Neville Longbottom

[Indigo]

No: HPFGUIDX 22970

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Susan Hall" <shall at s...> wrote:
> >It seems many of the adults in Neville's life are trying to steel 
him
> for the worst yet to come in their own way. Snape's way just happens
> >to be harsh.
> 
> >But given what he's been through,  to him it may not seem all that
> harsh.
> 
> As a matter of fact, it does "seem all that harsh" to Neville: 
that's why
> his Boggart turns into Snape.  

Darn pronouns!  I meant to Snape his way of steeling Neville may not 
seem all that harsh to Snape.   Of COURSE it's harsh to poor Neville! 

That is, when you look at it, an appalling
> indictment of Snape's teaching methods.  That is why, despite all 
the
> appealing arguments put up by the Snapefans out there, not excluding
> Rebecca's absolutely charming and brilliantly written fics, and even
> excluding the very forceful argument of Alan Rickman, I cannot, 
under any
> circumstances, like Snape.  Treating Harry the way he does is in 
some senses
> excusable, and anyway by the time Harry has defeated Voldemort a 
time or too
> Snape can reasonably assume he's tough enough to take it - anyway, 
anyone
> who duels with rubber haddocks in a teacher's classroom is asking 
for it,
> IMHO.

This is true.  Dueling with fish, even fake ones,  under any 
circumstances is tomfoolery unbefitting a classroom ;) 

  It's less excusable with Hermoine (I don't agree with those who say
> it's ok because she's a swotty little know-it -all.  That may 
justifiably
> make her unpopular with the kids, but knowing the answers is what 
pupils are
> supposed to do.  Punishing them for doing the right thing is simply
> objectionable) but, again, after the first half term, when she is 
clearly
> lonely and isolated, and is retreating to Being Good At Lessons, 
which is
> the only area from which she can derive any self-confidence, 
Hermoine can
> take it as well.  Neville can't.  Snape isn't toughening him up - 
he's
> making him less confident and therefore less competent.  To make a
> comparison, Harry conjured the Patronus in POA "because he knew he 
could".
> All Snape's behaviour to Neville is doing is convincing him that he 
knows he
> can't.  He's tormenting him, because it's easy.  And even if this 
is to keep
> up some sort of front it has real effects on a real person who is 
made less
> not more able to cope by it.
> 
> Susan

Oh I agree. 

But people often do the wrong things for the right reason and are 
shocked when it blows up in their face.  

Indigo
who has learned this the hard way.