Snape oriented to the past? WAS: Re: The Continuing Tragedy of Severus Snape:

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 164661


> 
> Sherry:
> 
> Harry may indeed have to learn to forgive Snape--a very revolting 
thought to
> me personally--but seriously, can Harry ever truly forgive and 
trust or want
> to be friends, colleagues or whatever with the person who told 
Voldemort the
> prophecy and so brought about the death of his parents and the life 
he's
> had?  I'd think that no matter how hard he worked at forgiveness and
> understanding, he could not forget that, and it would affect any 
future
> dealings with Snape.  He has no reason to *like* Snape after all.  
Forgiving
> does not mean forgetting, contrary to what many old movies or love 
songs may
> say.  I could never personally forget the deeds of the person who 
helped
> bring about my parents deaths--if that had happened to me--and I 
know it
> would be a very difficult task to learn to understand and to 
forgive.  I
> don't know if that makes sense, but for us, we don't know the 
potters, they
> aren't a part of our story, but they were Harry's parents.  Hmmm, I 
don't
> think I am saying this well, but I think it would be unrealistic 
for Harry
> to learn to trust and willingly be around Snape, beyond a certain 
level.  A
> sort of professional forgiveness, as opposed to a deep down in your 
gut kind
> of one.  obviously, it was Wormtail who did the actual betraying, 
and if the
> prophecy is all Snape is guilty of it's not as immediate and 
personal as
> what Wormtail did.  But it did set the whole terrible chain of 
events in
> motion.  if Snape is indeed a DDM, then he must regret that with 
his whole
> being.

Julie:
There is another facet of Snape's sin against the Potters, 
which is that Snape tried his best to rectify his bad deed
(according to Dumbledore anyway). If this is true, if Snape
did everything he possibly could to *stop* Voldemort from 
using the prophecy against the Potters, then this is something
Harry could (and perhaps should) consider when deciding whether
to forgive Snape. 

That Snape tried to undo his betrayal does not completely 
erase that betrayal, but it is part of the equation. The 
Potters were in danger because of Snape's actions, but they
were also safe because of his (subsequent) actions. That 
is, until they were betrayed much more directly and
completely by Peter Pettigrew. 

It is a complicated tangle, trying to figure out just how
much blame should be Snape's, along with just how much credit
he should receive for his later attempt to repair the
damage. I'm sure among ourselves, decent folks all of us,
our varying backgrounds and experiences would have each
of us willing or able to forgive a little or a lot. I
actually consider Harry able to forgive a lot in most
circumstances. Only time, and what it reveals about the
"real" Snape we and Harry have yet to meet, will tell
how much Harry can forgive Snape, and whether (should 
they both live) they can have any civil interaction
with each other in the future. 

Julie, assuming DDM!Snape as always ;-)