The Geist predicts again, mostly about Snape

[wynnleaf]

No: HPFGUIDX 169424

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Geist" <editor at ...> wrote:
>
<major snips of a very interesting post> 
> (7)  Regardless of whether it takes the shape I lay out in #6, Snape
will be
> injured or otherwise damaged through some attempt to protect Harry,
which
> Harry does not understand and therefore fights, causing it to go
awry.  A
> potential scenario is in If myIt may be the spell that Dumbledore's
willing
> death could have been a part of (see #11 below).
> 
> 
> (8)  Snape will die. All of his character looks backward. He gives
me the
> impression of someone whose goals are not ahead, except to rectify
mistakes
> made, and who does not care much if he dies in that attempt. He
can't let
> the past go, because that's where he lives; I think he accepted long ago
> that the future holds only one task for him and nothing else, and so has
> made no effort to move past the past that defined that future.  I
personally
> think he will go heroically in some blaze of redemption, but he's
toast. 
> >  
> 
> (9)  Snape may or may not have been truly evil at various points in the
> books or their prehistory--but his final choice will be for the good.
> Harry will not believe this until in hindsight.  Harry's not
understanding
> will be part of what led to Snape's death.
> 
>  
> (12)  Harry will be brought to a literary parallel with Snape-he will be
> presented the opportunity Snape was, in the Shrieking Shack: to
recognize
> that an object of hatred had been misunderstood and was, in actuality,
> following orders and as much a victim as himself.  Much as Snape
rejected
> the possibility of another view of Lupin, as another to whom
Dumbledore's
> second chance meant the world--- Harry may reject the possibility of any
> other view of Snape than the one he so cherishes and defends.  I
don't know
> if Harry will completely fail, as Snape did-but I do think his
hesitation
> will cause major problems, possibly Snape's demise.

> 
> (14)  Harry will realize Snape's death as a loss, not a triumph. 
Snape is a
> father figure to Harry--one of the most reliable, in fact.  He is
all the
> negative aspects--the one who doesn't understand, who sets curfews, who
> isn't interested in explanations, who sets rules, who doesn't seem
to care.
> The aspect that you hate. The one you do not appreciate until many years
> later--or when he is gone. And we don't have the luxury of "many years
> later" in this series (or indications are strong that we don't).

wynnleaf
Much of your reasoning makes a lot of sense.  However, there's a big
piece here which I feel JKR may avoid.  Many readers think that Harry
will only discover Snape's loyalty *after* Snape has died
sacrificially for the cause - most likely to protect Harry.  We *know*
that the two will confront each other again because JKR has said that
the level of Harry's more personal hatred is important for when they
meet again.  Therefore, many speculate that Harry's hatred for Snape
will ultimately lead to a situation where his distrust and hatred
causes Snape to die while protecting Harry or otherwise serving the cause.

The problem.  This leaves Harry at the end of the series the
protagonist of a major tragedy.  And I really don't think JKR wants
the story to end up a tragedy.  

If we already know good characters will die, why would Snape's dying
sacrificially for Harry, and Harry learning *later* of Snape's
loyalty, turn the whole series into a tragedy when all those other
deaths didn't do that?

Although not always stated explicitly, we know that Harry has a
certain amount of guilt feelings for the various deaths so far in the
series.  Harry's guilt for the deaths is sometimes completely
misplaced, and sometimes only mostly misplaced, but he does appear to
feel guilt.  Harry told Cedric to grab the TriWizard Cup with him and
Cedric then died.  Harry, in spite of "knowing" that he'd "never do
anything" to lure Sirius out of Grimmauld Place, in fact fell prey to
Voldemort's trick and inadvertently led Sirius to his death, not to
mention leading friends and Order members to serious injury.  On
Dumbledore's orders, Harry force-fed him potions that left Dumbledore
weak and sick at the time of his confrontation with Draco, the Death
Eaters, and Snape, ultimately leading to Dumbledore's death.  

Harry has already participated in the deaths of several people for
whose deaths he feels, or will likely feel in book 7, varying degrees
of guilt.  Now we have the possibility that he will be almost
*directly* responsible for yet another loyal person's death -- yet
another person who is trying to protect or support him in some way.

In the scenario you present, Harry is left once again with someone
dying to protect him.  But now it's *even worse* because now the
person died due to Harry's own personal, misplaced hatred for that
person.  Harry gets to discover that not only is he partly responsible
for the person's death (as he feels in part responsible for the
earlier deaths), he gets to find out that in fact it was primarily his
own hate and distrust that led to the death.  

Making Snape's death as tragic as you suggest makes Harry's situation
at the end of the series far *more* tragic.  In fact, if we see Snape
as a sort of negative father figure (and I think you're right there),
then Harry's partial responsibility becomes a kind of patricide,
something Harry's already got with the guilt of his part in Sirius and
Dumbledore's deaths.

And the worst part is, there is now no way for Harry to work his way
out of this guilt, because now the book series is at its end.  Harry
can't "reclaim" his part, his "innocence," from any of those deaths. 
He has no major events left through which to work his way through the
guilt.  He just gets to learn more, through Dumbledore's memories or
some other method, of just how tragic this death was and how misplaced
his hate.  His guilt can only increase.

With this scenario, we're almost left with a sort of reverse Lear sort
of situation -- Harry finding that all that misplaced hatred for this
negative father-figure hate caused so much tragedy.  

And how can Harry learn and grow from this?  

That's a big problem because this kind of story depends on Harry
learning and growing.  Yes, Harry can posthumously forgive Snape, but
he how's he going to posthumously deal with the guilt?  

I've said in the past that forgiving a dead person is a heck of a lot
easier than forgiving a living person who is right there in front of
you.  But more than that, if Harry is able to forgive Snape  and learn
of his loyalty while he's alive, then a sacrificial death by Snape at
the end can symbolize a sort of victory.  Harry isn't burdened by the
greater guilt of hating and mistrusting someone to their death.  And
Harry can then move on toward the future -- that epilogue we keep
hearing that JKR wrote.

What I hope to see is Harry learning of Snape's loyalty *before* Snape
dies for Harry, and forgiving Snape then -- that tough forgiveness of
someone you actually have to learn to trust.  In this scenario, Harry
actually grows and matures while there's still time to change, and
enough events left in the book to effect that change.  Then perhaps
Snape may die sacrificially, but it won't add to Harry's guilt.

wynnleaf