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

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 184687

> Carla:
> I haven't been checking the boards as often as I used to, but I did
> stumble across this and wanted to point something out. If this has
> been mentioned before, I apologize.
>
> I think it was imperative that Snape treat Harry just as he did. It
> was important for his role in keeping the trust of Voldy and the
death
> eaters and to protect Harry. While the "dark side" believed that
> Snape hated Harry and had his eye on him, no one else would be sent
to
> do the job.
>
> Harry also needed to believe that Snape truly hated him for the
> deception to be believable. As a child, had he known Snapes true
> convictions, he may have slipped.
>
> I think Snape hated that Harry was James' son. I don't think he
truly
> hated Harry completely. Had he, I don't think he would have
revealed
> to Harry everything when he was dying. I think he would have just
> given Harry what he needed to know....not all the small details.

Magpie:
This has always been the theory, but I don't see how it works. First,
there's no proof that any DEs were watching Snape in the years before
Voldemort returned to make sure he was acting like he hated Harry.
Snape could keep an eye on Harry without acting like he hated him.
Lucius Malfoy himself tells Draco it isn't prudent to be known to
hate Harry. Draco approaches Harry in a friendly way (for
him) when he meets him. We know that Lucius is trying to play down
his DE past since he claimed he was under Imperius, but he obviously
knows that being nice to Harry=/=liking Harry. The most loyal DE sent
to Hogwarts to get Harry was also the nicest to him. Snape's hatred
of Harry undermined him for both sides since anyone that Harry likes
and trusts is going to have more power over him. When Snape
defends himself to Bellatrix he doesn't mention picking on Harry as
proof of anything.

Then there's the fact that we know that hatred of James really is a
huge motivating factor for Harry. When Snape breaks down and says
what he really feels he does rant about James and Harry being like 
him. We can split hairs between whether he hates him because of
James or "truly hates him completely" but that's just sort of
muddying the waters the slightest bit. Quirrel says back in PS/SS
what Snape's attitude is: he hates Harry but he doesn't want him
dead. He's on the same side as Harry the entire time. (I believe 
outside of canon JKR said that Snape hated Harry until the end.) I 
don't think the memories he very luckily has a chance to give Harry 
prove that any of the dislike he showed in the past was fake. He had 
good reasons without secretly liking Harry more than he let on for 
wanting him--for wanting somebody--to know the truth.

-m