Slytherins come back WAS: Re: My Most Annoying Character/Now Rowling's control

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 180609

> 
> Mike:
> Hey Betsy, you're not old enough to remember TV dinners. <rbg> 
> But this does bring up the whole Riddle-exploration of HBP. It 
> gave her readers a nice background story on whence came Voldemort, 
> and introduced the Horcruxes as theme for the Trio's Travels in 
> DH. But how did knowing Tom Riddle's story help Harry in actually 
> defeating Voldemort? I'm asking in earnest. There seemed to be one 
> heck of a lot of useless backstory in that book, useless to Harry, 
> not for the reader.
> 

Pippin:

Harry would not have trusted Dumbledore or his conclusions without some
independent evidence, certainly not to the point of surrendering his life.

> 
> > Betsy Hp:
<snip>
> > But yes, Voldemort's *abilities*, his power and stratigic 
> > skill needed to be horrifyingly formidable.
> 
> Mike:
> Yes! That's the kind of phrase I was looking for, "horrifyingly 
> formidable." That's what he was at the end of GoF, for me. He 
> lost that somewhere on the way to DH. He was no longer the Loki
> (of Norse mythology) that I so wanted him to be.

Pippin:
I don't get it. Somehow Voldemort isn't getting credit for finding
a way to take over the WW without a fight. He doesn't need 
spectacular combat spells (although he knows some.) All he needs is his
ruthless determination to use means that other wizards find
unacceptable, and his ability to keep his core supporters convinced
they won't have to  pay for their crimes. 

Voldemort doesn't need to publicly kill large numbers of wizards at 
once -- that sort of crude display is for Muggles.  Yes, it doesn't seem 
very scary that in the background lots of people are disappearing or
being killed, or tortured or made into refugees, because it's all
happening very far away from Harry. And that, if you think about
it, is pretty scary too. And very true to life. 


> > Betsy Hp:
> > Seriously, for me, Draco and Snape were the "face" of Slytherin.
> > That they didn't get redeemed in the end, that Harry never 
> > really saw them as people (that name thing doesn't work for me, 
> > too little, too late, too lame), and that *they* never got a
> > chance to change was the biggest failure of the books, IMO.

Pippin:
Change into what? A useful citizen? An honored hero of the past?
Oh wait, they did that.

Draco got a wife, a child, and to all appearances a  useful life. 
Snape got peace,  his mission accomplished, and his memory
celebrated. Both were freed from evil and slavery, which is what 
redemption means. AFAIK, it hasn't got a thing to do with saving 
the day. 

I could be wrong, but it doesn't sound like you want Draco and Snape 
to be redeemed, it sounds like you want them to be co-redeemers
with Harry.

Pippin