Could Harry have saved Snape? (was Reacting to DH...)

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 178098

> Alla:
> Yes, I thought I understood Pippin's point and **mine** is that 
there 
> was no reason whatsoever in Harry's mind to doubt that he was 
> watching a murder. That we learned that it was a killing on request 
> afterwards is IMO irrelevant to Harry's state of mind when it 
> happened.

zgirnius:
I agree with you, I don't blame Harry, or McGonagall, or anyone, for 
thinking Snape a murderous traitor during the course of DH. 
Regardless of what he thinks he knows about Snape, if he walked away 
from Snape not caring whether he lived or died, I would find that 
callous and it would lower Harry in my estimation. I guess I have 
high standards for my fictional heroes. <g>

> Alla: 
> I do not remember social services knocking on Dursleys' door and 
> announcing that they are guilty of abuse or at least of neglect. I 
> did not **need** to read about social services to determine that. I 
> saw what they did to Harry, in my mind, they are guilty, guilty, 
> guilty.

zgirnius:
I also think they are guilty of neglect. If Harry therefore left them 
at the mercy of Death Eaters when he had the means to hide them, 
would that be OK with me? Absolutely not. It would, again, lessen my 
respect for Harry.

> > zgirnius:
> > However, Harry's  actions towards him were consistent with such 
technical innocence. 
 
> Alla:
> I would say Harry's actions towards Voldemort were consistent with 
> Harry's general unwillingness to kill people ( Lupin chasticising 
> him), but that's IMO, not that Harry thought oh yeah, Voldemort is 
> innocent, I better be careful with him. Again, speculating.

zgirnius:
To me this is the same thing. A general unwillingness to kill people 
is giving the people one is unwilling to kill the benefit of the 
doubt/a second chance.

> Alla:
> Supposedly Harry has to **fight** Voldemort in the Shack on the off 
> topic chance that it may help Snape. And again, what if Snape turns 
> around and kills him for all Harry knows? And maybe Voldemort kills 
> him first?

zgirnius:
I am discussing whether Harry should have helped Snape once Voldemort 
left, to be clear. It is just that my reasons for believeing this 
coincide with Pippin's as I understand hers. And my answer is yes, 
absolutely, 100%, and his failure to think of it was disappointing to 
me as a reader. I am now less sure he did fail to think of it, which 
makes me happy because I like to like Harry. <g>

> Alla:
> Yes, Peter. Another one where I do not remember JKR putting on 
trial 
> to determine his guilt or innocence. Have you doubted his guilt in 
> betraying the Potters for one second? I did not. I read about his 
> betrayal, that was enough for me.

zgirnius:
I believe it too. Peter may well be my least favorite character, the 
one whose particular variety of despicableness I find the most 
distasteful. Nonetheless if Harry had let Lupin and Sirius kill him 
without lifting a finger (gosh, this is getting repetitive) I would 
have thought less of Harry forever after, unless I was explicitly 
shown Harry feeling sorry about it at some later date and endeavoring 
to change his ways.

Can I just say that I loved that when the silver hand started to move 
towards Peter's neck in "Malfoy Manor", Harry tried to pull it away? 
Of course Harry should have tried to stop it! If he hadn't...you 
know. I've said it enough already. <g> That's what I initially saw 
missing in Snape's death scene. Only now I am arguing myself into the 
opinion that his decision to enter the room and approach Snape was 
the same sort of reaction, and his seeming failure to help was a 
product of the circumstances, not a lack of the right intentions on 
Harry's part.

> Alla:
> If he did not help because he thought that is one DE killing 
another 
> and that is all there is to it, I am fine with it too.

zgirnius:
I guess I am just pickier than you. Lucky for me, it seems The Hero 
(Harry) and my personal favorite hero (Snape) both live up to what I 
would want from them.