Snape - Riddle - Erised

[Catlady]

No: HPFGUIDX 19633

Margaret Dean wrote:

> I think the important question here is why Snape so
> dislikes  Harry and Hermione, because that's the logical
> motive for his  nastiness.

I wish I understood WHY Snape dislikes HERMIONE. She started in PS/SS by
respecting the hell out of him (and all the teachers, just for being
teachers) and trying desperately to make a good impression on him, and
her academic ability and hard work seem to be just what he would want in
a student!

Susan Hall wrote:
> My view is that Snape never wanted to be a teacher
> at all  (probably he should have been the magic equivalent
> of a research chemist) and Dumbledore offered him the jo
> b because no-one else wanted to employ a suspected Death
> Eater and Dumbledore wanted to keep him under his eye to
> ensure no backsliding.

My view is extremely similar, except that I don't think Dumbledore
thought backsliding was a big risk, but did think that revenge by Death
Eaters who walked free was a big risk.

Marshamoon wrote:
> If you compare [Harry's] childhood history to Tom
> Riddle's, there are obvious differences in parental care
> and societal status that support the development of
> both of their characters;

My theory about Tom Riddle is that he couldn't know so much about his
parents if he had been in an orphanage since birth -- the orphanage
people wouldn't have told him. So I suppose he was raised by his
mother's parents for his first couple of years, long enough for him to
be old enough to remember what they told him about his parents, until
they (grandparents) died too. I think little Tommy might have killed his
grand/foster parents by uncontrolled enraged childish use of his very
powerful magic.

My theory about Harry is that Lily, in her death, put herself into his
mind as an image, who could comfort him when he was miserable with
Dursleys and tell him about empathy, and that SHE was the voice that
helped him resist the Imperius Curse.

Btw, are you from wizarding Moon family, one of whom was sorted in
Harry's year?

More btw: I didn't write down who was in the discussion about IS RIDDLE
A SCARY NAME? I think "Riddle" is quite adequately scary: Riddle,
Puzzle, Mystery, Trap. Perhaps that was the point made by mentioning the
"batman" villain The Riddler. Thomas Riddle is not a wimpy name -- True
Thomas, Doubting Thomas, St. Thomas Moore...

Schlobin wrote:
> I  would suggest that Ron and Harry's [visions in Mirror of
> Erised] are their desires AT AGE 14 (sorry if I'm not being very
(above emphasis added)
> accurate).  I would suggest that what we want as adolescents
> is oftentimes  not what we want as adults OR we believe
> deeply that we want something but later figure out we don't.

That's what Tom said to me when I suggested a teen-ager seeing himself
in the Mirror  as a successful adult just like his parents want him to
be, and being furious at stupid mirror for not showing him being a rock
star, great underappreciated starving artist in garret, sex god, etc.
"Then the Mirror isn't doing its job." he said.

He went on to say: "Why is the Mirror at Hogwarts anyway? It should be
at the psychologist's office as it is obviously intended as a
psychologist's tool: she asks the patient what he saw in the Mirror." I
said: "Suppose the patient lies about it?"

I wanted to say something about the Aphrodisia spell, and how the
Viritaserum Potion is so much less convenient than the Viagrus Charm
(no, I didn't invent that), but don't remember what I wanted to say. One
guess what I would see in Mirror of Erised just now.
--
          /\ /\
           + +     Mews and views
         >> = <<         from Rita Prince Winston

                     ("`-''-/").___..--''"`-._
                     `6_ 6  )   `-.  (     ).`-.__.`)
                     (_Y_.)'  ._   )  `._ `. ``-..-'
                    _..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,'
                   ((('   (((-(((''  ((((