School! Snape the bully? (was: Is Draco worse than James Was?)

[princesspeaette]

No: HPFGUIDX 77742

> ~Margaret wrote:
>About Snape: He may not have had the kind supportive friends that 
>HRH provide for each other, but he did have some friends.  Either 
>Lupin or Sirius said in PoA that Snape was part of a gang of 
>Slytherins that all became Death Eaters.  It was after their O.W.L. 
>exams, so it was their 5th year.   If he was going to have a gang, 
>he probably had some of them by then. <<< 


Alice replied: 
>We have no canon prove of the timing when he adopted his "friends." 
>For now we can only interpret things according to your take on 
Snape. 
<snipped>
>It seemed so natural for him to go on with himself drowning 
>in his exam papers without chit-chating with any of his classmate. 
>The way he wrote his essay longer than anyone and studying his exam 
>paper afterward, are almost obsessed-bookworm/over-achiever/Hermione-
>ish in a way, and they tend to be friend-less and lonely at one 
>point. >>>>>>>>>

Margaret again:
Snape was concentrating on his papers at the time.  Perhaps 
his "friends" (and I use the term loosely) were in another year, and 
were in class.
 

>Not to mention when Snape was being brutally bullied, no one 
>stood up for him. James and Sirius approached "Snivellus" in such a 
>casual predatory manner (just because Sirius was "bored", and they 
>noticed Snape "like a dog that has scented a rabbit"). They do not 
>see him as some threatening rival who would have known to have a 
>dangerous gang to back him up anyday. 

<snipped>

>Nor did Sirius and Lupin mentioned "but Snape has a dangerous 
>gang of friends too" later when Harry confronted them. Therefore it 
>is clear to me Snape was completely alone and friendless at that 
>point in life. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Margaret again:
Or they just didn't think much of his friends.  They were pretty 
overconfident in their own abilities at this point in life, they did 
become unregistered Animagi and run around with a very dangerous 
werewolf every month, because they assumed they could control it.
They probably assumed they could beat anybody  in a duel.

 

> Margaret: <snipped>
> > Sirius also said Snape was always following MWPP around trying 
> to get them in trouble, even expelled.  Makes Snape sound more 
> like the bully than the victim, doesn't it? (yes I know it's a 
> very biased source, but it's canon that's never been contradicted.) 
<<<
> 
Alice replied:
>Now this is where I have to strongly disagree. You see Snape as the 
>bully and MWPP the victim??  Again you can interpret things 
>differently. Why would Snape wanted to get MWPP expelled? Is it 
>because he is a evil mean big bully therefore it is only natural for 
>him get "good people" expelled? Or because he hated his tormentors 
>who made his school life hell so much that he wanted to get his 
>bullies expelled?  No one could contradict what was said canon, but 
>the motivation and intention are arguable. 
> 
>Before OOP I didn't bother to think of this situation because MWPP 
>were used to be these nice fun kids, prankster at most in Fred and 
>George level, and Snape was this evil git (potentially bully) whose 
>hobbies was getting Gryfinddor expel. But now knowing the true power 
>dynmaics between MWPP and Snape, I'm not one-sided toward MWPP 
>anymore. MWPP were NOT completely innocent in provoking someone who 
>hated them enough to want to get them expeled. I'm not trying to 
>make Snape some poor innocent victim here. He did call Lily a 
>mudblood. He has his Slytherin ways to get back to MWPP which in 
>many of us are "scum-like behaviors" (as if some people seem to 
>believe that "hexing someone in his back" is million times worst and 
>unforgivable than "hanging someone upside down and take off his 
>undies in public"). But you are stretching there in claiming School!
>Snape is the bully and MWPP the victim. Honestly, with big bully 
>like James, it's no wonder someone would want him out of school for 
>good.


Me again:

I NEVER meant that Snape was the bully in this situation, just that 
he displayed a lot of less than honourable tendencies.  And I 
completely see where Snape was probably coming from (I wasn't popular 
myself in high school) and that MWPP (or at least PP) were awful to 
people they thought weren't as important as them (which was pretty 
much everybody as far as I can tell)  I was simply trying to point 
out that Snape was not the defenseless victim some people were 
painting him to be.

I think Sirius and James were both majorly at fault here.  The only 
person who came out of that smelling like a rose is Lily.


~Margaret, still firmly in the pro-Snape camp, and was just trying to 
see the other side