I Hate Snape...

[Jonathan Pessin]

No: HPFGUIDX 56289

Severus Snape.  He has been called a hero, a bastard, a spy, a
double-crosser, an ugly git, and several other sobriquets besides.  Some
feel he's a good man who's done bad things.  Others feel he's
misunderstood, and that deep inside, he's a caring soul who wants what's
best for his kids.

Not me.  I think he's a heartless jerk who takes entirely too much
pleasure in the pain he gives his students.  Why, you may ask, do I show
such bile against a fictional character?  The intensity of this attitude
of mine can be traced to a single comment made by Snape. From GoF, US
Paperback edition, pp. 299-300: 

Ron... forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth - she was doing her best
to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now
grown down past her collar...
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

This comment, more than any other action the readers have seen Snape
commit, shows a level of heartlessness totally unbecoming a teacher OR a
worker for the Light.  One could justify many of his other actions
toward the students.  He mistreats Neville because he feels that he is
an unworthy student and a disruption to his class.  Harry, Snape may
feel, is a glory-hound, whose thoughtless grandstanding endangers Harry
himself as well as others.  Ron, in his ceaseless and distracting
conversations with Harry, disrupts class as well.  

All of these, while perhaps not sufficient in OUR minds, might be seen
as Snape to be enough justification for his actions toward these
characters.  The insult against Hermione, however, is totally
unprovoked, unnecessary, and vicious.  Hermione is an intelligent,
hard-working, and respectful student.  She has never, to my knowledge,
caused disruptions in class.  Her only crime in this scene is having
been in the wrong place at the wrong time, yet Snape takes it upon
himself to maliciously insult something which is beyond her control. 
Unlike some of Snape's other actions, this shows a total lack of concern
for the students' emotional health and self-respect.

"But," you may say, "Hermione had helped attack him in the previous
book.  In 'The Servant of Lord Voldemort,' (PoA ch. 19, US Paperback
page 361), she helps Harry and Ron cast the triple Expelliarmus which
threw him against the wall and knocked him out.  He's justified in
disliking her, too.'  The difficulty with this theory is that later in
the book (PoA ch. 21, US Paperback pgs. 386-387), Snape claims that the
children were under the Confundus Charm, and thus, I assume, not
accountable for their actions.  You can't have it both ways.  Either
Snape believed his comment, which means that he has no grounds for his
cruelty toward Hermione, or he didn't believe it, which means that he
knew that Sirius was innocent and was willing to condemn him to a fate
worse than death anyway.  THAT, in my opinion, is just as evil as the
cruelty toward children, if not even more so.

During my formative years, I was subjected to all manner of verbal
abuse from fellow students.  I have intimate personal knowledge of
exactly HOW MUCH a single word has the ability to hurt.  Luckily for me,
however, the adults around me were all supportive and kind.  I can only
imagine how scarring it would be to receive this sort of abuse not only
from one's classmates (and Hermione is most definitely not the most
popular person in her class) AND one's teacher.  I, for one, am truly
happy that Hermione is part of the trio; if she were not, we couldn't
foresee what depths this comment may have driven her to.

Yes, I know that this was only one remark.  One remark may not have the
power to destroy a student's life, or to cause a complete emotional
collapse, but this one remark, I think, provides a peek into Snape's
inner soul.  It is a disturbing view.

I theorize, from Snape's appearance, character, actions, and demeanor,
that he himself was once the victim of childhood taunts.  I could
picture him among the students of my early years, and I can say quite
certainly that his peers would have roasted him alive - at least, if
they were anything like children in MY day.  Despite his own possible
experience with verbal abuse, abuse which led to much of his character
today, Snape STILL feels that he has the right to abuse the students
under his care, and I don't care what other actions he may take, that is
something I just cannot respect.  

Now, I'm not saying that he's evil.  Snape might truly be working
for the Light.  He might even be helping Dumbledore to work off a
life-debt, or just out of good old-fashioned pragmaticism.  I don't
deny that Snape may be a good character, or a character who is working
for good.  He may even give the final sacrifice to defeat Voldemort in
the end, for all I know.  I still hate him, though.  Snape could kill
Voldemort with his own hands and hand his head to Dumbledore on a silver
platter, and I would still hate him - just because of 4 simple words.

"I see no difference."

-Hobbit_guy, who's glad to get this out in the open. 
S.L.Y.T.H.E.R.I.N.S. post coming, I promise!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You haven't been getting into the Gaffer's home brew again, have
you?"
"No... Well, yes, but that's beside the point."
-Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Fellowship of the Rings Extended Edition DVD