Thanks for the clarification RE sigune.

I definitely agree with you about Severus and empathy. He's one of the few who demonstrates anything approaching unconditional love. (Though Neville rocks!)

I keep trying to wrap my head around what JKR 'meant;' at this point, I think she is simply not mature enough to grasp certain elements of what she wrote - and can't or won't tell the difference between what's in her head and what's on the page.

Thanks for replying! I love reading you essays and discussing all this with you.