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

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 184665

> Montavilla47:
> Again, with both Petunia and Snape, this is a position that they put
> into by Dumbledore. Snape had more choice, perhaps, than Petunia,
> but I think that once he made a promise, the idea of breaking that
> promise was unthinkable.
> <SNIP>
> 
> Alla:
> 
> LOL, of course they were put in this position by 
> Dumbledore and yes, I think he was very very wrong to do that and I 
> think Harry is the one who suffered the most because of it. But as 
> you said, Snape had a little bit more choice than Petunia, so I put 
> some blame on Snape too.
> 
> I think when he realized that he could not have treated Harry fairly, 
> he should have walked away. I know, no story then, but again I am 
> looking from within the story and just speculating of different 
> scenarios.

Montavilla47:
I'm not sure that Snape was ever self-aware enough to realize that
he wasn't treating Harry fairly.  Or perhaps he considered himself
to be like the talk-show hosts who feel that they are being fair by
taking extreme positions that the press is too liberal to present. :)

> Montavilla47:
> Well, Lupin had more leverage. He had the goods on Harry, as he knew
> what the map was and how to work it. The reason that Snape's method
> didn't work was that Lupin removed Harry from the situation before
> Snape was finished.
> 
> Alla:
> 
> I thought Lupin's approach worked because he knew what buttons to 
> push about Harry's parents sacrifice, I do not see what that has to 
> do with map.  I meant that Harry took Lupin's words to heart. Are you 
> saying that Harry would have taken Snape's words to heart?


Montavilla47:
I don't know, because I don't know what Snape's actions were going 
to be.  I suspect he longed to take the map to Dumbledore so that
the Headmaster could... persuade Harry to stop sneaking out of 
school.  I'll bet Dumbledore would have been even better than Lupin
at pressing Harry's buttons.