Why does Snape like Malfoy?

[Blaise]

No: HPFGUIDX 28193

laoisecronin at y... asked us why Snape liked Malfoy when he should hate 
him for being the child of a Death Eater.

I think Dumbledore's example shows us that hating a person - in this 
case Malfoy - for the sins of his parents is wrong.  Whilst Snape 
does show this tendency towards Harry, there is no reason to suppose 
that he should automatically dislike Malfoy because Lucius Malfoy is 
a Death Eater.  Of course, being Snape, he probably would fall into 
this pattern of behaviour anyway.   

Sara suggested:

<<I think one reason he likes him is beacuse Malfoy is in Slytherin, 
and Snape is head of Slytherin house. Favouritism towards his own 
students. Malfoy obviously dislikes Harry and Snape doesn't like 
Harry or Harry's father. Another reason I think is that Snape knows 
Lucius Malfoy, death eater or not, currently has/had a lot of power 
over the governors of the school and the ministry, and by keeping his 
son sweet, there could be a chance that Lucius could get Snape a 
better position in the school or elsewhere. We also don't know for 
sure that Snape is really good. It has been said that he returned to 
the good side and became a spy for Dumbledore at great personal risk 
to himself, but some of his actions have been puzzling if he really 
is on the good side. Another thing I've just thought of is, there's a 
possiblity that Lucius didn't know Snape was spying while he was a 
Death Eater, and by giving Draco a frosty reception Lucius' 
suspicions could be raised as I would imagine Draco would be the 
first to send an owl home slagging off anyone that wasn't nice to 
him.>>

I agree with most of these ideas.  The question of why Snape likes 
Malfoy so much has puzzled me on numerous occasions.  I am quite sure 
that Snape doesn't feel much personal affection towards Draco.  
Perhaps it's cynical of me to think that Snape isn't actually fond of 
Draco, as Hagrid is of Harry, but few of Snape's actions (praise in 
class, rewarding with points, leniency of punishment) speak to 
anything more than manipulation.  Snape is making use of the fact 
that he has power over Draco to further his own ends. 

But what are those ends?  I would support Sara's suggestion that 
Snape wants to keep his Death Eater street-cred by favouring the 
child of a presumably powerful Death Eater.  A natural bias towards 
Slytherin is understandable, too.  I hadn't thought of the idea that 
Lucius Malfoy could get Snape into a better position at Hogwarts 
because of his influence.  That's a good idea.  With regard to their 
shared hatred of Harry, I don't think that makes Snape feel more 
positively towards Malfoy, but he can use Malfoy to get at Harry 
indirectly.  Basically, favouring Malfoy allows Snape to get things 
he wants.   

I don't think that there can be that much doubt that Snape is really 
on the good side.  He is, to my mind, an example of the fact that 
ultimate goodness and nice personality traits don't have to go hand 
in hand.  

A slightly different question: does anyone think Snape got appointed 
head of Slytherin by Dumbledore so that he could keep an eye on all 
the children of Death Eaters, and either help them to be different or 
learn what their parents might be up to?


Blaise, who's only slightly less fascinated by Snape than by Lupin.