Severus Snape

[Zara]

No: HPFGUIDX 178404

> > Amanda:
> > I feel bad that I was so slow to pick this up, but I feel that
> > Snape was given a bad rep. Some of her thoughts seemed a little
> > different when it came to the slytherins also. She puts almost
> > as much time into making Snape evil as Malfoy and it is sad,
> > considering he really was one of the good guys.
 
> Kimberley:
> I think we are forgetting that Snape was a DeathEater. With all
> the passions and convictions that all DeathEaters have. His love
> for Lily, his unendurable pain of losing her, and siding with DD
> in saving Harry for her were the only things that saves him from
> being as lothesome as any other DeathEater. Yet these things that
> make him heroic and brave (a Gryffindor)are there for Lily but
> sadly do not really change him from being prejudicial and evil
> ( a Slytherin). This maybe hard to hear but Snape is not a good
> guy.

zgirnius:
As you say, Snape *was* a Death Eater. Past tense. I see plenty of 
evidence that since then, Snape has changed, and in particular, is no 
longer 'evil' or 'prejudiced'. I think the latter point is the reason 
Rowling chose to include the snippet of conversation in which Phineas 
Nigellus called Hermione a Mudblood.

As to evidence that Snape is not 'evil' - he takes on plenty of 
responsibilities and tasks that are only remotely, or not at all, 
related to protecting Harry, for what would seem to be 'good' 
motives. He tried to save Lupin's life, he agreed to work to protect 
the students of Hogwarts, and despite his concern about killing, he 
agrees to kill Dumbledore to spare him 'pain and humiliation'. 

And the evidence I see is not all in "The Prince's Tale". In CoS, 
Snape grips a chair in a spontaneous reaction to the news a student 
has been taken by the monster - showing concern for someone not in 
any way related to Lily/Harry. In GoF, his decision to return to 
Voldemort is arguably about protecting Harry - but his decision to 
show Fudge his Dark Mark as proof of Voldemort's return, is not, not 
is it on Dumbledore's orders. It is an action he takes spontaneously 
in response to the circumstances. In OotP he shows concern for 
Neville's well-being on a couple of occasions, and is prompt in 
invesitgating the possibility that Sirius Black, whom Snape despises 
(in my opinion, with some reason), has been captured by Voldemort.

In HBP, it is his independent choice to take the Unbreakable Vow with 
Narcissa, knowing (as we did not know, before DH) that the 
problematic final clause is not, in fact, a problem. Yes, Narcissa 
and Draco are on the 'evil side', but compassion for a fellow human 
being's problems, regardless of what side they are on, is not 'evil' 
(rather the opposite, in my view).

Addressing Amanda's point - I absolutely agree Snape was given a 'bad 
rep'. The comment of Hagrid's Kimberly mentions about Slytherins 
helps to set the tone, as does the scene at the Welcoming Feast in 
which it seems Harry's scar hurts becasue of Snape. 

Also, there are games with leaking information that Rowling plays to 
enhance this. For instance, we learn that Snape hated James in Book 
1, while we finally get some concrete evidence that makes this 
understandable to us, in Book 5, giving us all that time to marvel at 
how completely unfair Snape is! (It is possible to still hold this 
view after OotP, I realize - my point is that holding a more moderate 
view of this aspect of Snape's character before OotP requires being a 
far better guesser than I could ever be). We are shown Snape's over 
the top, and quite off-putting, fury at Sirius Black in PoA, 
apparently over 'a schoolboy prank', and the hint there might be a 
deeper (and far more palatable) reason in HBP, when we learn 
Dumbledore thinks Snape regretted endangering the Potters. Within 
HBP, we are shown, in detail, Snape seemingly plotting with Narcissa 
and Bella to do something important for Voldemort; his saving of 
Dumbledore's life maybe a week before that scene, is introduced to us 
far later, in conversation, and Dumbleore glosses over it. All to 
paint Snape as darkly as possible (presumably so that we, like Harry, 
can be surprised by the revelations of "The Prince's Tale"). Finally, 
Snape's personality made this far easier for Rowling, as many 
readers, like Harry, were probably delighted to find more reasons to 
dislike this (to some) unlikable character.

Like Amanda, I agree that Snape was "one of the good guys". But I 
don't regret the time and effort Rowling spent on obfuscation to hide 
this. Combing through the series to justify my own gut reaction to 
HBP (DDM!Snape) was great fun (and the reason I joined online 
fandom). And the utter lack of any recognition by other characters on 
his side of his contributions to the struggle until the very end when 
the truth was shown to us, is a part of the tragedy of this character 
which, for me anyway, makes his story all the more moving and 
meaningful.