Hermione and 'Evil is a strong word' (WAS Re: CHAPDISC: HBP30, The White Tomb)

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 165906

> Alla:
> 
> Yep. I once went through five books with rather fine comb (not so 
> fine through HBP, but all other five books I did rather careful 
> search) and Hermione never to the best of my knowledge defends 
Snape 
> as teacher, as person, as anybody but the one whom DD trusts ( I do 
> not have link with me now, but will provide upon request).

zgirnius:
I checked, and you missed a few conversations. Hermione defends Snape 
as the man who saved Harry's life on a couple of occasions in GoF. 
The first one is when they are discussing 'Moody's' apparent distrust 
of Snape.

> GoF:
> "What?" said Ron, his eyes widening, his next cushion spinning high 
into the air, ricocheting off the chandelier, and dropping heavily 
onto Flitwick's desk. "Harry... maybe Moody thinks Snape put your 
name in the Goblet of Fire!"

> "Oh Ron," said Hermione, shaking her head skeptically, "we thought 
Snape was trying to kill Harry before, and it turned out he was 
saving Harry's life, remember?"

zgirnius:
And also in a later conversation, with Sirius in the cave outside 
Hogsmeade.

> GoF:
"Oh give it a rest, Hermione," said Ron impatiently. "I know 
Dumbledore's brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really 
clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him -"

"Why did Snape save Harry's life in the first year, then? Why didn't 
he just let him die?"

zgirnius:
In Hermione's eyes, in other words, Snape has done something she 
views as unambiguously good. That he also killed Dumbledore does not 
take that away, it remains a fact. Possibly a fact she can explain 
away, but nonetheless a fact which, on its face, suggests Snape is 
not Voldemort's man, or wholly evil.

I think it is entirely possible Hermione also considers some of 
Snape's other actions good, even though she did not bring them up. (A 
potential list of such actions appears elsewhere in this thread). She 
may consider saving Harry's life directly in PS/SS, and Dumbledore's 
trust, her two best and simplest arguments, so she would use them 
rather than weaker or more complicated arguments in her short 
exchanges with Ron.

And of course, in HBP she does defend Snape as a teacher, when she 
likens his DADA teaching to Harry's in the first lesson.