Um - I didn't say you made me sad and angry by your post, though it's true that, at this stage, arguing about Snape does make me sad. I said the books make me sad and angry. And they do. I think DH is a terrible, terrible book on many levels. I think it sends some truly appalling messages, and is furthermore badly written. I felt betrayed when I was reading it.

I do understand that some readers actually enjoyed DH, and perhaps even felt vindicated by it. And that, again, is not something I want to argue about.

After DH, there were only two things keeping me in the fandom: wizard rock (my sister had formed a band) and the character of Snape. I have been strugggling, over the past few months, to put the fandom behind me and move on to other things. It's been hard to do.

So no, I don't want to argue about this any more. As I said, the main point of this (essay) rant was Rowling's appalling, cheap and thoughtless use of an historical tragedy. Something in me made me post that. But I am really, really trying to shut up about these books. Thanks for your response.

(BTW, though I hate the books, I will always be grateful to the fandom, which has given me a couple of pushes to use my talents. I've had some horrible, acrimonious discussions, but most of the people I've encountered have been nice, even when we haven't agreed.)