Snape Respects Harry Now

[ellejir]

No: HPFGUIDX 74819

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "subrosax99" wrote: 
> Can I get an Amen?! I do not understand why people keep complaining 
> that Snape didn't try hard enough teaching Harry occlumency! What 
> more was he supposed to do? Hold Harry's hand and give him a 
lollipop 
> at the end of every lesson? As a teacher, Snape is no barrel of 
> monkeys, but all things considered, I thought he was downright 
> congenial.
> Sure, Snape hated Harry from the word go, but since then, Harry 
> hasn't done much to endear himself. If Snape can read minds, 
imagine 
> what he's been seeing in Harry's busy little head for the past five 
> years; "I hate Snape", "Snape is trying to kill me", "check out his 
> greasy hair and yellow teeth", "Snape is a closeted Death 
Eater", "I 
> hate Potions", and "I think, instead of going to an adult about 
this 
> problem, I'll just put on this invisibility cloak and break 
hundreds 
> of school rules." No wonder Snape hates him!
> 

Me:

The point is that Snape has hated and mistreated Harry since he first 
met him (when Harry was an 11 year old boy, I will remind you.)  Was 
he nasty to Harry during his first Potions lesson because Harry was 
insolent and arrogant?  Nope. He began his public-humiliation-of- 
Harry campaign simply because Harry looked like his father.  I could 
make a case that Harry's disrespect of Snape is a response to the 
(mostly) undeserved abuse he has suffered at Snape's hands.  Treating 
Snape nicely and with respect does not necessarily lead to fair 
dealings from him (see Hermione--"I see no difference" episode, and 
endless Neville interactions.)  Snape is mean as a snake, emotionally 
damaged and immature.  Blaming Harry for the discord in his 
relationship with Snape is a bit misguided, IMO.
That said, I *believe* that he was trying to teach Harry Occlumency 
as well as he could.  The problem was less Snape's teaching and more 
that Harry had no incentive to learn since no one explained to him 
exactly *why* it was important to do so.  I agree that perhaps Snape 
came to understand Harry a bit better through the memories that he 
extracted during the sessions, just as Harry came to feel sympathy 
for Snape after seeing the memory in the pensieve, although it was 
not apparent in the interactions between the two.          Elle