Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Insanity

An example of what comes out of boredom... Insanity.

Read with Caution... not fully suitable for children.


TazmyOhki: *stretch*
hikarikodachi: All right, then. Snape is actually Harry's son
TazmyOhki: LOL
hikarikodachi: You asked me to stretch... and if that's not a stretch, dunno what is ^_^
TazmyOhki: Dumbledore and Snape are secret lovers and Voldemort became evil becasue he wanted Dumbledore
hikarikodachi: Now that's a stretch
TazmyOhki: Thank you, thank you very much
hikarikodachi: Behind the scenes, Neville is the biggest player in Gryffindor
TazmyOhki: LOL
hikarikodachi: Is that a stretch? ^_^
TazmyOhki: hmmm yes
hikarikodachi: Okay
TazmyOhki: Snape's real master is Neville Longbottom
hikarikodachi: Meh. If I were Neville and capable of that, I'd have Parvati and Cho as my minions ^_^
TazmyOhki: well he is the biggest player behind the scenes, right?
hikarikodachi: Hmm, good point
hikarikodachi: Let's see.... Dumbledore is actually not dead, but has been transmuted into a Canary Creme destined to be consumed by Goyle
TazmyOhki: *raises eyebrow* now that is a stretch
hikarikodachi: Good ^_^
TazmyOhki: Voldemort only wants to take over the world so he can fill it with fresh flowers and sweet candies
hikarikodachi: Candies or candles? Imagine a Voldemort Brand Vanilla-scented Candle
TazmyOhki: yes. he's sending his deatheaters after Harry not to kill him but to present him with a free sample
hikarikodachi: A sample basket!
hikarikodachi: And Lily and James are actually crossdressers!
TazmyOhki: "Dark Lord brand candles. Fresh scent guranteed to make your house warm and comfortable. Now on special, candle with smoke in the form of the dark mark"
TazmyOhki: James Potter -- Prom Queen
hikarikodachi: ^__^
hikarikodachi: And does that make "Lily Evans - Prom King"? ^+^
TazmyOhki: no, prince charming
hikarikodachi: Sirius Black's real first name is actually Rigel
hikarikodachi: Ahhhh
TazmyOhki: ooo Voldemort as Prince Charming
hikarikodachi:
TazmyOhki: too much of a stretch?
[22:47] hikarikodachi: Rita Skeeter is an objective journalist!
TazmyOhki: okay, that is a stretch
hikarikodachi: And Dolores Umbridge is a fine educator!
TazmyOhki: Professor McGonagall is a cat that transfigures herself into a human
hikarikodachi: Ahhh! She's a Magianimus!
TazmyOhki: lol
TazmyOhki: Hermione Granger is the Dark Lord
hikarikodachi: And she would use Lord instead of Lady
TazmyOhki: Well Ron is the Dark Lady
hikarikodachi:
TazmyOhki: now doesn't that just pop images into your mind
hikarikodachi: Yes, and I'm trying to purge them! ^_^
hikarikodachi: Through an accident with the Time Turner, it is revealed that Harry and Ginny are actually James and Lily
TazmyOhki: eeek
TazmyOhki: Lucius Malfoy and the Coat of Many Colors
TazmyOhki: ( i shoudl paste this on my site)
hikarikodachi: It's just like with his Patronus!
hikarikodachi: Yes, you should ^+^
hikarikodachi: Neville and Luna have actually been married in secret since her second year, and she is hiding their twins in her dorm room closet
TazmyOhki: *raises eyebrow* Dudley Dursley is the most powerful, wisest wizard alive
hikarikodachi: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
hikarikodachi: Vernon is Harry's father
TazmyOhki: noooooooooooooooooooooo
hikarikodachi: Moaning Myrtle is nicknamed that for an entirely different reason
TazmyOhki: yeah and Hagrids shorter that Colin Creevy
TazmyOhki: he just has stilts
hikarikodachi: And Colin Creevy is actually an agent of Voldemort sent to kill Harry
TazmyOhki: Professor Snape's life long dream is to become a ballerina
hikarikodachi: Professor Trelawney was a professional breakdancer in her youth
TazmyOhki: Hermione is pregant with alien babies prophecied to destroy the great madrake
hikarikodachi: Dobby and the other house-elves must take Gryffindor's sword and cast it into the fires of Mount Vesuvius
TazmyOhki: Kreacher enjoys long walks on the beach and love poetry
hikarikodachi: Barty Crouch liked to get down and get funky
TazmyOhki: Draco's favorite show is My Little Pony
hikarikodachi: Parvati and Lavender are actually capos in the Mafia
TazmyOhki: Crabbe adn Goyle go on to win genius grants and become great aurors
hikarikodachi: The Weasley twins settle down and become attorneys
TazmyOhki: and Percy runs their joke shop
hikarikodachi: Fleur likes action flicks and professional wrestling
TazmyOhki: Harry grows up to teach potions and become head of slytherin house. Takes a sudden fancy to dark dungeons
hikarikodachi: And he marries Pansy Parkinson
TazmyOhki: he has a harem
hikarikodachi: Ginny elopes with Professor Flitwick
TazmyOhki: whoa
hikarikodachi: And Neville becomes captain of the Quidditch team
TazmyOhki: Dumbeldore gets all his information from the Junior Wizards Encyclopedia
hikarikodachi: Lupin gets bitten by a werecabbit, and once a month can fly thru interstellar space
TazmyOhki: kudos
hikarikodachi: ^_^
TazmyOhki: But you forgot the great war between the cabbits and the house elfs
hikarikodachi: No I didn't. No one wants to talk about that. Especially considering what the cabbits did to them after they won
TazmyOhki: Cabbits defeat voldemort with their cuteness
hikarikodachi: That I'll buy ^_^
hikarikodachi: McGonnagal is a veela
TazmyOhki: Voldemort ceases his plans to take over the world when he finally wins a beauty competition and goes on to become Mr. UK
hikarikodachi: Nagini is actually Bertha Jerkins in her illegal Animagus form,
TazmyOhki: Pettigrew is the brains behind Voldemort's schemes
hikarikodachi: Gah!
hikarikodachi: Voldemort is Pettigrew's b****
TazmyOhki: Now that is just wrong
hikarikodachi: It should be
TazmyOhki: Harry must us a herring to defeat Voldemort.. after picking a shrubery of course
hikarikodachi: And Neville ends up in Castle Anthrax
hikarikodachi: And he doesn't leave ^_^
TazmyOhki: On second thought let us not go to Hogwarts, it is a silly place
hikarikodachi: King Dumbledore?
TazmyOhki: Arthur, king of the muggles

