Snape: The Real Protagonist of the HP Series

[harmony_bites]

Found this article via sylvanawood's post in dh_oh_shit. It’s chock full of spoilers, so don’t read it unless you’ve finished Deathly Hallows, but it expresses eloquently and succinctly something I think a lot of us feel about Snape.

Missing from ‘Harry Potter’ - a real moral struggle

Oh, and how does Rowling feel about Snape now?

Comments

[harmony_bites]

I don't think I've ever cried at any of Rowling's books. I have cried at some Harry Potter fanfics though. Both in terms of characterization and style, there are several writers in the fandom I find more powerful than JKR.

Does that mean I think what she wrote is "bad fanfic?" No. I can think of a bare handful of fanficwriters that match Rowling in terms of intricacy of plot over hundreds of thousands of words and only one I can think of that might very well match Rowling in world-building someday. After all, my f-list is made up of a community of people who read and write fanfic based on Rowling's world. Who are a bit *cough* obsessed. Seems to me she didn't do so shabby.

And we shouldn't expect her to write the book we wanted. So, fair enough. In her eyes Snape is still a horrible man with nothing admirable about him. That's her opinion and she's entitled to it.

But it's still not canon despite her authorship. Canon is what is *in* the book we play with between the lines. If I wanted to follow canon rather than use it I'd be writing Ron/Hermione.

And I do not think Rowling's interpretation of Snape rings any truer than her romance between Ron and Hermione. And if that's so we have all we need.

We never, ever get Snape's POV remember, or get inside his feelings or his head. And I think there's enough in his words and actions, Patronus or not patronus, to call him a hero. He did tell Phileas not to call Hermione a "mudblood" he did protect a lot more than Harry at that school.

And if it was all for Lily's child, rather than getting rid of Voldemort, than why would he ever agree with Dumbledore's plan?

I do agree that Harry did change and grow though. But the sad part of that is one of the ways we see him grow is in his comments to his son about Snape and Slytherins in the end. Rowling's remarks only undercut that, especially since she didn't allow any kind of heroic interpretation of Draco's actions.

So in the end, we're left with children having their fates and natures settled at eleven.