Nice vs. Good, honesty, and Snape: Was Snape, Apologies, and Redemption

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 153223

 
> Lanval:
> Eh, no offense, Pippin, but that's part of your ESE!Lupin theory, 
> isn't it? :) Which I don't buy (yet). Lupin may be a Legilimens, but 
> as far as I'm aware there's no proof.

Pippin:
Um, no, that was  straightforward canon interpretation.
The other three characters who show a consistent ability to tell what
Harry is thinking, ie Dumbledore, Voldemort and Snape, have all been
identified as legilimenses. At this point it seems more speculative to say 
definitively that Lupin is not a legilimens than that he is. How else do we  
account for his ability?

But as long as you bring it up....

What's interesting form the ESE!Lupin standpoint is that Neville's
boggart isn't a botched potion or even dead Trevor. ESE!Lupin 
theory would be that the image of Snape bursting through a closed 
door and going for his wand has nothing to do with potions class 
and everything to do with some buried memory of Neville's.  
Could young Neville, lying in his cot, have see Snape burst through 
a door and stun an attacker from behind? 


I can well believe that ESE!Lupin lies awake thinking of how he
might  determine where Snape's true loyalties lie. Certainly it's
kept enough of *us* awake at night. And Snape would lie
awake thinking of ways to stop him, such as coming down
very hard on Neville in potions class that day so that Neville's
image of scary Snape in the boggart lesson Snape knew was
coming would be the present day Snape and not
someone twelve years younger.



> Lanval:
> 
> My mind's reeling, thinking of what other and possibly MUCH worse 
> scenarios he might have come up with. He HAD to make him look 
> ridiculous, right?
> 

Pippin:
No, he did not. A boggart is not limited to one fear, as Molly showed
us in OOP. Lupin could have suggested that Neville might want to think
of something else. 

Lanval:
> I think it can safely be argued that this episode did more for 
> Neville's self-confidence than anything else in his two years at 
> Hogwarts, the points in SS/PS included. Snape hates and bullies him 
> no matter what. Now at least Neville has the lovely memory of 
> boggart!Snape to cheer him up when things get rough in Potions.
>  
> Btw, this was the same day Snape threatened to poison Trevor. Yes, I 
> do think JKR let Neville have his little revenge.
> 
Pippin:
Well, that would be the sitcom version. But Rowling evidently has
something else in mind, because she pops this particular bubble
in the next chapter. "Snape didn't seem to find it funny. His eyes
flashed menacingly at the very  mention of Professor Lupin's name
and he was bullying Neville worse than ever." -- PoA ch 8

As a morale booster, it's on a level with putting Stan Shunpike
behind bars. I'm sure a lot of people felt comforted by that too.
I'll say this for Scrimgeour, though, at least his method didn't
actually provoke Voldemort.

What Lupin did was equivalent to waving a red flag in front of a
bull and then stuffing it into the hands of some poor dweeb who
gets charged down while the real culprit stands on the sidelines
grinning. The Marauders would have laughed their tails off.
Gettting dweeby kids in trouble was one of their specialities, or
so Snape seems to be remembering when he accuses Harry of
deliberately letting Neville mess up in PS/SS.

It's a fine joke if Snape is just the cartoon of a bad teacher, but
if he is, then Harry and Neville are in no more danger from
him  than the Roadrunner is of being caught by Wile E Coyote.

OTOH, if  Snape does turn out to be an unreformed DE and a 
once and future killer, then setting him on poor Neville isn't
really very funny, is it?

Pippin