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Spinner's End

I was wondering why Rowling named Chapter Two "Spinner's End". I realized that a connection definitely exists between Snape and the name. Images of spider webs and deceitful tales instantly came to my mind.

The question is still, who is Snape deceiving? Why "Spinner's End" as opposed to "Spinner's Alley" or "Spinner's Way?" Is the end significant to Snape finishing his web of deceit? Why did he agree to the Unbreakable Vow? Curious... Very curious.

This isn't a full post, but I wanted to share with you with the following definition's of "Spinner" and "End" from Webster's Dictionary:


spin spinner, n.:
1. to make by drawing out and twisting fibers.
2. to produce ( a web, cocoon etc.,) by extruding a viscous filament that hardens in the air.
5. to produce or fabricate slowly and bit by bit: to spin a tale. [hence the connection with deceit]
15. Slang: a viewpoint, or bias, esp. in the media.

end
2. a point that indicates the full extent or limit of something.
3. a part or place at an extremity.
4. termination, as of life; conclusion.
6. an intention or aim.
7. an outcome or result.
8. destruction or ruin.
9. a remnant or fragment.
10. a share or part.
end as a verb:
12. to bring or come to an end.
14. to kill or die.


Interesting... I do think "Spinner's End" is a carefully fashioned title.

Another thought: If Voldemort trusts Snape as much as the book claims, could a horcrux be at Spinner's End? (Just a thought anyways. Yes, even without Snape knowing it.) It will be most useful in pulling the plot strings to have Harry face Snape.

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Where do Snape's loyalties lie?

I keep going back and forth while I weigh all the evidence. In the end, it comes down to the message Rowling chooses to get across to her readers. Peter and I discussed this at length, and in many ways I agree with his assessment. One, the interview with Rowling could be seen both directions. Second, if Snape remains a Death Eater than we have no character left that has made a dramatic change against who they were. I know many of you will disagree on this point, and I do in some ways myself, but in many ways it is true. I'll write an article on that sometime this week.

