Neville/Snape Question

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 38083

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Sandi Steinberg" <sandirs at h...> wrote:
> Regarding Snape's treatment of Neville, Jamie said:
> 
> Firstly, Neville is completely incompetant in Snape's class.  Based
on what 
> we've seen of Snape, this by itself is a good enough reason for
Snape to 
> despise Neville, criticize him harshly, and speak badly of him to
others.
> >
> Point one:  at this point, Neville is not only not very competent in
DADA, 
> he is a nervous wreck in that class, fearing failure and ridicule. 
Of 
> course he cannot perform.

Neville and Snape are really locked in a vicious cycle, aren't they? 
The more Snape bullies Neville, the more terrified Neville gets; the
more terrified he is, the worse he does in class; the worse he does,
the more Snape bullies him, etc.

Sprout and Lupin have both demonstrated that Neville can do good work
in a safe and supportive environment.  But Snape, no doubt, would be
thoroughly disgusted by the notion that a person might need the right
environment in order to do well.  "Competent people can work in ANY
situation, dammit!  None of this spoiling and coddling!  If you can't
work under a bit of pressure, you DESERVE to fail!"

The proper response to this, of course, is to stick Snape in a bright
pink room full of teddy bears and frolicking bunnies, pipe in an
endless stream of "Hello, Kitty" songs, and see how well he works
*then*.  <EG>

> Maybe by the end of the series, if he's still alive, we will find a
warm, 
> cuddly side to Snape, too.  (Way way waaayyyyy deep down!)

EWWWWWWW!  I hope not.

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com