Inconceivable - More thoughts on Secrecy, wizarding politics, and Severus Snape

[condwiramurs]

I started replying to a comment posted to "I Would Sell Out the Nation," but it developed into a rather long post thinking my way through some things. And talking more about Snape, of course. I’m just thinking out loud here though

Comments

Re: Toby and Eileen

[jana_ch]

I believe that the reason Snape has not lost his magic due to depression is because of a strength of mind, not because he was male. To me, this is the reason he calls Tonks ‘weak’ at the gate.

I quite agree that Severus is giving Tonks his version of a friendly warning when he comments on the weakness of her Patronus, not simply insulting her out of sheer nastiness, as Harry assumes. It’s hard to know whether he’s pointing out the on-going loss of her magic due to hopeless love, or warning her against the moral weakness of her love object. It may be both. He really does know Lupin’s spineless ways a lot better than she does, and would be the person in the best position to warn her against him, if his caustic manner didn’t guarantee his advise would be disregarded.

Severus’ mental strength and skill with occlumency may be protecting him from heartbreak-induced magic loss, but I find it a suspicious coincidence that it is the male character who has the mental discipline to resist such loss, while the poor weak female characters (Merope, Tonks, and possibly Eileen) crumble.

P.S. I’m four-foot-nine (144cm); I know all about how towering over someone is a form of intimidation, whether the taller person intends it conciously or not. But if I had magic powers to compensate for my genuine physical weakness, I would have less need to feel intimidated.