Did you LIKE Snape?

[Carol]

No: HPFGUIDX 183179

Alla:
<snip>
> But for me and for me only to see that Snape changed, really and 
truly changed I would need to see just that – him accepting Harry. 
Please keep in mind  that this is strictly in response to Mike's 
question whether I **like** Snape. I know how hard for Snape dear
would be to accept Harry, etc, but if he would have acknowledged Harry
as his own person, for me it would mean that I have to respect Snape,
to know that he did the hardest thing ever, he looked at Harry with
different eyes and saw his true self. <snip>

Carol responds:

I don't know whether Snape could ever come to accept Harry as a
person, but he certainly accepted him as the Chosen One and made sure
with his last bit of magic that Harry got the message from Dumbledore
about sacrificing himself. (Of course, Harry got a lot more than
that-- memories that showed Snape's loyalty so that Harry would acept
the message. I'm not sure, but I think that on some level, Snape
wanted Harry to understand him, not just for the sake of the "pig to
the slaughter" memory, but for his (Snape's) own sake. And, if he
cared what Harry thought, that's a step toward understanding and
respecting him. Certainly, he respected Harry's sacrifice. Maybe he
even saw it as a reflection of Lily's.)

And then there's the matter of asking (okay, ordering :-) ) Harry to
look into his eyes. All this time, Snape has been looking at Harry and
seeing only James, even when he looked into his eyes. This time, he
looked into Harry's eyes and saw Lily--not Lily herself, but Lily *in*
Harry.

I think, given Snape's personality, that's as much of an
acknowledgement that Harry isn't James (and therefore isn't just the
arrogant little rulebreaker Snape has perceived him as being) as
you're going to get.

Carol, for whom Snape's death is no laughing matter