Re: [HPforGrownups] Draco and Intent: Re: Snape and Harry's Sadism (was: Lack of re-examination)

[k12listmomma]

No: HPFGUIDX 186818

> Carol responds:
> Harry's rescue of Draco is also different from James's rescue of Severus. 
> He didn't care at that moment who Draco was, he simply didn't want him or 
> Goyle to die. And he understood Draco better than James understood 
> Severus; he had seen him fail to kill Dumbledore and had felt a touch of 
> pity for him; he had himself nearly killed Draco through his foolish use 
> of an unknown spell labeled "for enemies" the previous year and knew that 
> he didn't want him dead; and now he sees the wandless, helpless Draco 
> cradling his unconscious friend in his arms (a revelation in itself--Draco 
> actually cares about Goyle and even "C-Crabbe," who has nearly killed them 
> all). We see Harry's moral superiority to Ron (and I like Ron, so it pains 
> me to say it), who only reluctantly rescues Goyle when Harry can't hold 
> both him and Draco. (At least Ron does say later that he would have been 
> sorry that Crabbe had died if he hadn't tried to kill them all.)
>
> Draco has the grace to acknowledge Harry with a nod rather than remaining 
> his enemy, but, then, Harry has saved the whole WW from Voldemort. It's 
> very different from James, whose next act after saving Severus for wholly 
> selfish reasons is to publicly humiliate him.


Shelley:
I would dispute this last line. There might have been a lot of actions 
between the "saving" and the "humiliation", and I think we have enough 
cannon to fill in some of those gaps. We know Snape was a very ungrateful 
rescuee, choosing to believe that he was not rescued, but rather set up. 
Rather than be grateful, he was spitting venom, accusing James of "merely 
getting cold feet", and I think it's that venom that sets Snape apart from 
Draco. Draco is grateful, willing to set aside what came before, while Snape 
continues the fight and I would say, sadly begs for more mistreatment 
because of it. Draco is the better man in the end.

So, I would change that line to read " Draco has the grace to acknowledge 
Harry with a nod rather than remaining his enemy, but, then, Harry has saved 
the whole WW from Voldemort. It's very different from Snape, whose next act 
after being saved is to fight the rescuer, and continue the bad blood that 
led to more publicly humiliations."