I used to hope the best for these characters. I thought Harry's uncle and aunt couldn't possibly be so horrible. They must've been doing it for some reason. Malfoy was just spoiled and would shape up with age. Fudge wasn't really such an idiot. I've given up on all that. There is NO MISDIRECTION. JK doesn't do that. If Snape turns out to be good, it will be the first misdirection JK has ever done in this series. She may have been saving up for Snape, but what are the odds?