Nitwit? - Remus John Lupin

[Neri]

No: HPFGUIDX 168039

>
> > Neri:If it  will be found that Snape was correct in his suspicions
in the
> > Shrieking Shack, JKR will appear as endorsing his bigotry.
> > 
> 
> Pippin:
> I'd say she has a lot more to worry about on that score if it will
> be found that Harry is correct in his suspicions about Snape, since 
> Harry has expressed far more bias towards Snape than Snape has 
> ever expressed towards Lupin.
> 

Neri:
Whether Harry has been biased about Snape or just estimating him
better than we have is still remained to be seen. In any case, bias is
one thing and bigotry is another. Harry hates Snape because of Snape's
behavior, not because Snape is a half-blood or because he has greasy
hair, or because of anything else Snape doesn't have control over.


> Pippin:
> But I think JKR will appear as endorsing the view that life is
complicated.
> 
> Someone who has been accused by a bigot can still be guilty.
> Even stopped clocks are right twice a day. 
> 

Neri:
It's not a situation of being right twice a day. Had we seen Snape
showing bigotry towards 24 werewolves, and in the end only two of them
proved traitors, then you'd have a point. But this isn't the
situation. The point is that if Lupin proves a traitor and Snape
proves loyal, Snape will not be regarded as a stopped clock, he'll be
regarded as a hero for being the one who has always warned us against
Lupin (at least this is how I understood Ceridwen's point that I
responded to). Being a hero *because* you're a bigot isn't a good
message in a book. 


> Ceridwen:
> Snape repeats and repeats the word here.  He assigns an essay on 
> werewolves.  There is no doubt in people's minds that Remus is a 
> werewolf.
> 
> That the constant drum of attention is brought by a character who, by 
> all appearances, is a bigot against werewolves merely makes the 
> reader file it away as bigotry, nothing more. So, if there is a 
> surprise in DH regarding Remus and the werewolves, or Remus's 
> betrayal based on that point, we've had this glaringly blatant clue 
> staring us in the face since PoA, but no one picked up on it because 
> of the messenger.  The surprise is complete in the moment, though the 
> clues will be easy enough to spot during re-reads.


Neri:
I didn't disagree that plotwise this would be a nice trick for JKR to
pull. I'm just saying that the price she'd have to pay for it would be
in endorsing Snape's bigotry in the Shrieking Shack. 

Note that no good guy got credit for exposing or stopping Kreacher,
certainly not those that could appear even remotely as prejudiced
against house-elves, like Sirius or Ron. The only good guy who might
be able to claim some credit, namely Dumbledore, is the one who says
upfront that Kreacher is not to be blamed. JKR took extra care not to
appear as endorsing anti-house-elves bigotry.


> Ceridwen: 
> Snape hammering on the 'werewolf' theme rather than Remus is a 
> werewolf, would set up the entire group wooing that Voldemort is 
> doing.  Werewolves as a group have been marginalized.  Remus admits 
> that he has personally been marginalized: seen as a werewolf first, 
> and lost jobs because of it.  Remus has been sent to spy on his 
> peers, others who have been marginalized.  Would his weakness, of 
> wanting people to like him enough that he will break rules or hide 
> important information, cause trouble for Harry in DH? <snip>

Neri:
As a massage that might come out even worse. Lupin's betrayal as a
result of him getting close to the other werewolves would brand the
whole minority, not just Lupin the lone werewolf, as bad. Lupin the
good person who betrays the good guys because of his weakness would
suggest that werewolves can never be trusted, even when they are good
people, because in the end their werewolf side would betray them.  


Neri