Directly from the manufacturers (was PoA Chapter 14 Summary)

[koinonia02 at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 20596

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., Magda Grantwich <mgrantwich at y...> wrote:
> 
> I think that the most frustrating thing in the world to Snape is the
> way that certain people can keep breaking rules that everyone is
> supposed to follow and yet not only avoid punishment but somehow be
> rewarded or praised for it.  People like James and Sirius when they
> were all students together or Harry and Ron and Hermione in the
> present day.  Drives him right up a wall.  Makes no sense to him at
> all.  "Special circumstances" mean absolutely nothing to him; rules
> are rules and that's that.


I just had to say yes, yes, yes.  It just has to drive Snape up the 
wall the way others break the rules and get away with it! I know it 
bothers me.  Even my husband, a great fan of Harry and Hermione, 
admits they get away with too much!

> 
> It's why he is so jubilant in CoS when H & R arrive in the car; he's
> so sure that this time it's impossible for justice not to be done. 

Poor thing.  I bet he just couldn't wait to get McGonagall and 
Dumbledore in his office!
 
> 
> All of which is a long prelude to my real points: to Snape, going to
> Dumbledore would not be "ratting", it would be bringing a malefactor
> to justice. For this reason he wouldn't think of dealing with
> something himself because that's what the authorities are there for.

I'm not saying he would do anything legally wrong.  I'm talking about 
how his cunning mind works.  He got the opportunity to show this by 
*accidentally* letting it slip that Lupin was a werewolf. 

 
> That's why losing the Order of Merlin in PoS hurt so bad: after a
> lifetime of watching charming rule-breakers avoid the consquences of
> their actions, someone who abided by the strict letter of the rule
> and who truly deserved a little recognition (ie, himself) was 
finally
> going to be honoured.

I think we believe alike when it comes to those *charming rule-
breakers*. 

> 
> Dumbledore must have had a heck of a summer calming him down in time
> for the start of the GoF school year.

Well, as it says in GoF:  Professor Snape, who seemed to have 
attained new levels of vindictiveness over the summer...... :-)

Koinonia