Snape

[Lizzy Bennet]

Well, Snape has been featured in all the books, but we learned a good deal more about him in this book...

Going back in time and seeing 'Snape's worst memory' was tough. The feelings I had for Snape reminded me of those I have had for Neville...Neville, through no real fault of his own, is an easy target for ridicule. Perhaps seeing Neville is a painful reminder to Snape of what his days at Hogwarts were like. You'd think Draco would be just the kind of kid Snape would resent--Draco being a bully like the ones Snape had to deal with--but perhaps, Snape would rather be the bully and set people on Harry because Harry reminds Snape so much of James. Sort of, Snape's twisted attempt at revenge...and perhaps repeating the cycle by humiliating Neville.

Having said all that, I've never really believed Snape was all bad. I think there's a lot of pain there. And really, as nasty as Snape can be a times (similar to as tough as McGonagall can be at times), deep down, I don't think he truly means Harry harm. He could have easily joined in with Umbridge and her cronies when Harry and his friends got in trouble around the time Harry was trying to find Sirius to see if his vision was true. Additionally, Snape has saved Harry before, and I really believe Snape wanted Harry to do well with Occumalacy (I know I spelt that wrong!). Perhaps as hard as it had to have been for Harry to see his parents (and even Sirius) in a different light, eventually (though, I was sad he hadn't come to this by the end of the 5th book) he'll begin to understand and have some compassion for Snape.

I do agree with Holly, from another thread, that seeing Harry's parents in that way was difficult. I can definitely see, however, the build-up to Snape having been in love with Lily Evans and resenting James' relationship with her. Though his 'mudblood' comment certainly wasn't nice, how many 15 year-old guys really want to be indebted to a girl in a situation like that? Snape obviously had a tough childhood and a tough Hogwarts experience, and I definitely think there's more to him than meets the eye.

[chiapetdiz]

my mom and i were talking about snape last night and we think that he came out of this book in a better light (at least to the readers)

if only harry had stopped and thought about what he was doing that night... he could have use the mirror siruis gave him, he could have gone and found snape after the did away with umbridge.... in his own way, snape was the hero, he was the one that alerted the Order on what was going on. if that hadn't happened, i think that all the kids would have been in worse trouble (you know, dieing and stuff)

[Lizzy Bennet]

my mom and i were talking about snape last night and we think that he came out of this book in a better light (at least to the readers)

if only harry had stopped and thought about what he was doing that night... he could have use the mirror siruis gave him, he could have gone and found snape after the did away with umbridge.... in his own way, snape was the hero, he was the one that alerted the Order on what was going on. if that hadn't happened, i think that all the kids would have been in worse trouble (you know, dieing and stuff)

Snape, as I mentioned in another thread, has saved Harry's neck (as well as others, particularly people he has no real reason to like--i.e. Sirius) more than once, so the idea of saying, well, Snape owed Harry's dad for 'saving' him in school (from Lupin as a werewolf--a cruel joke Sirius and James set up that James got 'cold feet' about) won't work. Snape has paid back that debt and done a few more. It frustrated me that Harry was still so hostile and ungrateful towards Snape...especially after Snape, like you mentioned, chiapetdiz, was most likely the reason those kids lived. And gosh, after seeing Snape's memories...to voluntarily try to save Sirius (as I don't think he could have known Sirius *wasn't* really at the Department of Mysteries as Harry falsely believed), someone he truly despises, says something.

Not saying that Snape is perfect or completely trustworthy, but I do hope, in the future, Harry starts feeling a little more compassion and appreciation of Snape, no matter how Snape may act towards him in classes. Shoot, Umbridge was far nastier than Snape's ever been towards Harry! I thought, perhaps, Snape would team up with Umbridge (as Umbridge liked all his students), but he, like the rest of the professors, seemed to want nothing to do with her.

[Lizzy Bennet]

7) I really hope it does, I was waiting for Harry to go apologize to Snape for his father, but he never did.

Sorry to double-post! This quote came from siriusblack on another thread. I hadn't thought of this, but I really agree. If for no other reason, after all Snape saving Harry before and for trying to help Sirius (a person who's given Snape no real reason to like him), why couldn't Harry at least tell Snape that he was sorry about how his dad and Sirius treated Snape in school? Granted, we don't know what Snape was like otherwise in school or how much of the memory was tainted by Snape's own pain, but beyond the fact that Snape didn't *do* anything to provoke the attack as well as James, himself, saying to Lily (when she asked what Snape had ever done to him to warrant the treatment) that it was really just a matter of Snape existing (and, as Harry pointed out later, Sirius being bored).

He (Harry) called Sirius and his late father (and to a much lesser degree, Lupin, who had watched it all happen, but not done anything) on it, but he never got around to saying to Snape he was sorry for that. I hope books 6 and 7 show a less volatile and selfish Harry than the one we saw too many times in book 5. I did appreciate that, instead of trying to discredit Snape's memory of his father and father's friends, Harry instead accepted the possiblity that his dad and pals weren't as nice and wonderful as they may have been made out to be.

