I'm very glad to see someone else make that point about JK's misuse of Nazism as a story trope. I find JK's misappropriation of the Holocaust era one of the most offensive things in what I call her immorality tale. (Plainly, she does want to present a teaching about ethics, and the teaching she presents encourages the habit of prejudiced thought and exalts bullies and conmen, hence "immorality". OTOH, her view of ethics grants no inherent moral value to actions, only to status, so I have wondered if "amorality" describes her ideas better.) HP as genocide-tale trivialises genocide, at best. At worst, it actually encourages reverse-genocide.
Your point about Snape's "undying love" also holds good. There is no textual evidence that his affection was ever sexual in nature. She was his best/only friend, whom he both worshipped and treasured. Does he need any other reason than that to loathe the bully who's trying to sever that friendship and batten on her? Does he need any other reason to rue forever that he unintentionally put her life in danger and was unable to undo that and save her?
Harry thinks so because Harry is unable to feel that level of love/concern for anyone who is not a sexual object. In order to understand Ron's fear for his family after their house has been raided by DEs, Harry has to think about Ginny. Not the rest of the Weasleys who have (barring Percy) taken him in as one of them, but only sexy-lips. After Ron storms out, Harry starts watching the Marauder's Map not in hopes of finding that Ron is safe, but in search of ammunition against him, "proving that he had returned to the comfortable castle, protected by his status as pure-blood" - which soon segues into thoughts of Ginny again. And in the Malfoy dungeons, how long does Hermione scream before it impinges on his concerns? She's his second-best friend, but does he give her torture another thought after they escape?
Harry is as little able to love as Dumbledore, IMO. What he does have is "a saving people thing"; no less, but unfortunately, no more, also.
Thanks
Your point about Snape's "undying love" also holds good. There is no textual evidence that his affection was ever sexual in nature. She was his best/only friend, whom he both worshipped and treasured. Does he need any other reason than that to loathe the bully who's trying to sever that friendship and batten on her? Does he need any other reason to rue forever that he unintentionally put her life in danger and was unable to undo that and save her?
Harry thinks so because Harry is unable to feel that level of love/concern for anyone who is not a sexual object. In order to understand Ron's fear for his family after their house has been raided by DEs, Harry has to think about Ginny. Not the rest of the Weasleys who have (barring Percy) taken him in as one of them, but only sexy-lips. After Ron storms out, Harry starts watching the Marauder's Map not in hopes of finding that Ron is safe, but in search of ammunition against him, "proving that he had returned to the comfortable castle, protected by his status as pure-blood" - which soon segues into thoughts of Ginny again. And in the Malfoy dungeons, how long does Hermione scream before it impinges on his concerns? She's his second-best friend, but does he give her torture another thought after they escape?
Harry is as little able to love as Dumbledore, IMO. What he does have is "a saving people thing"; no less, but unfortunately, no more, also.
duj