggles cuts it. JMO, of course.
> 
> In the Sirius' example, we do not actually witness anything . We 
only 
> heard hearsay, so the level of distance from that scene for the 
> reader is much more than in the tower scene. JMO, of course.
> 
> Now, suppose, someone , be it a host, or anybody else TELLS Harry 
> about what happened on the Tower, but Harry himself does not 
actually 
> witness it. Everything else in my hypothetical is the same.  Then I 
> would say that example about witnesses' believing in Sirius' guilt 
> would be more relevant.

Geoff:
I would like to return to the basic question whether Harry is an 
idiot in believing in Snape's guilt. If he is, then I shall join him 
in being one myself.

When I first read HBP, I took this chapter at face value - that Snape 
had killed Dumbledore, full stop. I have read the chapter a couple 
more times but until I see JKR's own interpretation in Book 7 
(hopefully!) I am not attempting to take on board any of the umpteen 
theories which have been served into court.

It is a well-known fact that if several people witness an event (such 
as an accident) and then give statements to the police, these reports 
will vary from person to person, sometimes to the extent of 
contradicting one another. So it is with some of our theories; they 
can't all be right. I am not analytical enough to attempt my own 
conspiracy theory so I shall sit at the side of the playing field and 
enjoy the fun of watching the game progress.

Is Harry an idiot? In my opinion, no. At this point, he is mentally 
and physically tired and drained, having gone through the stress of 
the cave events and his concern for Dumbledore's health and safety. 
Whatever Dumbledore (and others) may say about Snape, Harry has still 
not seen any evidence of his own; to him Snape is cruel and sadistic 
and not to be trusted further than Harry can throw him.

The conversation between Dumbledore and Draco really fails to give 
any guidance to Harry:

'"Why didn't you stop me then?" Malfoy demanded.
"I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on 
my orders -"
"He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother -"
"Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but -"
"He's a double-agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, 
you just think he is!"
"We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust 
Professor Snape -"
"Well, you're losing your grip then!" sneered Malfoy.'

(HBP "The Lightning-Struck Tower" p.549 UK edition)

In a sense, this is what Harry wants to hear - Snape is not to be 
trusted, whatever Dumbledore might say - and it also underlines his 
belief that Draco is working actively against them. Dumbledore had 
admitted to Harry - particularly in OOTP - that he had made mistakes 
and misjudgments. Why shouldn't this be the same?

And then, at the end of the scene, Snape enters:

'"We've got a problem, Snape," said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and 
wand were fixed alike upon Dumbledore, "the boy doesn't seem able -"'

(ibid. p.556)

To Harry's eyes at this point, Snape appears to be a double-agent; to 
compound it, he walks forward and speaks the Avada Kedavra spell 
which appears to take effect.

What is Harry going to do at this point when his Body-Bind is 
released? Turn cartwheels and say "Whoopee, this is all just to make 
the Death Eaters believe that Snape is on their side. Dumbledore 
wanted to be killed to preserve his cover. that wasn't really an AK."

Is he heck. He has just "witnessed" Draco implying that Dumbledore's 
trust is ill-founded and Snape casting a killing spell. Harry's 
experience of seeing AKs is not sufficiently broad to know whether 
the effects, though different, suggest that this was not the spell 
cast.

He is doing what we all would do in the circumstances. He is 
analysing what he saw and interpreting it at face value. Why should 
he do otherwise? He does not have the backup of the HPFGU Department 
of Conspiracy Theories to call on and, at the moment, all he can see 
confirms his worst fears about Snape. He (and I) will have to receive 
some thorough explanations from someone who can convince us that what 
we witnessed was not the truth before we can move on to believing in 
Snape.