Perhaps, after all that's happened, Harry (like I eventually hope Cho might!) will get outside himself and his feelings and recognize and respond to others who are hurting (Neville, Snape, etc.).

[Neo]

Certainly Snape had a hard time, but Sirius said that also Snape used to curse James whenever he had the chance.

I think he didn't like Lily, if he joined DE, and was in Slytherin then he really used to hate mudbloods, and therefore Lily.

It was cool to know more about Snape, and Jo said that next book we will find even more, about love (dunno if past or present)

[Hermione]

After reading Book 5, I definitely feel more sympathetic towards Snape, to the point where my heart ached for him when I read the chapter entitled "Snape's Worst Memory". No wonder he became so awful!

Can't you imagine how terrible it must be for him, living the life he leads?

[Scellanis]

i actually feel sorry for snape, that memory of his was horrible....and those others too.....didnt have a nice child hood did he.....

[Fafnul Black]

Not afraid to fight Three-heads dogs, master duellist, accomplished potion-maker, spying under the nose of his old buddy Voldie, quick, self-confident, transpiring sex-appeal (ahem, OK, forget that one ), Snape has always been my hero.

I am glad you come to realize its worth, chaps

Oh, I forgot, go Slytherin !

[choki]

Why did Snape insulted Lily by saying he didn't need any help from a mudblood? He was mean to say that...n why did he had to keep vanishing Harry's potions?
Harry always thought of his father as a nice bloke, a good seeker, a good husband and a good friend to Sirius n Remus.
Afterall he only did hear abt James through Sirius n Remus. U can't really blame him of accusing Snape as a jerk.

[Scellanis]

i would think Snape said that to Lily because he was already thoroughly embarrased by being picked on and then to be saved by a girl and a muggle born one at that, automatically he'd lash out wouldn't he

i should imagine its the kind of comment that comes automatically and then is regretted after......i mean its part of his worst memory isnt it....

[Holly Golightly]

I did feel very sorry for Snape in that chapter, but then, you avhe to remember, that Snape never passed up a chance to curse James either. Would we have been so sympathetic to him if we had also read about something horrible that he did to James the day before??? Probably not? And remember, Snape did throw a spell a James that cut his face during the memory

That said, I sitll think that James and Sirius were acting morelike Slytherins than Griffindors... No offence meant to any Slytherin people!
But think about it, they all start nasty stuff, without needing a reason. Draco always mocks Harry, etc etc. And yes, Harry responds, but Draco always starts it... The Slytherins are always the ones who always start thngs in the books, and in that circumstance, James and Sirius started it. Not very nice.

Anyways, that's what I was thinking...
Holly ~

[HuffleDuck]

I was thinking one of Snape's memory when Harry accidently saw it. When a woman was yelling at him.. Could it be that he have a tough childhood? And feeling sorry for Snaper in this chapter too, but i don't hate James at all.. I thought James was kinda cool al lthough he's kinda arrogant.. Suprisingly he had loved Lily since probably 4th yr too... and still liked her even though she hates him at first... all through 7 th yr.. the yget married after Hogwart, so they still young when they died They never saw their deaths coming.. sad thing when Moddy showed Harry the picture of the orginial OotP memebers. Harry and Neville do share the same fate, but lucky Neville have his grandma....

[highsorcerer]

Actually, it's quite possible that Snape, as much as he doesn't want to admit it, sees something of himself as well as of James in Harry. Both Harry and Snape seem to have gone through a rough childhood.

Snaped turned to curses and had a hatred of the popular and talented James as his escaping, hanging around with a gang of Slytherins that nearly all became death eaters (according to Sirius). However, at some point he got cold feet or suddenly rejected Voldemort and the dark arts, because he turned traitor to Voldemort and spy to Dumbledore. Dumbledore trusts him, and that's good enough for me.

Snape is actually quite brave; he risked a lot by turning spy. He didn't run away like Krarkoff did, but returned to his job of spy. I actually think this is a mistake. Dumbledore may trust Snape, but I doubt Voldemort does. Snape actively fought Quirrel in book one while Quirrel was the host for Voldemort, and his comments at the death eater reunion in book four indicated he believed one of his death eaters had left him forever. I think he must have been referring to Snape because it seems that the one too cowardly to return would have been Karkaroff.

So I look for Snape to unwittingly lead members of the OotP into a trap in a future book, just Voldemort led Harry into a trap in OotP.

[Enchanter]

I dont think that Snape likes Draco. Draco acts a lot like James does. I think he is only nice to draco because of according to Sirius Snape is Lucius's "lap dog"

[HuffleDuck]

Well Snape is not that bad even though he's so biased toward other houses specially Gryffindor.

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