Scene with likable James WAS: Re: Eileen Pince

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 156300

Brothergib:

> However, I can think of an (almost) direct comparison. When Mad 
> Eye/Crouch Jr turns Draco into a ferret. I'm pretty sure that 
Snape 
> went for his wand first to get at James, just as Draco was 
attempting 
> to curse/hex Harry. 

Magpie:
Interesting that you're pretty sure, because you're incorrect.  
Snape only takes out his wand at James' intentionally provocational 
shout.  James already has his wand out, ready to hex him.  Draco 
went to his wand after Harry insulted him and was walking away. 
You've left out another "major difference" in the scene, which is 
that Moody is actually a psychotic Death Eater punishing the son of 
a Death Eater who went free.  Draco "deserving it" for throwing a 
hex is only one level of the scene.  Had it been another kid Harry 
and his friends might have been more suspicious of Moody.  As it 
was, the fact that Crouch's hatred overlapped with their own allowed 
him to show himself without being noticed.  Had he bounced one of 
the Weasley Twins or Harry himself for throwing a hex at someone 
(something spoken of and done casually enough throughout the series) 
he would have become a villain at that moment.

Brothergib:
 If we had seen Snape as a 
> student behaving like Draco, would that scene have upset us so 
much?

Magpie:
Probably not, I agree.  Harry himself says just that when he thinks 
the scene would be fine if done to Draco.  Harry also loses sympathy 
for Snape when he has to deal with him as an adult.  But does that 
mean Harry's instinctive reaction to the scene is completely wrong?  
I'm not so sure.

-m