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

[a_svirn]

No: HPFGUIDX 165964

> zgirnius:
> I made no claim that every act on the list was irrefutably good, 
just 
> that these are the actions of Snape of which Hermione is aware 
which 
> one might consider good. It is *possible* that *she* may consider 
> some or all of them good, or not (except for saving Harry's life. 
She 
> has expressed her views on that in canon). I cannot help but 
believe 
> it is possible for a logical, intelligent person such as Hermione 
to 
> have the opinion that these actions are good, because that happens 
to 
> be *my* opinion.

a_svirn:
Well, actually I am not arguing with you here. Of course, she may. 
What intrigues me is whether she is doing it because she wants to 
believe in Dumbledore's judgement (which, in my opinion, wouldn't be 
at all smart in her position) or because of something else. As you 
said, the only thing she knows to Snape's credit (not from 
Dumbledore's words, I mean) is that he saved Harry's life in PS. 
Dumbledore, by the way, dismissed the whole episode by saying that it 
was just a payment of an old debt. Which, I might add,  Snape could 
have done while still being an evil murderer. But then again, why 
should she believe Dumbledore at this point? Maybe he did it because 
it was just the right thing to do? 

> 
> > a_svirn:
> > (And the seventh is certainly negated by his actions later on). 
> 
> zgirnius:
> *ought not to have snipped my list*
> 7) was "Snape saved Dumbledore's life".
> This remains a fact, I do not see why his taking of the same life 
> later in the book negates the first action. 

a_svirn:
Certainly makes it somewhat pointless. Besides, that's what 
Dumbledore said, and he appears to have been so spectacularly wrong 
about Snape, that you hardly can call it "a fact".

> zgirnius:
> Her comments in "The White Tomb", however, suggest to me that she 
may 
> have started to come out of that shock and be trying to reach an 
> unerstanding of their meaning by applying her considerable 
intellect 
> to the problem, rather than transitioning to a childish, kneejerk 
> return to the "Dumbledore can't be wrong" thinking of which you 
> accuse her.

a_svirn:
I don't. I said that *if* that's why she is so hesitant about the 
whole thing it's indeed childish. I by no means sure that this is the 
reason.