McGonagall.

[rainylondonight]

Yesterday I was linked to a very interesting essay on Kia/serraasuka's journal theorising Minerva McGonagall as a Death Eater. I sort of instantly dismissed it in my mind - said something like 'the word useless is relative, rah rah rah' which I STILL do believe. I mean, almost anything is relative is it not

Comments

[satonthefence]

" To really know Minerva, you have to compare her frequently to Snape. In the words of Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice, one has all the goodness, and the other has all the appearance of it"

"It would be just like Rowling, whose favourite author is, by the way, Jane Austen, to have that sort of juxtaposition between Snape and McGonagall."

yeah, I think that's why it's there. But, like you, I think it's going to be, if it comes out,&isn't it just left for people to notice&other people to skim over&then go "auuugh, it's just a kids book", then it'll be more like "well, snape has done this&this&this&this."

I read something good about Snape the other day, saying what a funny sort of 'hero' he is. Not sure who/where it was though.

my english teacher reckons that snape is the only "proper" character in HP!

[rainylondonight]

Mmm... the collation between the two certainly appears to be more about Snape's character than McGonagall's, true. A lot of people seem to think that McGonagall is rather reserved in her emotions, but I think she's covered in them. How could Harry respect her if she wasn't somewhat emotionally open? Harry seems to like people like that. Juxtapose that to Snape, who is internally emotional - one of my favourite parts of COS is when he gripped the back of the chair when he heard that a girl had been taken into the Chamber - signs of distress in such a subtle way touch me much more than if he were to start... crying... or something (like McGonagall often does!) - and there we have that inverse mirror again.

Like I said, I know it sounds strange but a part of me hopes that it's true. Because I thought about it, flicked through the books to the parts in which she is present... and she really... doesn't do anything most of the time. It may not mean she's a Death Eater, of course, perhaps it means that there is something she is yet to

[satonthefence]

i've always loved, loved, loved that sentence. Snape, I think, is more emotional than you think. At least in temper. But I do essentially agree with you, especially in McGonagall's case. She's a very professional, old fashioned teacher - but emotional within that role. She's emotional when it comes to Quiddich, her student's well being, her teaching methods being questioned...etc, but we know very little about her private life&thoughts - which is why I think people get that impression.

hrm, unlike you - I think that apart from her loyalty to Dumbledore (and :. the order) she's mainly a civilian character, like Molly&Arthur. I do love her to bits, but I don't think she has any stunning role to come.

[rainylondonight]

The ways Snape expresses his emotion (other than anger) is beautifully compelling to me. The staff-room scene in COS is probably my favourite, where he shows signs of distress rather than fury; one that possibly equals that is when Harry sees the memory of Snape's parents and when he's pulled back into the office Snape is white and shaking slightly. It's true what they say... it's the little things. I'm not a big fan of Lupin, but I also really liked the part where he made to reach out to Harry but stopped.

I don't know about that though - she is a part of the Order, and I'd like to know what it is that she's done exactly. And I'd like to think she was smarter than canon currently makes her out to be, oh well, it's an interesting thing to think about.

[rainylondonight]

Oh, my heart broke over different reasons though, not the whole 'traitor' thing which I never believed - it was simply sadness for all the sacrifices Snape has had to make... everyone hates him, both sides distrust him, quite possibly the only person who ever loved him (perhaps with the exception of his mother - JKR makes vague allusions to Eileen loving him) is dead by his own hand; HBP pretty ruined my brain & I doubt it'll get much better for Snape. But he won't die.

*gathers self together* anyway... I just think it'd be really unexpected. I'd clearly see the juxtaposition there - the Gryffindor ends up the villain while the Slytherin ends up the hero. I think I might actually respect McGonagall a lot more for that, as she'd managed to have fooled everyone for so long. But ungh yeah, my sympathies would be with you Gryffindors, for sure.

[satonthefence]

"it was simply sadness for all the sacrifices Snape has had to make... everyone hates him, both sides distrust him, quite possibly the only person who ever loved him (perhaps with the exception of his mother - JKR makes vague allusions to Eileen loving him) is dead by his own hand;"

<333333 same here.
That, and the Gryffindor point glass getting broken&Harry not caring, was what made me cry for days. My mother was threatening to write a letter of complaint to JK for "emotional distress" XD I think she was only half joking

[rainylondonight]

It's great when you're silently sobbing on your bed, your stomach hating you for not letting it just explode out of your mouth, looking like death, coming out of your room because you're getting your appetite back and parents who call you a freak and yell "IT'S JUST A BOOK for God's sake".

On second thought, yeah... let's not travel too deep into this subject. I don't think I can go back there.

Pfft. People.

[spacedlaw]

Interesting theory indeed.

If the series were to last for say another 3 books, I could see it making an interesting development, but as it stands now, it is probably too extreme to be pulled in so late (and without a real hint to this before).

Still.
Interesting.

[stiffleaves]

Wow. Veeery interesting. Especially because McGonagall used to be one of the more highlighted characters in the beginning of the series, but since then seems to have succumbed more and more to insignificance. That would make sense if JK was saving her up for something really big in the end, of course...Hmmmm :)

I honestly haven't ever considered that McG could be a DE, but I think I'd love it if it was true. What a twist! And it would be so clever, because she totally is that sort of character about whom you'd dismiss any suspicion immediately.

[rainylondonight]

But that's the thing really - the internet can decieve you. Hardly anyone I've talked to thinks Snape is good at all. Of course my friends do but they're *my* friends and thus I've had a pretty good shot at convincing them. I'm still looked at with a very odd eye everytime I meet someone new and we get talking about HP (which, to be honest, is not often as at this stage I really can't find the right words & you always seem more of a freak in RL than your LJ ;) ). So like I said above, the majority of HP definitely take things at face value - which is astounding to me, but I'm sure they don't take it as seriously - ...and I suppose you could expect anything, but she'd have a damn lot of explaining to do if this were so.

After all Snape's put me through over the past seven years I don't think... or rather I know there's no way I couldn't love him at the end of it all.

Again, say that in RL and I'd probably be punched in the face. Heh.