CHAPDISC: HBP28, Flight of the Prince

[juli17 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 163597

> 
> 6.    Snape loses his sardonic cool when Harry calls him a coward 
and
> refers to Dumbledore's death. This is the only time during the 
battle
> that Snape actually hits Harry with a curse. Why did Snape show his
> weakness to Harry? What was it about that statement that pushed 
Snape
> over the edge?  Harry called Snape a coward earlier, yet Snape just
> jeered at him then. Was it really about being called a coward or 
that
> Harry accuses Snape of killing Dumbledore?  This is my favorite
> question, BTW.  I can't wait to read the responses.

Potioncat:
The description of Snape was painful. He's compared to the howling 
dog trapped
in the burning hut. What is JKR trying to tell us? This description 
is part of the reason I think Snape is loyal to DD. He would be 
gloating if he was LV's minion.
 
Julie:
This description convinced me too, along with Snape's look of
"hatred and revulsion" when aiming his wand at Dumbledore being
so similar to Harry's feelings while force-feeding Dumbledore 
the cave potion. I think JKR drew these analogies purposely,
as clues for us.

Potioncat:
 Some have suggested that Snape is still thinking of James at this 
moment, because Snape was just yelling about James. Also, the 
slashing in air, and the white-hot whiplike hit across Harry's face 
could be something like the curse Severus used on James after OWLs. 
Although Harry seems more affected, and we don't hear of any blood. 
But I think he's back to DD at this moment. Still...the uncertain use 
of pronouns leaves it up in the air.

Nothing Snape has done as an adult has indicated any cowardice, so 
it's very hard to 
understand why that triggered the reaction. My feeling is that it has 
to do with his killing Dumbledore. It could mean he did it for an 
overall good, and knows he will seen as a
coward, or it could mean he himself wonders if he may have done it 
out of cowardice. I'm beginning to believe that the Tower events were 
completely unanticipated.

Julie:
I don't think Snape wonders at all if his act in killing Dumbledore
was cowardice. I think Snape is reacting just the opposite, that
he desperately *wanted* to take the cowardly way out--by killing
Dumbledore, accepting his own death from the UV and divesting
himself of all responsibility for the fates of Draco,Harry and the
WW. Instead it took the most extreme courage he'd ever summoned to
kill Dumbledore, save Draco's soul and likely his life, along with
Harry's life, to give up EVERYTHING and brand himself a murderer
and traitor, to have nowhere else to go but to Voldemort where he
must hide his true intentions and finish the game he started when
he "rejoined" Dumbledore's side. I'd say for Snape "suicide" would
be painless by comparison!

So Snape's reaction is because Harry dares to call Snape a coward
when he has no idea that Snape was acting from the opposite extreme.
 
 
Julie, out of time right now but hoping to add more thoughts to
the other excellent questions later.
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