I believe this book is about the choices we come to make, not the choices we are destined to make. Therefore, some character has to make a dramatic switch from the choices they originally made. I find Snape's redemption to be a far more powerful story than Snape's deception. Maybe Rowling doesn't see it this way, but I do believe authors pass on messages without meaning to. If Snape is a Death Eater, her message seems to be that people are destined to make certain choices and there really are no dividing lines. In short, Dumbledore is wrong to believe that people can change. Maybe this will differ with other events in Book Seven, but so far this is the message I will recieve by Snape's betrayal.

Maybe she is giving us a lesson in politics only to deny the greater story of redemption.

Dumbledore trusts Severus Snape, and for the sake of humanity I too trust Severus Snape. If I am wrong, perhaps I am wrong about the power of the Harry Potter story in and of itself. For now, I will choose hope. Even if it is against the odds.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Machiavelli's Prince Severus

A few years ago I used an excerpt from Machiavelli's the Prince as evidence that Snape may kill Dumbledore. At the time, I didn't think too much of the parallel, only that it was an interesting coincidence that should be taken into account. Given Snape's actions in Book Six, I feel it is important to go back to this example and see what it may tell us about Severus Snape.

The Severus to whom Machiavelli refers is Severus Septimius. (The last name sounds suspiciously like the spell that Snape created, doesn't it?) While Snape is by no means the Septimius in Machiavelli's work, the similarities are striking. Machiavelli portrays a man who aspired to be a great emperor. He knew that only two men were a danger to his power. One man had already declared himself a ruler, the other was named Albinus.

Yes, Albus and Albinus both mean the same thing!

Machiavelli writes:

"Judging it was dangerous to show himself hostile to both of them, Serverus decided to attack Niger and to trick Albinus." The Prince, pg. 64, Penguin Classic, 1999


I don't think I have to work too hard to show the similarities here. Severus aligned himself with Albinus as a means to hide his true goal and work behind the scenes to rid himself of both leaders. The story goes on and Severus eventually has Albinus killed. Severus becomes a powerful emperor.

The story does have its differences, especially if one were to look up the novel and read it for themselves , but I think that Rowling may have recieved some of her inspiration for Snape's character from Machiavilli's work. Besides the interactions between Severus and Albinus, there remains much more evidence as to the connection between Septimius and Snape.

For example, Snape fashions himself the name the "Half Blood Prince". Yes, Prince comes from his mothers maiden name, but it may go deeper than that. Machiavelli does hold Severus up as a great prince. Is Rowling whispering in our ears the origins of Snape's character? Maybe she is warning us about politics? I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it.

Most important of all, is why Machiavelli shares the story of Severus in the first place. Machiavelli's goal is to show the qualities that a prince must have. He raises Severus as an example of how a prince must be in order to attain and keep power. Namely, a prince has to know how to act.

"...I want to show briefly how well he (Severus) knew how to act the part of both a fox and a lion,..." The Prince, pg. 63


Was this not a large theme in book six? Did not Snape continually say that he would not get very far if he didn't know how to properly act?

"So whoever carefully studies what this man (Severus) did will find that he had the qualities of a ferocious lion and a very cunning fox, and that he was feared and respected by everyone..."The Prince, pg. 64


There is no doubt in my mind that Snape is cunning and ferocious. How well he does act his parts.

Now that we have seen that the name "Prince" may actually be a reference to Machiavelli's work, it remains to show why we care. What does this say about Snape?

If Septimius inspired Snape's character then this goes along with the theory that Snape has been playing the middle, maybe waiting to see which side would win out. Does Snape aspire to greater things? Is he awaiting Voldemort's demise only to replace him? Does Snape serve no one but himself?

Machiavelli's Septimius was not only a good actor, but he knew when to let others fight the battle for him.

I still say there are many unanswered questions as far as Snape goes. Either he acted on Dumbledore's orders when he killed the headmaster, or he did not. Either he serves Voldemort or he does not. He may prove the greatest ally to Harry in book seven (a theme I much prefer and believe makes for a much more powerful book) or he may prove Harry's greatest enemy. Only Book Seven will tell. Until then, we would do well to keep Machiavelli's work in mind when we ask how well does Snape act and to whom is he loyal? A cunning fox indeed....

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

The sad truth is that evidence does go both ways on the truth behind Snape. The theory I have below is what I hope happened.

Maybe I don't want to read the final novel. Maybe I want to just go on believing Snape is good. HPB leaves some room for this, but will book seven?

