Snape and moral courage WAS: Re: The Houses, Finally

[littleleahstill]

No: HPFGUIDX 184635

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" 
<dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:
> But you seem to be saying that Slytherins do have that sort of 
> courage, to admit guilt, etc.
> 
> And you seem to be saying that Snape in particular has that sourt 
of 
> courage.
> 
> Well, if I understood the previous part of your argument 
correctlyu, 
> that amuses me a lot. Do I even need to say that out loud?
> 
> When exactly Snape apologized to Harry? 


Leah:  I just wonder when there would have been an opportunity 
before Snape's death for this apology to take place.  Snape's 
behaviour to Harry springs from a number of causes, the whole 
James/Lily backstory, the need to maintain cover in his Order role, 
particularly in front of a class which contains a high proportion of 
Death Eaters' children,punishment for Harry for things he has done 
or Snape thinks he has done outside the classroom, and a desire to 
have Harry not turn out like James (eg the post-Sectumsempra 
detentions).  That's not to excuse the whole of Snape's behaviour 
but to point out that its motivations are very complex, perhaps not 
consciously understood by Snape, and certainly,as far as the 
maintaining cover motivation, dangerous to reveal before the death 
of Voldemort

> 
> And before you ask when Harry apologized to Snape, I believe that 
> Harry only owed Snape an apology for his loyalties and not for how 
he 
> treated him as a teacher.
> 
> And I believe Harry did apologize for that - by clearing Snape's 
name 
> in front of everybody and by naming his child after Snape, I think 
> this was an apology so much more than Snape deserved.

Leah: I agree that the clearing of Snape's name during the Battle 
was an apology for getting Snape's loyalties wrong, and  
certainly it is difficult to see that Snape did not deserve that.  
Harry is only there armed with the Elder Wand because of 
Snape's continuing deception of Voldemort in the face of death.  (It 
is of course also a strategic wrong-footing of Voldemort by Harry). 
I don't think it indicates any general forgiveness of Snape.  By the 
time Harry names Albus Severus he has had eight years of what seems 
to have been stable, happy successful life to mull over what he 
knows about Snape.  He has enough information from his own knowledge 
and from Snape's memories to at least understand some of the reasons 
listed above for Snape's treatment of him and to reach his own 
conclusions. Snape did give Harry all his memories (including again 
SWM)which he had always wanted to conceal from Harry in life; this 
isn't an apology but it is an explanation.  

Snape doesn't get any happy stable post DH period of time to 
contemplate the past 
and come to any conclusions on it. 


> 
> So what I am trying to say, I in general agree with you that 
> Gryffindors seem to have trouble acknowledging their mistakes and 
> apologising, but boy do I disagree that Slytherins have that sort 
of 
> courage. I mean, maybe they do, but I certainly did not see enough 
> examples to agree with it.
> 
> Oh sure Snape apologized to Lily, why would he not want to keep 
> friendship with the girl he loved? He said the words.

Leah: And is clearly very emotionally involved in doing so.

> 
> I seem to remember James also not fighting with Snape in front of 
> Lily anymore.


Leah: And continued to hex Snape behind Lily's back. Why does this 
demonstrate moral courage?

Leah