Secrets (Long) OLD POST REPOST

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 186404

Shelley: 
> Snape had no reason to give Harry any memories- as a selfish git he was  portrayed all his life, I would have expected him not to. Snape was never  one to share his life- I didn't expect him to start the moment he was going  to die.

Pippin:

I think Snape's motive is given in his memories: he wanted  to make it as clear to Harry as he had to Dumbledore that he hadn't done any of it for Harry's sake. He knew he would be dead by the time Harry got a chance to view the memories, so he didn't have to fear being embarrassed  anymore, and he believed that Harry would soon be dead himself. I'm sure he never expected Harry would have a chance to clear his name or anything like that, so that was, IMO, something Harry did solely because it was the right thing.

I think Snape's life among many other experiences showed Harry how  pointless it was to carry a grudge. James, Lupin and Sirius were happy in their next life, utterly untouched by all the years of hate that Snape wasted on them. The only person left to suffer by it was the innocent Harry. I don't think Harry would want to repeat that mistake.

Pippin 





 Again, I think it was for the sake of the readers the Rowling has 
> Snape pull a very unusual stunt for him- to tell Harry of his personal 
> motives. Harry would have matured anyway without knowing. I think I would 
> have respected Harry a lot more if he forgave Snape out of the pure motive 
> of that forgiveness is the right thing to do, rather than to have Harry 
> forgive Snape simply because he didn't know all the rest of the story 
> before, and that he had been wrong about Snape. I think I would have liked 
> the story better if we had Harry mature, forgive Snape, and then have a 
> delay "will" of Snape be delivered to Harry in the form of Snape's memories 
> so that Harry comes to understand that his forgiveness really did match up 
> with what he should have done.
> 
> But, for the record, I think Harry is wrong to forgive Snape, or rather, if 
> I were in Harry's shoes, I wouldn't have forgiven Snape to the degree that 
> Harry does. For me, I may have understood Snape's motives, but that in no 
> way would have made me see him the way that Harry does, to forgive him so 
> completely that he rewrites all of what Snape does as a "hero" and have 
> admiration to the degree of naming my child after this loser, and to seek to 
> repaint his picture for the rest of the WW that he was really a double-spy 
> working for Dumbledore. I just can't see myself doing any of those things 
> that Harry did, but this is Rowling's story she's telling and not mine.
>