Tuesday, July 19, 2005



There is no denying that Albus Dumbledore died at the hands of Severus Snape. What remains to be seen, is whom Snape was really betraying in carrying out the death of the Hogwarts' headmaster. There are only two concrete ways to see this scene, either Snape betrayed Dumbledore or Snape did not.

The prior assertion is less interesting. Maybe Snape managed to stay a Death Eater while working for the Order of the Phoenix, bidding his time to rejoin Lord Voldemort. As this is the most transparent idea, there is little need for a full analysis. Therefore, I will concentrate on the latter position.

Snape did not betray Dumbledore. To some, the idea may seem ludicrous. To others, this is the obvious and most likely solution. I will present evidence throughout book six, as well as some of the predecessors, to show that we do not know as much as we may think.

First, let's examine the scene where Harry learns about the argument between Dumbledore and Snape.

“'I – well, I was comin' outta the forest the other evenin' an' I overheard 'em talking – well, arguin'. Didn't like ter draw attention to meself, so I sorta skulked an' tried not ter listen, but it was a – well, a heated discussion an' it wasn' easy ter block it out” ... “Well – I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an' maybe he – Snape – didn' wan' ter do it anymore --”... “I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin' a bit overworked, that's all – anyway, Dumbledore told him flat out he'd agreed ter do it an' that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him. An' then he said summat abou' Snape makin' investigations in his House, in Slytherin.” - Hagrid, Book Six, Page 405-406 US Edition


Given Snape's promise to Narcissa and how this book ends, this quote probably shows more than meets the eye. Is Snape upset about being overworked, as Hagrid suggests? Probably not, doesn't sound like the Snape I read about. But what if Snape had told Dumbledore about the Unbreakable Vow? Was this what Snape had agreed to do and was uneasy about? Did Dumbledore know that he was going to die and wanted to protect Draco from the dark path, even if that meant Snape would have to do it in the end?

Evaluating this quote we can see that Dumbledore and Snape did have an argument of some sorts. Snape believed Dumbledore was taking too much for granted and Snape wasn't sure he wanted to do something anymore. Perhaps the key to understanding the argument, is to understand what Dumbledore would take for granted.

In reading this line I couldn't help but think of Dumbledore telling Harry, on many occasions, that everything was just speculation and he could easily be mistaken about his Voldemort related theories. Perhaps Dumbledore's assumptions about Harry's role to come in fighting Voldemort were making Snape nervous on how things would play out. Mix this together with his unbreakable vow to protect Draco and, if need be, carry out the dark deed himself, and you have Snape in a very dark and dangerous position.

The truth is that Dumbledore seemed to know of his impending death from early on. He started having lessons with Harry to discuss the prophecy and Voldemort's true self. He even gave Snape the Defense against the Dark Arts job, knowing that no teacher had held it for more than one year after Voldemort was denied the position. (46 -- though didn't Quirrell have it longer?) Had he, Dumbledore, bidded his time, waiting to put Snape into the DADA slot until the very last possible moment. Why give Snape that job in the first place? There has to be some reason and I believe it is a significant piece to solving this puzzle.

We know that Snape made at least one vow, that being the one about Draco. But we still do not know the full reason Dumbledore trusted Snape. Yes, Snape wound a tale of remorse, but more than that would be needed to get Dumbledore's unshakable trust. After all, Dumbledore may give people chances but he continues to keep a close eye when need be. He had to have some reason to fully trust Snape. Perhaps an Unbreakable Vow to protect Harry at all costs? Or an Unbreakable Vow to do everything in his power to stop Voldemort? Agreeing to protect the son of the man he hated, or agreeing to stop his old master would definitely make Dumbledore put far more trust in him than just remorse.

Up to now, I have mainly been speculating with only so much evidence to offer. Now I turn to the night of Dumbledore's murder. I believe there are far more concrete happenings here that point to Snape's loyalty to Dumbledore versus Voldemort.

First, Snape only stuns Flitwick and then runs out and tells Hermione and Luna to take care of the unconscious teacher. Okay, here we have Snape who has shown his dislike for Hermione Granger since day one. He knows there are Death Eaters in the school and it's prompted him to knock out a faculty member. What's more, Hermione is a muggle-born, a perfect target for a Death Eater. But Snape doesn't attack her, he doesn't ignore them, instead he has them take care of Flitwick. A distraction to keep them safe? He's trying to move fast, why stop to talk?

