Oh, nicely done essay! Snape's protectiveness always stood out for me. It's exactly the scenes you described, first he refereed the quidditch match just to be close to Harry. You could argue that away with the life debt, but that's not the way it read for me. Then the scene when Ginny is taken into the chamber, which you could argue away by saying he is worried for himself in case Voldemort comes back, but that's really not the impression I got. The way he was lashing out at Gilderoy with the other teachers... There is something like that in every book, but especially HBP presented him so obviously as protector, and now also healer and savior, that I'm baffled by people who can read HBP and view Snape as evil or even as an exceptionally selfish character. What a weird way for JKR to show utter selfishness, to let the character help and heal everyone around. I'm even more baffled at people, who think that Snape is working together with Dumbledore, suggest that Snape must have been really annoyed by having to follow the Malfoy brat around and make sure nothing happens to or because of him - Um, because that is different from what Snape usually does, seemingly on his own discretion, how?
I think you are right about the kind of love you are describing being important. I expect Harry will have to learn this kind of love towards Snape, because it's Harry's love which will save the world. Although maybe there is a chance for Snape to have a development in the love department as well. For him it would be important to allow and accept the genuine feeling of love, I think. He is lacking exactly what Sirius exceeds in and what JKR calls Sirius' one great redeeming quality.
A nice description of Sirius as well. I disagree in one point: I'm not sure that he was talking about Regulus with contempt. He wasn't a very good brother to Regulus IMO, and he talks somewhat patronizingly about him, but I think you can tell that he feels some affection. "He was soft enough to believe them" It seems more like regret than a reproach to me.
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Date: 2007-04-18 04:13 pm (UTC)There is something like that in every book, but especially HBP presented him so obviously as protector, and now also healer and savior, that I'm baffled by people who can read HBP and view Snape as evil or even as an exceptionally selfish character. What a weird way for JKR to show utter selfishness, to let the character help and heal everyone around. I'm even more baffled at people, who think that Snape is working together with Dumbledore, suggest that Snape must have been really annoyed by having to follow the Malfoy brat around and make sure nothing happens to or because of him - Um, because that is different from what Snape usually does, seemingly on his own discretion, how?
I think you are right about the kind of love you are describing being important. I expect Harry will have to learn this kind of love towards Snape, because it's Harry's love which will save the world. Although maybe there is a chance for Snape to have a development in the love department as well. For him it would be important to allow and accept the genuine feeling of love, I think. He is lacking exactly what Sirius exceeds in and what JKR calls Sirius' one great redeeming quality.
A nice description of Sirius as well. I disagree in one point: I'm not sure that he was talking about Regulus with contempt. He wasn't a very good brother to Regulus IMO, and he talks somewhat patronizingly about him, but I think you can tell that he feels some affection. "He was soft enough to believe them" It seems more like regret than a reproach to me.