Re: part 3, Part 2 If you read it that way, I clearly wrote my chapter poorly, because I see nothing of the kind. I didn't mention her responsibilities for her actions anywhere, all I showed was shock about an Unforgiveable. You are reading things into this which aren't there.
I don't know what to say, because I thought your wrote it brilliantly. Of course, obviously my interpretation was entirely different than your description here. ;-) I was focusing more on the middle section in which she justifies what she did to Umbridge and Edgecombe, refuses to accept (or to consider) the long-term ramifications of her actions re those two (and that's just the personal vendetta---it doesn't include how much it might have cost her with the neutral Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins). I thought you would show her reconsider that, but instead, her reaction to the plan with Trelawney (to me) showed that she *refused* to reconsider and learn from Snape's comments earlier.
Yes, I know she's young. But she's not THAT young anymore, and has for years been ruthlessly throwing around (some would say abusing) a great deal of power. And I could see her being defensive to the criticism. Frankly, that is usually my first reaction to criticism (and I suspect that's true of most people). But after time to reflect on it, I (and most people, I think) usually end up acknowledging that the criticism was accurate, or at least had a kernel of truth to it, either because something actually *was* inappropriate or because the position had not been effectively communicated. That's what I expected from her (and what her actions in this chapter showed her refusing to do). If she's really as smart as she thinks she is, she needs to learn that. ;-) If she can't or won't learn that, then she is not reliable in the long term.
The reason I think Snape can be reliable in the long term is because he has shown that he *can* do that. And he's self-aware enough that he has accepted his actions were terrible and is trying to fix them, where possible. IOW, Snape has a conscience and some ethical standards. At this point, Granger's conscience appears non-existent and her ethical standards are something she applies only to other people. That's canon all the way, but not something Snape would like or find overcome by attraction, given the hell he went through to develop the opposite and the suffering he has gone through at the hands of amoral Gryffindors.
I had *thought* that the reason for the outburst you had him make in the middle of the chapter about Gryffindors is that he was thinking that she was different, and was feeling let-down and frustrated (and not a little betrayed) to discover that perhaps she was not different after all. And I was thinking you showed that so brilliantly, even if I was a little frustrated that Granger is the way she is. ;-) Of course, canon Granger would almost *have* to be that way, given the indoctrination and training she received from McGonagall and Dumbles. I just wanted her to learn to be better than that.
he knows about how rash and foolish young people can act - from own experience. He points her in certain directions, and he is hopefully rather clear about it
Oh, I thought that was clear.
apart from that, stopping the interaction because of disagreements would be silly and unproductive.
No, I wasn't saying that he would stop all interaction. I was trying to say that if she's not going to listen and learn from the directions he points her towards (which she doesn't seem willing to do here), then at some point, she'll go into a category of a rather more clever version of Susan. Not in the category of a potential partner. Because despite Granger's thinking how much she admires and respects him, her refusal to think about the directions he points her means that she really doesn't. It's the old "what I do" vs "what I say" business. And I just want to see them together in a way that doesn't require Snape to accept yet another Gryffindor girl who doesn't respect him or holds to the idea that Gryffindors are above considerations of right and wrong that they ruthlessly impose on everyone else. Because that's where canon Granger was in the books, and where this Granger is right now.