OoP: Amanda goes on and on and on and on and on about Snape

[Milz]

Wow, Amanda.
--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Amanda Geist" <editor at t...> 
wrote:
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> 
> Harry's reaction to glimpsing Snape's childhood was strong and odd,
> considering it's Snape. "standing there with such loathing in his
> eyes"...almost as if Harry regrets that it is. For one short 
moment, Snape
> was not all the things he has come to represent over five years; he 
is
> simply a person. And later, Harry's reaction to Snape's pensieve 
memory is
> honest; he does not shut out the truth of it and what it means to 
his
> beliefs about
> his father. I was impressed by the maturity and bravery of Harry in 
this,
> and earlier, when he confronts himself honestly and is willing to 
face the
> answers. I am hoping he will be able to confront himself honestly 
about
> Sirius' death, and stop scapegoating Snape for it, but it was just 
a bit too
> soon to expect him to do it at the end of this book.
> 

Harry will probably gain more compassion towards Snape. In essence 
that little snippet of Snape's childhood, is almost like Harry's: the 
yelling, the humiliation. Unlike Harry though, Snape didn't escape 
that torment at Hogwarts thanks to the Marauders.

> I also am frankly amazed that Harry gets out of Snape's office 
uninjured,
> after Snape catches him in the pensieve. I am amazed Harry gets out
> un-Obliviated. Seriously. If I were Snape, knowing how close Harry 
is to Ron
> and Hermione, I would have made *damned* sure nobody else would 
hear about
> that. And Snape didn't. He let him go. Snape hates Harry for doing 
what he
> did, seeing what he saw--but he also let him go with that knowledge.
> 

I think it's because Snape has more knowledge of Harry, he did not 
opt to Obliviate Harry. Snape now has more insight about Harry (no 
pun intended).  Snape knows the trauma of Harry's childhood, the 
triumphs/terrors of his stay at Hogwarts. All in all I think Snape 
knows Harry is less like James and more like Lily. Snape knows that 
Harry is trust-worthy.
 
> So, as I said, there are seeds for understanding there. But it 
remains to be
> seen if Harry will be able to get past his blaming Snape for 
Sirius' death.
> And I doubt Snape will do diddly to make it any easier for him.
> 

Interesting...I was left with the impression that Harry will blame 
himself, in light of the two-way mirror he finds in his trunk. If 
Harry had used that he would have known Sirius wasn't in the MM. 
Rowling emphasizes this inattention to detail with the flubbing of 
the potions. Perhaps if Harry had unpacked his trunk completely, he 
would have found the two way mirrors....

~Milz