Raging Snape / Draco's Redemption / JKR's Plots (was:Re: seeds of betrayal)

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 149628

> >>Sherry:
> > I present the theory that it was a very personal grudge, a very 
> > personal resentment, that caused Snape to fire that curse at
> > DD.  
> > <snip>
 
> >>Marianne:
> Not being a DDM Snape person either, I'm certainly happy with this 
> theory;-).  But, does this seem Snapeish to other people, that all 
> of his resentments would have finally reached a breaking point at 
> that moment on the Tower?  

Betsy Hp:
Snape does hold onto his grudges.  And they can blind him, 
especially if the Marauders are involved.  So I can buy Snape 
finally snapping and killing someone in a massive rage of hurt and 
betrayal and making sure he can never be hurt again.

But, that's not what happened on the Tower, is it?  I mean, Snape 
wasn't *anything* like the snarling, spitting man that begged Sirius 
to give him a reason back in PoA.  That relished Sirius' fear of 
being soul-sucked.

I know this point has been made before, so I know it won't change 
any minds, but if Snape really did have a vast well of slow boiling 
resentment towards Dumbledore that finally pushed him into murder 
why was the explosion so... methodical?  Where was the ranting, the 
glotting, the pre-killing drama, the after-killing giddiness?

At the time, Snape wasn't under any sort of time pressure.  The 
Order couldn't get onto the Tower, and he must have known it.  So 
why not take a few moments for himself?  For that matter, why not 
watch and gloat while Dumbledore died of the ring curse?  That 
would've been a perfect opportunity to get a bit of revenge.  He 
wouldn't have even been charged with murder.

Also, and this has always struck me, especially when compared to 
Sirius and Lupin, Snape begged Sirius to *give him a reason*.  Huh?  
Sirius was an escaped convict in a small room with three students.  
Why did Snape need a reason to kill him?  He had reasons a plenty.  
Sirius and Lupin certainly didn't ask Peter to give them a reason to 
kill him.  But the evil Death Eater, kicker of puppies, etc., 
suddenly needs a reason?

> >>Marianne:
> I can see this fitting into the redemption scheme that JKR has 
> hinted about, where I assume Snape will not be the one to be 
> redeemed (Draco will be).  Snape could not ultimately let go of   
> all the wrongs (real and imagined) that were done to him in the   
> past and he ends up killing DD.

Betsy Hp:
I still see Draco's "redemption" story as being a bit dull.  He just 
hasn't done anything really, really bad.  In fact, I get the sense 
that his dabbling in evil has quite turned him off the whole Death 
Eater thing.

I like what Gwen says here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/149592

> <snip>
> I see his [Draco's] case, as you alluded to by comparing him to   
> Saul, as more of a conversion than a redemption. There is the same 
> potential for conversion in all of the other Death-Eater           
> offspring, because they have not consciously chosen evil – they   
> are being towed in the wake of their parents' choices.
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Draco was never allowed a choice until Dumbledore offered him one on 
the Tower.  And we're still waiting to see how that turns out.  
(Though I agree with Harry.  Draco did start to lower his wand.)  I 
see the act of choosing to be Draco's story, rather than the 
redemption of a bad choice already made.

Whereas Snape *did* make a choice, didn't he?  He's got the ugly 
brand to prove it.  It may have been a choice made out of pain and 
rage and fear, but it was a choice.  I think that he's been making 
up for that choice for years now.

Because I don't think JKR is going to cram her redemption story all 
into book 7.  Nothing elegant or forshadowy about that.  And it 
totally overlooks JKR's style of writing, as Magpie illustrates in 
her post here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/149559
> <snip>
> Reading back the book doesn't become less satisfying because
> we know who done it, but more satisfying because we know what's
> really going on and can follow along with the secret plot.
> <snip>
> There's no elaborate plot that comes out of nowhere,
> there's an elaborate plot hiding in plain sight.
> <snip>

I have a feeling that when Snape's full story is revealed, we'll 
realize that we've seen the redemption plot playing out throughout 
the books.  And that, in my opinion, will be much more satisfying 
than a hurry-up type redemption (Peter Pettigrew), or light-weight 
redemption (Draco Malfoy).

Betsy Hp