chaning opinion was Re: wonder who would win.....

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 192296


> > Annemehr:
>  
> > Here's another question: over the course of the series, did your opinion change drastically about any of the characters?  That would be Lily for me - her behavior toward Snape was disgustingly disloyal.  Yes, Snape had some issues, but then so did James - serious ones.  But then, James was "cool" so it was okay.
> >
> 

Pippin:
I love the way JKR changes our whole view of Lily's conduct in SWM without giving us any more information about the incident itself. What looks like exceptional  gallantry towards a relative stranger makes only a feeble defense of a friend. But Snape and Lily's friendship was already over, IMO, they just didn't know it yet. Their trust in one another had already evaporated. The sad thing is, it wasn't over any thing they had done to one another, but only because of misplaced loyalty to their housemates. 

I don't think it is quite fair to Lily to say that she ignored James's issues. She was not willing to go out with him, even though she did find him attractive despite herself, until he had, at least as far as she knew, changed his ways. That he may have conned her a bit about that is in character for him. 

As for Dumbledore, my opinions of him changed along with Harry's. He is not, after all, the personification of Providence, only, IMO,  a believer in it. Providence, the doctrine that everything happens for a purpose, and everything, even evil and suffering, is created for the sake of good, goes a long way towards helping me understand why Dumbledore behaves as he does.

Pippin