[HPforGrownups] Re: The first paragraph of book 7/Snape's Worst Memroy

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 171789

Goddlefrood:

The Obs and the Grauniad are, despite being part of the same media 
group, not the same papers. The Guardian sirte didn't carry the 
story because the Observer's site did. I'm up to speed now, thanks 
va32h

Your comment that the contents may have changed since October is 
agreed with and I also offer an alternative that JKR was simply 
playing a little joke on we readers. Why carry around a copy of 
a manuscript that one purports to be so desperate not to divulge 
to anyone, if not for a little jest.

As I said earlier I would hope the apparent snippet is false as 
the potential for the book being devoted more to what should be 
matters to be resolved nearer the end is not promising otherwise. 


Magpie:
I don't think we can tell that from this snippet. (To disagree with the
other poster on the thread, it sounds like a perfectly believable JKR scene
to me, prose-wise.) This scene isn't necessarily resolving anything, or if
it is it might be going towards a whole different surprise. JKR already
"resolved" stuff with Snape killing Dumbledore, after all.:-)

Sydney:

That HAS to be legit! I've always thought Snape was supposed to be
shortish. He just reads with that kind of vibe to me-- like a Al
Pacino thing (speaking of fantasy casting.. a British Al Pacino circa
1975 would be my Snape). And YAAAAAAAAAY to Snape in the first chapter! 

That certainly reads like Rowling's prose to me.

Magpie:
Me too. And just wanted to add I believe Harry makes a point of saying
Sirius is taller than Snape in their scenes together. LOL! British Al
Pacino. HE'S GONNA KILL THOSE COCKAROACHES!

Charles:

As far as MWPP being as bad as this single memory seems to make people
think they were, I am appalled. There was an ongoing rivalry between
Snape and the marauders that everyone *including DD* has said
resembles the animosity between Harry and Draco. Lupin states that
Snape never missed an opportunity to curse James. And let's face it,
Lupin was still defending Snape right up to the AK on the tower.

Magpie:
I think that depends on what you mean by "as bad as that single memory
might make people think they were." They were as bad as they are in the
memory--that's them, and we had seen them "gang up" on Snape via that map
in PoA. But we've always had other sides to them as well. We've also seen
how bad Snape is--I know some say that Snape has been set up as an innocent
victim in the text so far, with the Marauders as nothing more than bullies,
but I just don't think that's true at all. We've seen Snape as the bully
plenty of times, and we've seen good sides of the Marauders. I think the
Pensieve memory was supposed to be a surprising twist on the way we've seen
Snape, not more proof he was an innocent victim.

Charles:
Note that Sirius was not defending the actions of the memory. He even
states that he wasn't proud of it. The only indication we have that
James ganged up on Snape as a regular thing was Snape's word. Which is
good for a whole hell of a lot less than a lot of people on this list
take it for. Snape keeps calling *Harry* arrogant for Goddess' sake.
Harry may be a lot of things, but arrogant he is not. 

Magpie:
Well, Sirius was defending himself to Harry, not to Snape. It was Harry
that made him feel badly about what he did--I'm not so sure he felt badly
about it in general or would ever tell Snape that. We actually do have more
than Snape's word that he was ganged up on--we saw an example of it in the
Pensieve and the map, and that's naturally going to happen given the
Marauders were usually together. The Pensieve also showed us James was
indeed arrogant just as Snape said. (And while Harry isn't his father, I
wouldn't be so sure that Harry can't ever be arrogant. I think he might
come across as arrogant to people if we weren't in his head with him.) 

I think JKR's clearly set it up as Snape being correct and also not
correct. Harry was predisposed to think Snape was just wrong or lying about
his dad and his friends, and he wasn't. That doesn't make Snape's judgment
of them right in the overall sense--the Marauders have given their views of
Snape too and I think they are also right. It's a mixture of both. Neither
side is objective.

Charles:
Was it always five on one? I doubt it. Was Snape as innocent as that
one memory, and a lot of posts here would make it seem? If you believe
that, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please, cash and
in small bills.#

Magpie:
As I said, I don't think this one memory makes Snape "seem innocent" at
all. In that particular memory he was innocent and James and Sirius went
after him 2 on 1 with Lupin tacitly approving and Peter being thrilled.
(And Lily, at least, doesn't seem to think it's unusual.) That in no way
says that that's the way it always has to be, and I don't think that's been
implied anywhere in the book. If anything I would only say it proved that
the Marauders were not as innocent as certain scenes in canon and perhaps
other posts make it seem.

Charles:
If we are to see the whole Snape redeemed story, we are going to find
out more about him at Hogwarts, and a lot of Snape fans are going to
be upset at how nasty we find out he was, because if the Snape we have
seen throughout the books so far is a redeemed Snape, he used to be
worse. And that, to quote DD, "[I]s saying something."

Magpie:
I agree. Snape's the one who became a DE. He passed the Prophecy to
Voldemort. But we've already seen him doing bad things when his victim is
just as innocent as he was in the Pensieve.

Charles:
Charles, who thinks that the marauders *were* a lot like the Weasley
twins, and Severus Snape was a nasty piece of work at Hogwarts- even
if we haven't been shown that yet.

-m (who thinks that saying the Marauders were "like the Weasley Twins"
makes the opposite case than you seem to be making with it, and thinks
we've been shown Snape being nasty plenty in canon.