High Noon for OFH!Snape

[nrenka]

No: HPFGUIDX 149472

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "horridporrid03" 
<horridporrid03 at ...> wrote:

> Because in Spinner's End Snape takes a calculated risk that he 
> *knew* was going to *limit* his choices. 

On the other hand, this risk does potentially free up other choices 
in the long run--such as the choice not to be a double agent spy 
anymore, and the choice not to have to pretend to be something he may 
not be.  I think we should keep both short-term and long-term goals 
in mind when we think about choices and limitations, because things 
which are short-term setbacks can be long-term benefits.

> Betsy Hp:
> Um, okay.  So OFH!Snape is also a danger freak?  He took the Vow 
> because he was looking for a rush?

No, I'm the slight danger freak. :)  But we both have a certain 
confidence in our abilities to navigate difficult situations, maybe 
to the point where ohh, it's going to hurt if we mess up.  (Trees 
hurt.  A lot.)  Hence the upthread somewhere worries about hubris.

> Betsy Hp:
> I can see how a DDM!Snape is cornered here.  Or at least, how he's 
> lead to think that taking the Vow is a good way to go.  But why 
> would OFH!Snape feel cornered here?  What power does Narcissa have?

The power to potentially make his life inconvenient, especially as 
crazy Bellatrix is along for the ride.  There's too much unknown for 
us to settle on whether Voldie was involved directly, he would have 
been angry at Narcissa, whatever.  Say that OFH!Snape thinks "How can 
I get this crazy broad off of my back," and takes the Vow, voila trap 
of the third clause.

> Betsy Hp:
> "Unemotional, impossible to read"!Snape was there instead.  And 
> it's impossible (having seen the tries <g>) to assign a logical 
> reason for OFH!Snape to make such a choice.

I dunno if I'd call it unemotional, being as Narcissa's romance novel 
heroine theatrics seem to do *something*...

> Betsy Hp:
> I agree with both of you. <g>  The OFH!Snape argument is based 
> largly on "eh, he makes no sense so he must OFH" with a side order 
> of "and while I *want* him to be ESE, JKR isn't writing him that 
> way and since I can't stand the idea of Snape being DDM, I'll stick 
> with the impossible to make sense of OFH".  

As opposed to the contortions one had to go through to explain away 
the AK and make it a plan and all of that... :)

To counter your assertion, a good portion of the DDM!Snape argument 
is based on thematic arguments of personal preference.  "Oh, it would 
be so mean and unfair if he weren't good in the long run.  JKR would 
be sending bad messages about second chances and Slytherins and 
underdogs.  It would totally ruin Dumbledore's character if he were 
mistaken about Snape and Harry were right, because Harry is the 
student who has to learn from his mentor.  It would totally ruin the 
entire theme of the books."

I got into a discussion once where the other person stated that if 
Snape were evil, JKR had totally destroyed all the value in her 
books, and she would continue to believe in her reading because it 
would be better than what JKR wrote.  (Yes, I have seen all of these 
arguments.)

-Nora gets a periodic chuckle out of the claim that one's reading is 
correct even if it's not what ends up being written in the book