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| Friday, July 22, 2005 10:05 AM |
| The Potter Post |
 by Fëanor |
Well, I finished the book. Rather than discuss it out in the open, and possibly expose poor ignorant folks to horrible spoilers, I'm going to take a page from various entertainment news and rumor sites and discuss my thoughts and ideas about the book in white text below. Simply highlight the text to read it. Sorry about the length, but I guess I had a lot to say... (Btw, this should go without saying, but I would advise those who wish to stay spoiler-free to steer clear of the comments for this post, as well.)
First of all, I liked the book very much. It was great to read another Harry Potter novel; it had been a while for me, and I'd forgotten what a fun, easy read they are. Sometimes Harry is so thick it really irritates me, and sometimes Rowling is a little too obvious, stating things that don't need stating, but what the hell, it's a kid's book, right? And a great kid's book, at that.
As I was telling Vis Major and kds this morning, I was not particularly surprised by the true identity of the Half-Blood Prince, or by who died. I suspected pretty early on that the notes left in Harry's borrowed potions book had most likely been written by Snape. Of the old Hogwarts students we knew, who else was so expert at potion-making, and would be so interested in jinxes and counter-jinxes of the prankish variety (being as he was so often the victim of them, at the hands of James Potter and his friends)? As well as curses against enemies that were a bit more serious.
As for the death, many people on various websites had suspected Dumbledore as the casualty in this book, and as I continued to read the book, his death seemed more and more likely. He was getting tired and haggard, going out on dangerous expeditions, coming back damaged. He was very clearly passing on as much knowledge as he could to Harry, and preparing him for what lay ahead. He knew his death was probably coming soon, one way or the other.
But what I really want to talk about is the true allegiance of Snape. Because it's my opinion, even after all he's said and done, that Snape is not necessarily a bad guy.
Some of you may be roaring in outraged disbelief right now, but hear me out. I've always felt that Harry and his friends were far too ready to expect the worst of Severus simply because he was a gloomy, bad-tempered prick who hated their guts. It's perfectly possibly for someone to be a gloomy, bad-tempered prick who hates your guts, and yet not be a completely evil and terrible person. He might even be on your side. And, in fact, I think Snape might actually still be on the good side--a double or (perhaps more accurately) triple agent, working inside the Death Eaters to either get information or to take down Voldemort personally.
I believe this for various reasons, one being simply because it would be silly for Snape to turn out to be evil when he has always appeared to Harry to be evil and nasty from the very first book. Rowling is pretty obvious about things, but I don't think she would be that obvious. Harry is often wrong about essential things like that, and discovers the truth only at the most dramatic moment. But also, and most importantly, Dumbledore believed in Snape, even to the very end, and Dumbledore is no fool. He wouldn't have been so confident in Severus if he hadn't had some reason to be so.
Of course, you may be asking how I can think the man who killed Dumbledore can still be a good guy. Well, think about it--was there any chance of Dumbledore getting off of that rooftop alive? Not really. He was weak, vulnerable, defeated. If Malfoy hadn't killed him (and it didn't look like he was going to), one of the other Death Eaters would have, eventually, despite their orders. But the other Death Eaters might have killed Malfoy first before finishing off Dumbledore, and Severus didn't want that. Also, Snape had to obey the requirements of his Unbreakable Vow (which I think he made to solidify his position among the Death Eaters and eliminate suspicion) or face death himself. Basically, to stay safely undercover and retain a chance of defeating Voldemort, Severus had to do what he did.
Why was Dumbledore suddenly reduced to pleading when Snape appeared, when until then he had stood firm and calm? He wasn't pleading for his life; I don't think Dumbledore was afraid to die. He was pleading for Severus himself. He didn't want Snape to ruin himself further, to commit this terrible, irrevocable act that would once and for all eliminate for him any chance of living among good wizards and being accepted by them. And Dumbledore especially didn't want Snape to do it in front of Harry. He knew that Harry would never be able to understand.
Well, it's a theory anyway. I'd be interested to hear what other people think in the comments. |
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