FF in fun: Re: Snape's grading may not be fair, but...

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 74938

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "marinafrants" <rusalka at i...> 
wrote:
 
> Why would any kid be motivated to work harder by the knowledge 
that 
> he's going to fail no matter what he does?
[...]
> Harry fails to hand in a potion.  Snape gives him a zero.  Harry 
> hands in a potion.  Snape destroys it and gives him a zero again.  
> Why the heck would Harry try to do better after this?  He might as 
> well take a nice long nap in every Potions class from now on -- 
the 
> result will be the same zero, but at least he'll be better rested.
> 

Okay, I can't resist putting Marina's image into words:

The setting is a hypothetical Potions class sometime after the one 
in which Snape smashes Harry's potion sample.

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Harry walked into Potions with Ron and Hermione, but instead of 
taking a seat near them, he walked by himself to a table in the 
front corner nearest to Snape's desk, far away from his friends.  He 
had no wish to involve them in this in case he got them into 
trouble.  Ron and Hermione exchanged puzzled glances but began 
unpacking their supplies in the back of the dungeon as usual.

After Snape had started the class brewing the potion of the day (a 
slightly tricky one for shrinking warts), he began his rounds 
through the classroom.  Out of the corner of his eye, Harry watched 
him creep up on Neville more quietly than usual, causing him to 
spill his entire bottle of Witch Hazel into his cauldron.  With a 
look of satisfaction, Snape opened his mouth to comment, but before 
he'd really got going, he suddenly noticed the lack of Harry's 
presence near Ron, Neville and Hermione.  His eyes swept over the 
students until he located him in the front.  He went very pale as he 
registered what Harry was doing.

"Potter!" Snape hissed as his eyes glittered threateningly down at 
him.  "What is the meaning of this?  Twenty points from Gryffindor 
and a night's detention if you can't give me a very good reason why 
you are sitting here with your feet on the table instead of brewing 
your potion!  Well?  What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm earning my zero," said Harry.

Annemehr
who agrees with Marina