My last (maybe) Half-Blood Prince meta.

[amanuensis1]

We're nearing the end of the time I can meta on this: I've said (oh, how I've said) that Snape's loyalty to Dumbledore isn't remotely in question because of the structure of Book 6 and the series as a whole, and that I dislike how Harry's been left in the dark at the end of Book 6, since it's unfair to make the answers plain to the reader but leave the protagonist unenlightened at the conclusion of a volume. (To clarify, this does not mean that Harry is stupid not to have seen it--Harry didn't get to read the Spinner's End chapter.) But here's another way that cheats us: do you realize, if Snape's motives had been revealed to Harry--if Snape or a glimpse into Dumbledore's pensieve or his will or what have you had communicated this to Harry at the end of Book 6, and Harry as well as the reader saw that Snape had gone into deep cover at Dumbledore's command--does everyone realize that that ending would actually have made Snape's ultimate loyalties ambiguous? That the "is Snape good or is Snape evil?" stickers and debates and contests would actually have had meat, if that had occurred?

Seriously, a third of us would be saying, "Snape killed Dumbledore at Dumbledore's command; we now know that the last book will be about Harry and Snape being on the same side, and if they will triumph over Voldemort and live." Another third would say, "Snape's pulled the wool over everyone's eyes--Dumbledore thought Snape was reluctant to kill him, but in reality Snape's been on Voldemort's side all the time, and just wait until Harry confronts Voldemort expecting Snape to have his back and Snape starts to laugh, 'What, you didn't believe that claptrap I told you, Potter? I've never been so delighted to cast a spell in my life as the day I killed that Slytherin-hating old fool.' It'll be amazing!" And the last third would still be insisting, "Snape is his own man, and his actions at the end will do what is best for Snape."

Another reason to resent the ending of Half-Blood Prince. I would have loved seeing all the sides of that debate.

Comments

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

"Snape Stabs Malfoy in the Back at a Crucial Moment and Announces He Loves Kittens and Rainbows."

I wouldn't even mind this one so much if I didn't think it was going to be followed by, "Then He Dies To Save Harry's Life."

[arclevel.livejournal.com]

That's me, too. It just seems so likely that Snape is going to be "redeemed" by dying heroically to save one of the good guys or to be the ultimate key that will allow Harry to kill Voldemort. Then all the other good guys will go, "OMG, he was totally a good guy after all!!" and that will be his redemption. I always (well, usually) hate story arcs where the troubled character who's got it so hard dies heroically and everyone lauds their bravery posthumously. Because, as Buffy said (and she's the major exception to this), "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it." It's so much more daring and interesting and *hard* to force your characters to survive; death is the easy way out. In fiction, at least. ;-)

I, too, used to trust JKR, and I really, *really* hope she isn't going to go with the obvious cliche. But I'm not confident in that.

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Despite the last book being called "Harry Potter and Snape," Snape may very well not be important enough to her to give him anything but the easy way out.

[lady_songsmith]

See, I'd find that an improvement. But then, I'm rooting for an ending that includes one dead Harry, so...

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't give you heavy odds on that one. ;)