Secrets (Long) OLD POST REPOST

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 186478

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> wrote:

> 
> So, Absolutely if he hates James for that, it is the same thing as Harry hating him for Sirius' death. However, events preceeding to those events to me are absolutely not the same and Harry's mind being assaulted by Voldemort is to me very far from Snape setting Voldemort on Potters.
> 

Pippin:

But would it be from Harry's point of view?

If Harry had done what he was supposed to do and closed his mind to Voldemort's assaults, then he wouldn't have gone to the MoM and Sirius wouldn't have had to rescue him. Harry couldn't do it... he just couldn't. How much of that was Harry not trying  and how much was due to emotional damage, we'll never know and neither can Harry.

But the same is true of Snape becoming a Death Eater. He should have closed his mind to Voldemort's manipulations, but he didn't. How much of that was due to willfulness and how much to emotional damage, we don't know. For certain, Harry can't know. He's in no position to say that anyone should have been strong enough or good enough not to be manipulated by Voldemort or not to give in to reckless hate. 

It's easy to say that you shouldn't hate when you don't know what it is to hate that much. Harry can remember a time when he didn't know, when he felt mostly righteous anger. But Snape, growing up  in circumstances that were in some ways worse than Harry's, probably never had that luxury.

The Dursleys never abused anyone that Harry loved -- they couldn't torture Harry's friends because he didn't have any. Until Cedric was murdered, Harry had no experience of needing to protect someone else and being powerless to do so.  

 But Snape, unable to protect his abused mother, grew up with that. 

Pippin