Nice vs Good - Compassion

[puduhepa98 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 153057


> > Lanval:
> > Can you name one of those acts? 
>
>Lanval
>Next -- at the end of HBP, which you mentioned in another post. Snape  
>yells at the DEs to leave Potter for LV, right?

<snip>.  
>Until we know beyond any doubt what Snape's role was in that book,  
>and whether he's only acting the DE here, I will not pass judgment.  
>Besides, strictly speaking, Snape does not save Harry 's life -- the  
>DE is 'only' using the Cruciatus  Curse.

> 
>  Leslie41:
> If one defines "compassion" as the awareness of suffering and  the 
> wish to stop it, or to prevent it, I can name many.  Starting  with 
> his work as a spy, and his attempts to save Harry's life.
>
>.Pippin
>Snape seems almost incapable of compassion, which makes him
such a  pain to be around, while Lupin is an extremely compassionate
man.
Nikkalmati:
I can think of several acts of compassion on Snape's part beginning with  
Spinners End where he certainly had compassion on Narcissa when she went all  
weepy on him.
  He also had compassion on Draco, when Harry performed the  Sacrumsempra 
curse on him and Snape healed him.  Both of these acts of  compassion were 
directed toward a Malfoy for reasons that we probably will  understand better in the 
future. 
 He may display compassion for Ginny, when she is taken by the  Basilisk, if 
the clutching of the back of the chair means he is concerned for  her. 
 Lupin states that he is grateful to Snape because he made the  Wolfsbane 
potion perfectly for him every time. This statement implies that it  would be 
possible to make it but not well so that Lupin would partially  transform or 
suffer from side effects.  (You could also argue that Snape  would not make a 
potion less than perfectly to save his soul, so this was not an  act of 
compassion) <g>.
 When he returned Harry and Sirius on stretchers to the castle in POA,  he 
displayed compassion.  He could have just left Sirius there lying by the  lake, 
couldn't he? Maybe the Dementors would have come back and Sirius would  have 
ceased to be a problem.  What duty did Snape have to him at that  point?  Maybe 
Snape saw how he had protected the Trio (and Snape) from  Lupin and felt some 
compassion for Sirius.
 I don't think we have to know Snape's "true" loyalties to see the  events in 
HBP as compassionate. There is no reason why a DE could not give  Harry a 
little Crucio even if LV forbid anyone else to kill Harry.  Snape  did not just 
tell the DEs not to Crucio Harry, he appears to have blocked the  spell after 
it had begun.     I can't really think of any reason  for Snape to do that 
except to spare Harry unnecessary pain.
 
Nikkalmati


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