Secrets (Long) OLD POST REPOST

[montavilla47]

No: HPFGUIDX 186417

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at ...> wrote:
>
> 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 
> 
Montavilla47:

May I offer an alternative interpretation?  We have only Dumbledore's and 
Lupin's word that Snape carried a grudge against James "all those years" 
because of  their school days/the Prank. In Dumbedore's case, we know he 
was lying, and in Lupin's case, he could easily be mistaken.

In PS/SS, Voldemort told Harry that Snape hated James, but didn't want 
Harry killed.  That's true enough, but we know that Voldemort was pretty
wrong about Snape's motivations.  So, we really can't trust his take on the
situation.

Dumbledore supports that theory with his information that Snape hated
James for saving his life, telling Harry that Snape was protecting him in 
order to even up the score and so that he can keep "hating James in 
peace."  But, we know this is a lie.  Snape is protecting Harry because of 
Lily and James' only part in the equation is that Harry's resemblance to
his father increases Snape's dislike of him.

In PoA, Lupin explains that Snape resented the Marauders ("spied on us"
growls Sirius), and even more so after the Prank.  Snape doesn't 
contradict this, but he has a lot more reasons to hate Sirius at this point.
As far as he knows, Sirius betrayed Lily and is as complicit in her 
murder as Snape himself--and now he's trying to kill Lily's child.  
And, when Snape throws that hissy fit at Harry about James earlier in the
book, Snape might be angry at James or he might be angry at Harry 
for foolishly endangering himself and at Dumbledore for referring to
a story that Snape doesn't want told.

Lupin tells us at the end of the book that Snape "let slip" about his
werewolf-positive status.  We don't know how that happened, so 
I don't think we can conclude with certainty that Snape did that
out of a grudge towards Lupin.  If it was, it probably more related
to the whole fiasco of the previous night and not from their
childhood relationship.

In GoF and OotP, we see that Snape and Sirius both hate/dislike
each other, but we don't see much indication that Snape continues
to hold a grudge after Sirius is dead.  He never mentions Sirius to
Harry, and that detention thing might be less about his dislike
of James and Sirius and more about teaching Harry that cursing 
other people is wrong.

In DH, Snape risks his cover to help Lupin out, so I think the grudge
is over at that point.

So, I don't hold that Snape wastes his life by holding grudges
against dead people (who are dead and thus couldn't care less
what he's doing).  If his life is wasted, it's wasted because he's
keeping to a promise he made when he was suicidally depressed.
Or, alternately, that he inadvertently set a murderer on the 
woman he loved, after losing her friendship due to his racist
views.

But it wasn't about James at all.  Compared to his relationship
with Lily and his mission towards Voldemort, the Marauders were
very small potatoes.

Montavilla47