One for Sorrow

Yes! ITA--I do think it's the fandom that brings out these more polarized and set interpretations of the character and in their way they are as warped as fanon versions. That's part of what sort of fascinates me about fandom, that there seems to be a version of a character that's almost in-between canon and fanon. It's the version of the character you associate with the die-hard fans. So there does end up, I agree, being a whole lot of people who don't agree with the fans of a character and yet like that character a lot. Snape is a great example--I love him as a character but I don't hate Sirius or think their feud was as clear cut as some fans might feel it was. Or with Snape, I love him despite his being a bully and don't feel like there's any reasons behind his bullying that make him seem better, such as the idea that he's bullying Neville for some greater purpose, like toughening him up.