[the_old_crowd] Re: Lupin quotes

[Monika Huebner]

Since Rynne has explained how I feel about Lupin much better than I
could have done myself, I'm afraid I don't have much more to add to
this discussion. Just a few thoughts.

Rynne <rynnewrites at ...> wrote:

>
>Pippin:
>> Snape couldn't fight back effectively, because the odds were 
>> uneven: two against one. I'm not sure I see the difference. It 
>> wasn't a fair fight. The odds were more glaringly lopsided in the 
>> Robertses case, but the principle is the same.
>
>I don't think the principal is the same at all.  The Robertses were
>utterly helpless, and despite being outnumbered, Snape was *not*.  If
>Snape had been so helpless, I don't think he would have come in for as
>much flak as he had from Sirius and James--they would have found it
>too boring.  They weren't sadists, after all, like what I consider the
>DEs to be. 

I agree here. And while one can argue about the question if it is
worse to be humiliated than to be hurt physically, Snape's "revenge"
on James (cutting his face so he was bleeding) didn't make me
sympathize with Snape. But then, I still consider Snape to be a
sadist, the way he treats his students (maybe with the exception of
Malfoy) is just despicable. And *they* are surely "helpless" face to a
teacher. A teacher who is an adult and should know better.

> Or if they were, they grew up into better people. 

And we have seen on numerous occasions that Snape didn't really grow
up or he wouldn't take out his anger and frustration on his students.

>But anyway, the point is, I don't find Snape's Worst Memory to be a
>scaled-down version of the Quidditch World Cup, because Snape wasn't
>half as helpless as the Robertses.  And I can't stand the idea that
>MWPP were just bullies picking on poor widdle Snape; aside from
>painting MWPP completely as bad guys (they were human and flawed, but
>not evil), it gives no credit to Snape, who I can't imagine would just
>sit there and take it.

I am pretty sure he did a lot to "earn" this treatment, and he
certainly didn't sit there without defending himself, something the
Robertses couldn't do.

>Snape was no Mr Roberts!

Exactly. Thanks, Rynne.

>Pippin:
>> He says he never told them they were out of line. Think about 
>> that and remember that Sirius eventually tried to kill Snape. 
>
>*sigh* Until we know more about the Whomping Willow incident, I'm
>withholding judgment on everything connected to it.  There's so many
>different scenarios that could be imagined; I personally think that
>Sirius was just impulsive and thoughtless and thought he would just
>scare Snape. 

Yes. I think the last word about this incident hasn't been said, and
as long as JKR doesn't tell us it was a premeditated, planned,
cold-blooded attempted murder, no one will persuade me it was. Snape
might have provoked it, and Dumbledore's reaction (my memory is as
good as it ever was, Severus) makes me believe *he* doesn't think
Sirius really tried to kill him, either. Sirius was under a lot of
stress at the time, he might have overreacted without really thinking
about the consequences. Innocent until proven guilty. ;-)

Monika