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| Caspian and Rilian Present |
| A Rant by "the real Ginny Weasley" |
| Snape: Bad or Good? |
Ginny Weasley here, the first ever guest blogger on
BooksandWands.com. With only days left before we discover the
much anticipated truth about Severus Snape, it feels necessary
to review the facts we’ve already learned about the infamous
Hogwarts teacher. Let’s dip, for a moment, into my pensieve...
BooksandWands.com. With only days left before we discover the
much anticipated truth about Severus Snape, it feels necessary
to review the facts we’ve already learned about the infamous
Hogwarts teacher. Let’s dip, for a moment, into my pensieve...
“But you think you’re right?” said Harry.
“Naturally I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make
mistakes like the next man. In fact, being—forgive me—rather
cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly
huger.”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 10, p. 197
“Naturally I do, but as I have already proven to you, I make
mistakes like the next man. In fact, being—forgive me—rather
cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly
huger.”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 10, p. 197
While rereading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, already
aware of its grim ending, this Dumbledore quote hit me like a
dementor getting hit with a really powerful patronus charm. Was
this J.K.’s covert way of explaining why Dumbledore, whom Harry
has deemed the greatest sorcerer in the world, had trusted
Snape for so many years without discovering his traitorous
secret? Or is that only what she wants us to think? Did J.K.
plan to convince her audience that Dumbledore had made a
tremendous mistake, only to increase the amount of shock and
surprise the reader would feel upon discovering two years later
that Snape had been good all along? There can only be, after
all, one ending to her world-renowned Harry Potter series. I’m
sure that, much like the ending of The Sopranos, Seinfeld, and
Star Wars, she would like it’s conclusion to be the topic of
conversation for days, weeks, and even years after its release.
Before the Snape controversy of Book 6, there was little room
for a shocking ending. After all, Harry is clearly good and
Voldemort is clearly bad. What’s so shocking about that?
So, Snape—bad or good? Personally, I’m hoping for the latter. I
admit—I am seeing this from a teacher’s perspective. I eerily
enjoyed Harry being wrong about Snape in the first five books
because Dumbledore told Harry that Snape was good, and THE
TEACHER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!!
Here’s one possible assumption: After Voldemort had returned at
the end of the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore asked Snape to return
to the Death Eaters as a spy. Dumbledore must’ve also
instructed Snape to keep his cover, no matter what gruesome
task Voldemort asked of him. Maybe Dumbledore’s pleas at the
end of Half-Blood Prince are not for Snape to spare him but to
actually carry out his task and keep his disguise intact. After
all—
aware of its grim ending, this Dumbledore quote hit me like a
dementor getting hit with a really powerful patronus charm. Was
this J.K.’s covert way of explaining why Dumbledore, whom Harry
has deemed the greatest sorcerer in the world, had trusted
Snape for so many years without discovering his traitorous
secret? Or is that only what she wants us to think? Did J.K.
plan to convince her audience that Dumbledore had made a
tremendous mistake, only to increase the amount of shock and
surprise the reader would feel upon discovering two years later
that Snape had been good all along? There can only be, after
all, one ending to her world-renowned Harry Potter series. I’m
sure that, much like the ending of The Sopranos, Seinfeld, and
Star Wars, she would like it’s conclusion to be the topic of
conversation for days, weeks, and even years after its release.
Before the Snape controversy of Book 6, there was little room
for a shocking ending. After all, Harry is clearly good and
Voldemort is clearly bad. What’s so shocking about that?
So, Snape—bad or good? Personally, I’m hoping for the latter. I
admit—I am seeing this from a teacher’s perspective. I eerily
enjoyed Harry being wrong about Snape in the first five books
because Dumbledore told Harry that Snape was good, and THE
TEACHER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!!
Here’s one possible assumption: After Voldemort had returned at
the end of the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore asked Snape to return
to the Death Eaters as a spy. Dumbledore must’ve also
instructed Snape to keep his cover, no matter what gruesome
task Voldemort asked of him. Maybe Dumbledore’s pleas at the
end of Half-Blood Prince are not for Snape to spare him but to
actually carry out his task and keep his disguise intact. After
all—
“DON’T—” screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly demented,
inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as he yelping,
howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them—“CALL ME
COWARD!”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28, p. 604
inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as he yelping,
howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them—“CALL ME
COWARD!”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28, p. 604
It’s very likely that Snape would become increasingly agitated
to hear himself being called a coward, knowing full well he was
in the middle of the bravest thing he’d ever done in his entire
life.
Either way, it’s safe to say Snape is going to play one major
role in Book 7...
...maybe even a deadly one?
to hear himself being called a coward, knowing full well he was
in the middle of the bravest thing he’d ever done in his entire
life.
Either way, it’s safe to say Snape is going to play one major
role in Book 7...
...maybe even a deadly one?
| On a side note... |
I am very proud to announce that I, the amazing Ginny Weasley,
found a grammar mistake in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince.
found a grammar mistake in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince.
“Please, come in, sit down, Minister!” fluttered Mrs. Weasley,
straightening her hat. Have a little purkey, or some tooding....
I mean—”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 16, p. 342
straightening her hat. Have a little purkey, or some tooding....
I mean—”
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 16, p. 342
Naturally, there should be quotes before the word have so that
we realize it is once again Mrs. Weasley’s dialogue and not J.
K.’s narration.
Just thought I’d share...
we realize it is once again Mrs. Weasley’s dialogue and not J.
K.’s narration.
Just thought I’d share...
