Snape's the Rescuer - Really?/Justice to Snape

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 170723


> Lanval:
> 
> DD says that Snape's tale is believable as a whole, but people 
would 
> hardly fish for details like what wand Black was using, or whether 
> Black is capable of nonverbally casting a Confundus charm. The 
story 
> that Snape caught Black works with or without the Confundus charm.
> 
> Besides, I was talking about unconscious, bound Sirius on the 
> stretcher. I see no evidence that Snape ever believes the kids to 
> *be* Confunded, and thus can't really accept this argument as 
> support for Snape fearing Black's nonverbal/wandless magical 
ability 
> when he stretchers him off. It also makes the point about Sirius 
> Confunding the kids without a wand moot.
> 
> To me it's still about keeping Sirius quiet.

Julie:
We've probably debated this out now, and each of us is going
to cling to our version of Snape, but I did want to address
this point. Snape says he bound and gagged Sirius, and maybe
he did, but if so, he couldn't have done it to keep Sirius
from spilling his story to the authorities. Snape is only in
control of Sirius during the transport back to Hogwarts, and
during that period Sirius can only protest his innocence to
two unconscious boys, any trees within his sight, or of course
to Snape. More on that in a sec...

Once Snape arrived at Hogwarts Sirius was under the control of
Madame Pomphrey, then Fudge and/or Dumbledore, at which point
he can blab his side of the story all he wants. If Snape truly
wanted to keep Sirius from saying anything to defend himself,
Snape would have had to Imperio Sirius or use some other
method to shut him up or alter his memory. Which might have
been pointless anyway, since the Trio and Lupin are certain
to blab out everything they've heard.

So it seems Snape bound and gagged Sirius for the same reason
Sirius let Snape's head bang against the ceiling of the tunnel.
Because they HATE each other, neither one being any nicer or
more mature about it than the other. Certainly he has a valid
reason to bind a wanted criminal, innocent protests or not, 
and no doubt Snape didn't want to listen to those innocent 
protests should Sirius regain consciousness, but I think it
was mostly because he wanted to be able to give Sirius a cold
"Who's got the upper hand NOW, Dogbreath?" smirk should Sirius
wake up to find himself thusly bound and gagged.

<snip>

Lanval:
> The way I see it, Snape has several options here.
> 
> 1. He says nothing about the kids and accepts Fudge's suggestion 
> that it was Black who caused the injury, because being overcome by 
> three third years would be embarrassing for Snape, Dueling Master.
> 
> He might thus look more heroic to Fudge -- but he still has to take 
> into consideration that three underage wizards's testimony *might* 
> influence Fudge's opinion. Same reason why he gags Sirius IMO. He 
> can't take any chances. His remark about hoping that DD will not 
> cause problems would support that as well.
> 
> 2. He tells the truth, hoping the kids get expelled. No added 
> heroism, plus some embarrassment, but the joyful possibility of 
> perhaps seeing the last of them.
> 
> 3. He tells the truth, but adds the lie that the kids were 
> Confunded. It may still not cut out the embarrassment factor 
> entirely, and he probably won't get them expelled that way, but the 
> kids being Confunded will weigh heavily in his favor when it comes 
> to contradicting their story. 
> 
> Plus, he can work out some extra punishment for them by stressing 
> their rule breaking and trying to go after Black.
> 
> He chooses 3.

Julie:
I think he chose 4. He desperately *wants* to believe the kids
were confunded, so he says they were. In his mind they must have
been, to believe Sirius's innocence. Embarassment doesn't come
into it, it's all about Snape desperately clinging to his long
held beliefs about Sirius while it's inexorably being ripped from
from his grasp. "No, no, it doesn't matter what he says, he's
guilty I tell you, I KNOW!"

It's a fine line I know, but similar to Harry knowing deep down
that Snape didn't get Sirius killed, but he wants so desperately
to blame Snape (who's been a major git to him so many other times)
that he decides to ignore his rational mind. And here I'm sure
Snape knows in his rational mind that there *is* serious doubt
of Sirius's guilt, but he's believed it so long, and he has a
history with Sirius (like Harry has with Snape) where Sirius 
has done so many horrible things to him that he can't bear to
give up his belief in Sirius's guilt so easily. 

That's not excusing Snape, BTW, but explaining his mindset.
Just as Harry didn't and doesn't cling to believing the worst
of Snape out of thin air, so Snape didn't cling to believing
the worst of Sirius out of thin air. Again, not an excuse to
ignore the facts, but at least an understandable reason. (I
expect Harry to go through a very similar resistance to
admitting the truth if it turns out Snape *didn't* murder 
Dumbledore in cold blood after all. "But I KNOW Snape. I 
KNOW he's guilty, no matter what new evidence there is!
There's a clear and definite parellel between Snape/Sirius
and Harry/Snape ;-)

Lanval:
> Really, to me Snape's actions, be it in the Shack when he screams 
at 
> Hermione, or in the Hospital Wing, strongly suggest Snape realizing 
> that there *is* a case to be made for Sirius, that there *is* 
> reasonable doubt concerning his guilt -- and Snape cannot let that 
> happen.

Julie:
I agree, for the reasons above. And I think this is exactly
why Dumbledore says Snape suffered a great disappointment, and
why Dumbledore doesn't come down harder on Snape when Snape
goes completely over the top trying to deny the new reality
of the situation.

Julie