Continuing on, Snape reaches the top of the Astronomy tower where Draco and the Death Eaters have surrounded Dumbledore. After some discussion he finds out that Draco will not kill Dumbledore as Voldemort had bid him to do. Snape is bound by his promise to finish the job, and turns to Dumbledore. Then Dumbledore seems to beg... Begs? That doesn't sound like Dumbledore. No, he is the type of wizard to stand till the very end. He does not fear death as others do, and I believe he even knew his death was imminent. So maybe he's not pleading for Snape to keep him alive, but rather to fulfill the job and kill him?

“But somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly. 'Severus...'
“The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the wereworlf seemed cowed.
...
“Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.
“'Severus...please...'” -Book 6, Pages 595-596, US Edition


Notice Dumbledore never once says, “Spare me” or “Have mercy.” He just says, “please”. An echo of the argument in the forest perhaps? Is Snape revolted not by Dumbledore, but by the vow he must keep?

And then Snape kills Dumbledore.

Severus rushes away with Draco, almost as if to keep him away from the other Death Eaters. But for what? Will not Draco die for his failure? Is Snape to protect him at the cost of evading the Dark Lord himself? And was it me, or did Snape seem to be protecting Harry as well? Keeping the twins at bay, using Voldemort as an excuse. Even in the duel between Snape and Harry, Snape doesn't try to torture him or use a painful enough curse that he could just escape. (although he does do something when Harry calls him a coward.) No, he mainly only uses blocking curses and one disabling curse to keep Harry back. He doesn't even really try to injure him it seems. Something here just doesn't seem right. Yes, Snape needs to escape... but still...

And why did Snape care so much about being called a coward?

The truth is that there is a lot of speculation to be had on Snape still. We do not know if he is good or bad, why Dumbledore fully trusted him, or what he and Dumbledore argued about. In the end, it is at least likely that Snape remained true to the headmaster and a plan we don't fully comprehend yet.

If what I have laid out is true in anyway, Snape keeping his vow was important to Dumbledore. Why? What role does Snape have to play that Dumbledore could not? Or was it an example of Dumbledore preparing a plan, fully aware of his imminent death? Whatever the case, we should not assume that things are exactly as they appear. Snape still has a roll to play, be it for good or evil.

(Also: Why does Snape make the vow about Draco in the first place? and doesn't this complicate things if he is a Death Eater? How can he protect Draco and serve Voldemort? Draco did what was right, but in Voldemort's eyes that has to be a fatal mistake.

Also note: the promise could be read as either promising to protect Draco until the act, or to watchout for Draco while he was in still in danger from the Dark Lord. The second partof the vow was never specified. If he's not bound to this promise, Snape is in a good position to betray Voldemort.)

Monday, July 18, 2005

Well I sent off my editorial on Snape to Mugglenet. Hopefully they'll publish it. If not, I'll post it here.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

My review for HP6 is up one the about.com site!

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Finished the Book..... wow....

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Finished Book Five again

There was so much there that I forgot! I'm glad I read it again before picking up Book 6. I have so many thoughts running on the subject! I still don't understand Snape and I really want to understand what he's doing for the Order and how he is pulling it off. I also am anxious to see what roles Neville and Luna play in the next book.

Mostly I want to hear more about Ron. His character is in the perfect position for a lot of change! Without his brothers there he's bound to be more confident. After his final save at Quidditch, he may still be on the team and happy about it. I'm hoping Harry will get back on the field as well and we wil get to see Ron and Harry working together on the Quidditch team when Ron is actually competent. I wonder what job Ron is trying for?

Will McGonagall live up to her promise to make sure Harry becomes an auror? Is he going to regret having chosen a difficult subject? And how did he do in Potions? He wasn't sure he did the best and if he didn't get Outstanding... Boy, Snape will be pissed if he has to keep him in his class... LOL. I don't see Harry dropping potions but I do see the struggle between him and Snape reaching a climax.

I also see a replay of the last book with Harry's heroics going wrong. Now that he knows better, how will he react when he believes a close friend needs saving? What if it is Ron or Hermione or both? Will he have learned caution from book five or will his need to help cause him to fall into similar traps? Being a coming of age story this will be most intereting to see.

Friday, July 08, 2005

ONLY ONE MORE WEEK!

I can't wait. I'm loving re-reading book five although I'm very disturbed by the whole Umbridge detention thing still. She was using dark magic and the plot was never truly drawn out, grrr... Maybe it will have some closure in Book 6.

I CAN'T WAIT!