dangermousie | Harry Potter: Snape, Horcruxes and other dark matters

OK, these thoughts on HBP are much longer and more coherent. I know it’s a few days, but at least I am finally able to write more than “a85usu47647*&%43”

A whole bunch of issues I want to address, but I will start with the most important one. I loved this book! In fact, it is now my favorite of the Harry Potter books, and certainly one of the ones I’ll reread most often (in fact, as soon as I finished, I started another reread, which doesn’t happen very often). Quite unlike OOTP which, though well-written, I’ve read only twice and have little desire to reread in the near future just because of the sheer misery in it. ~~Also, Sirius is not dead.~~

OK, topics for today are: Snape and Horcruxes.

Snape: the biggest WTF in the book, the one that made my jaw drop was Snape. Not that he was the Half-Blood Prince (though how ironic is it that Harry does so well following Snape’s instructions, defends and likes him. Hmmm). But the fact that he (apparently) was fooling DD all the time as an evil Death Eater and Aked him at the end. Speak about pulling the rug from under you.

But still, something doesn’t add up. I am not a Snape worshipper. The man is unpleasant and pretty unfit to be a teacher (though being shut up in a lab, researching, would probably make him as happy as a clam if his book is any indication). But it makes no sense for him to be Peter Pettigrew Mark II. For one thing, Dumbledore (henceforth abbreviated as DD) is no idiot. He tells Harry during one of their Pensieve sessions that he never trusted Voldemort despite his sorryness and perfect behavior because he’s seen him in an orphanage and knew it was an act. So even Voldy, when he was personable and pitch-perfect couldn’t fool him. But Severus Snape, the unpleasant unpersonable potions genius could? After all, DD knew of him doing much more unpleasant stuff than stealing kids’ posessions and stuffing them in a wardrobe. The proof of his repentance would have to be huge, for DD to buy it. No sob story of “so sorry, they made me do it” would cut it. And considering Snape’s crucial position (for the Order) within the DE, DD would have to be truly sure.

Also, usually, when there is a huge revelation/turn-around, JKR springs it on us at the end (e.g. Mad Eye in GoF) with the explanation to follow. She does not hand it to us in Chapter 2 of the book.

Also, DD does not have hubris. Yet he seems to ignore all the comments Harry makes in HBP about Snape. It can't be merely because he's already made up his mind. Moreover, DD knows the DADA position is cursed and he still gives it to Snape? The real reason for keeping Snape away from it wasn't keeping him from temptation but the curse, it appears. But even if it was temptation, DD who knows of the curse gives it to him when war is raging and he will be most tempted he's ever been? Why?

Then there’s Snape’s strange (if you think of him as evil DE) behavior. He tells Narcissa that he believes that Voldie expects him (Snape) to be the one to kill DD in the end (which leads me to think he already knows he would either have to kill DD or be exposed). And of course if he is such a vile creature, why would he have enough human feeling to promise Narcissa to take care of Draco? And his hands twich when he promises to kill DD if Draco fails. Then Harry hears from Hagrid of an argument between Snape and DD in the woods where Snape is reluctant and angry. Then there is revulsion and hatred on Snape’s face when he AKs DD. Hatred? OK, though bizarre. Even if Snape follows Voldie for real, it is only out of self-interest. He is no Bella with her groupie-like crush. So I can’t see him hating DD. And why revulsion? Dumbledore is not covered in bobotuber pus after all ;). It has to be revulsion for what he is about to do. Then there is DD’s “please, Severus.” Would Dumbledore plead for his life? Unlikely. And of course he doesn’t kill Harry and yells at him to not call him (Snape) a coward and Harry has the odd thought that he is in as much pain as Fang trapped in a burning house. It just doesn’t add up to a consummately evil horror serving at the altar of the Dark Lord. I do think since DD was growing weaker all through the year, he and Snape have devised some kind of a contingency. After all, Snape knew early on Voldie would want him to be the one to get rid of DD. That is what that argument in the woods was about etc etc. Maybe DD would come back as a ghost in 7 to help Harry?

Of course, in the 7th book JKR might have Snape torturing babies and having DE orgies, but I really hope not. It would remove so much complexity from the character and the books. It would make MWPP absolutely right when they bullied Snape and not gits who grew out of their flaws and matured into wonderful people. It would make Snape a living proof of “Harry doesn’t like”=evil and unpleasant=evil. I liked that not all people on the side of good were nice or liked Harry. Yes, Snape is unpleasant and has done some horrible things. But he is a double (or triple) agent. Do you really think they can be nice people and still continue?

I also found his interaction with Bella and Cissy quite interesting. We don’t often see him interact with just other adults (obviously, as Harry is the POV) and the word that came to mind was…capable. Cold and self-assured. I was also surprised by the caring he had towards Narcissa. Not love or anything (though I can just see the new ship spring to forefront of Snape fics), but you don’t expect DEs to have caring of any kind.

Perhaps, I never likes Snape so well as when I thought of him as HBP, scribbling away all over his book, brilliant and fascinated with new spells and proper potions and research. Please, JKR, don’t make him the cardboard evil villain. Please.

Actually, even Bella was humanized. She is evil (and an idiot. Her “if I had sons, I’d be proud to give them all up to LV blah blah,” come on. You are not a groupie), but I can see her as a person now. And of course Narcissa. She loves her son and is scared (and is willing to brave LV’s displeasure) and wants to take care of him. And of course there is Draco but about it later.

And now, a quick comment on Horcruxes. I think another reason there isn’t more than 7 is that I have a feeling that the more you splinter your soul, the weaker each individual piece gets, and the less human you get. E.g. LV is less powerful than if he kept his soul together, and if he splinters it too much, each individual part would not be able to function.

Next up: Harry’s maturity, Draco in 3D, Dumbledore, Weasleys as a family, and couples parallels.

And in conclusion, this little dialogue with my cousin.

She: Sirius should come back from the dead
Me: and marry a Weasley
She: everyone should marry a Weasley