Sevvy Question

[Barry Arrowsmith]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, Sean Dwyer <ewe2 at a...> wrote:
 >
My question would be: how could you tell? In the time I've been on the 
HP lists I've never seen the argument go much beyond the "he's 
irredeemable" vs. "he's nice underneath, society is to blame" level. 
Only in OotP is it made plainer just how far this rabbit hole goes, and 
I don't really think the answer is with Snape himself. The one I want 
to grill is Dumbledore, who is really unmasked as a master manipulator. 
Snape and Harry are soldiers in Dumbledore's Army.
 >

Puppetmaster!DD.
Yes, I'll go along with that - the back room, some bright lights, 
veritaserum by the bucket and we might get to the bottom of this.
What is potentially very  dangerous is to accept that DD is the voice 
of truth in the text. This was brought up recently on another forum, 
and it was pointed out (by Talisman, no less) that in the relevant 
interview JKR stated that DD and Hermione were used to impart 
information that she (Jo) wanted the reader to have. At no point does 
she say that the information provided is the incontrovertible truth - 
just that it's something the author wants on the page. Is it there to 
guide or mislead? You pays your money and you takes your choice.

And, to go back to my original question - an awful lot of whatever 
background information that we have on Sevvy seems to come from two 
sources - Sirius and DD, with DD providing, or hinting at, most of it.

What we have had up to the end of OoP, or so I like to imagine, is what 
astronomers would refer to as a three-body problem. Each, so far as 
attitudes, information, etc. is concerned - both within the text and as 
extrapolated or perceived by the reader - affects the other two and is 
in turn affected by them. There is little that is objective, it's 
nearly all subjective.

Again I may be wrong, but I feel that as more of the posting fraternity 
have been wondering if there's more to Snape than just a miserable old 
bugger dragged along, with reluctance, in DD's wake, so more have come 
to question DD, his motives and his strategy. Oh, I don't doubt that 
Sevvy is a committed misanthrope, unpleasant and with few social or 
professional graces - long may he remain so - but redemption? That I'm 
not sure of.

For a start - what's he done that needs a massive atonement?
Ans. - we don't know. We assume much, from his reasons for becoming a 
DE and what he might have done while he was a fully paid up member - 
but we don't know, it's guesswork. After 5 books we're still guessing. 
Frustrating, or what?

For my part I still lean towards the revenge motif. Redemption, if it's 
applicable or even occurs, will be secondary to his hunger for revenge 
on Voldy.  Yep, it's yet another guess, but perhaps an educated one. At 
least it could provide a half-way decent motive for why Sevvy is what 
he is. And to me that is more interesting and maybe more important than 
what he does from now on in. The 'why' of things - particularly 
personal interactions - is the most fascinating aspect of HP, at least 
from this keyboard it is.

The 'why' of DD  is not so obvious.
IMO we take too much for granted with that gentleman and questions that 
should be asked aren't.
Why did he form the original Order and why choose the members he did?
The majority were Aurors fighting Voldy already, and they still kept on 
losing even after joining DD. But the minority faction - ah! now that's 
interesting - the Marauders, Lily and Hagrid - plus Snape as a later 
addition.
Why take all 4 Marauders? Not a package deal, was it?
Different levels of skill, differing backgrounds, maybe different 
loyalties. But unless they plus Lily are involved there will be no 
Weapon!Harry. Voldy will win. Forever.

The Prophecy is of no help to DD; it predicts the birth of a potential 
victor over Voldy. It does not say how to win, or what will be needed 
to win.

Key questions -
Was the forging of Weapon!Harry a chance event, a concatenation of 
circumstances?
Were the events at GH planned or at least manipulated by DD?
Or were they just foreseen?
Did he know in advance what would be required to defeat Voldy and make 
the appropriate moves to ensure the emergence of Voldy!Bane?

The answer of course, may depend on the answer to another question I 
asked a few days ago - who or what is DD?

That DD is on the side of good I've never really doubted.
But 'nice'? No, despite all the tearful emoting over Harry.
Even crocodiles can produce tears.

Kneasy