Nice vs. Good - Compassion

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 153146

> >>Lanval:
> > <SNIP>
> > Btw, how do you (and others who believe that Snape lives by the 
> > code of Must-Keep-Harry-Safe) deal with the fact that both in    
> > CoS and PoA he tries to have Harry expelled?
> > <snip>

> >>Alla:
> Hehe. I know the answer. Don't you get it, he was just pretending. 
> You know, messing with Harry's mind. He does not really want him 
> expelled. He just complains to DD all the time. :)

> >>Leslie41:
> Oh, he definitely wants Harry expelled.  I'm with you on that.

Betsy Hp:
I'm going to disagree. <g>  When Snape is actually in a position to 
get Harry expelled, when Umbridge is just *aching* for an excuse, 
Snape doesn't help her at all.  The times he *does* push for Harry 
to be expelled he's appealing to either McGongall or (as Alla points 
out) Dumbledore.  Seriously, does anybody really think McGonagall or 
Dumbledore were going to expel Harry?

So yeah, based on the fact that Snape complains to *Dumbledore* all 
the time, but doesn't complain to Umbridge, I'm going with the "not 
really wanting Harry expelled" answer.
 
> >>Lanval:
> :) I should probably check the other books too. But in CoS he 
> definitely tried to get both Harry and Ron expelled for the flying 
> car episode.

Betsy Hp:
He says that if Harry and Ron were in his house, he'd expel them.  
But Snape also concedes that the power to expel Harry lies in 
McGonagall's hands.  Something Dumbledore verifies.

> >>Lanval:
> At the end of PoA, Harry, still dazed and confused, hears Snape   
> say the following to Fudge in the Hospital Wing: "And yet-
> -is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? 
> Personally, I try and treat him like any other student (ROTFL!).   
> And any other student would be suspended -- at the very least --   
> for leading his friends into such danger. ..."
> Now I'm not sure if suspended here is to mean expelled?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that when Snape 
says "suspended" he means, well, "suspended".  If he meant to 
say "expelled" he'd say "expelled".  I'm quite sure Snape knows the 
difference between the two words. <g>

> >>Alla:
> > <SNIP>
> > I totally think that Snape would have much preferred Sirius to   
> > be killed legally, but also don't think that it shows Snape      
> > kindness ar all.

> >>Lanval:
> We are in perfect agreement then. :)

Betsy Hp:
I'm not sure anyone argued that not executing Sirius himself was an 
example of kindness on Snape's part.  Carrying him carefully up to 
the castle has been suggested as such, especially compared to 
Sirius's actions when in a similar position.

(Though I actually brought that scene up as an example of Snape 
treating an injured Harry with care, since it was suggested that 
Snape wouldn't have raised an eyebrow (I believe?) if faced with a 
badly injured Harry.)

Though it's *also* interesting to compare Sirius's willingness (and 
Lupin's for that matter) to illegally kill Peter rather than turning 
him over to the powers that be.  It suggests that Snape may hold 
himself to a higher principle than either Sirius or Lupin hold 
themselves.

> >>Lanval:
> However, from a personal ethical standpoint, Snape not saving     
> Draco, and watching him die, in HBP, would have been a terrible    
> crime. There was no danger to his own life, and he knew precisely 
> what to do.

Betsy Hp:
And this takes away from Snape's actions how, exactly?

Betsy Hp