[HPforGrownups] Re: Harry in NEWT Potions Class? (Was: Is Snape confident?)

[Silverthorne Dragon]

No: HPFGUIDX 87681

"Blair" wrote:
I don't expect any of my teachers to take a bullet for
> > me.

Alla wrote:
Please, please refer me to the incident where Snape took a bullet for
Harry or at least ATTEMPTED to do so. ( I do understand that it was a
metaphor :o))

Berit replies:

Here's a direct reference from canon where Snape "took a bullet" for
Harry:

Quote:
"'Snape was trying to save me?'
'Of course,' said Quirrel coolly. 'Why do you think he wanted to
referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I dodn't do it
again... All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop
Gryffindor winning, he DID make himself unpopular...'" (PS p. 209 UK
Ed).

Snape was willing to make himself unpopular to keep Harry safe


Anne Says:

Also, Snape is taking one huge bullet for *everyone* by spying on the Death
Eaters (And Harry would be included in that). What do you think will happen
to him if he's found out? Nothing pretty, I assure you (and yes, I am aware
that he may be double dealing Dumbledore, but let's go with what Rowling has
kindly provided us so far and assume Snape *is* a good guy...). Keep in mind
as well that Harry's judgement (Which, since we see most of the books from
his POV--both directly and indirectly, which will also affect how *we* see
Snape), of Snape was always colored by assupmtions on Harry's part:

Percy tells him Snape was always after the DADA job, so the guy is obviously
bad news. He **looks** bad--sallow skin, bad teeth, greasy hair--which,
along with him 'swooping about like a giant bat--doesn't help his visual
image any either. And Harry and others fall right for it (including the
readers), right up until we find Quirrel down by the mirror.

Harry's only assumption for Snape to 'pick' on him is because Snape hates
him--ignoring the fact that there are actually lessons in each of those
incidents. The potions class--'Fame isn't everything' (IE: You may be who
you are, but you need to learn more than to bask in the attention of others
in order to get by); end of year "Be careful, people will think your up to
something' (And since most of us know by now that Snape has Leglimens--he
may very well have been tryiong to warn Harry to be careful since he could
probably figure out what the boy was up to, and that he wouldn't likely
quit--much like his dear old dad); The whole flying car incident (Think
about what would happen if the Muggles latched onto that one and actively
started searching for that car...then the wizards, then the wizarding
world...witch burning, anyone?), Having Ron and Harry take care of Malfoy's
ingredients while he was 'injured' (Lesson here if you care to
learn--sometimes you will HAVE to deal with people you don't like while
doing your job, no matter your reason for hating them, or how much of a pain
in the ass they happen to be). And then, the biggest one, which Harry basis
his sudden *real* hate for Snape on was the assumption that Snape ignored
his plees about Sirius being in trouble while they were in Umbridge's
office. The biggets lesson there--you cannot ALWAYS expect others to bail
you out, cannot expect to have things happen your faovr immedaitely all the
time, and sometimes, it is better to keep your mouth shut in front of
certain people, no matter how dire the situation. As for Sirius's death,
well, the guy left his protective home...went out and did battle. You take a
chance when you do that. Snape had nothing to do with that, and yet,
according to Harry, it is all his fault.

Yeah, Snape's way of pointing things out is a bit harsh, but when in your
first class with some kid--especially the offspring on a fellow schoolmate
you KNEW would cause you trouble every day mouths back out you--isn't that
just wonderful...? Another 11 years of it--and this from a kid that could
have been Snape's own son age wise.

I agree that he is harsh, and there is no real *excuse* for his behaivior
towards Harry (although it seems, honestly enough, that MOST of Rowlings
adults have a bit of immaturity to them--Sirius seems to have had the same
fault--even to the point of calling Snape "Snivellus" even now and goading
him into conflict. Why isn't anyone mad at HIM for it? Because the target is
older? It;s STILL wrong, and shows that Sirius, quite frankly, was and still
is as much of a bully as everyone takes Severus to be). But she DOES have
the pattern of abused-child-turned-adult down well. I should know--I'm one
of those adults. And let me tell you, it can be very hard to keep from being
even 'unknowingly' snarky to people--because, quite frankly, I learned when
I was a kid that people are mean and cruel before I learned they can be
nice, and therefor learned to 'protect myself' first--which often meant
driving off people who were trying to hurt me (even, if in my confused
child's mind, I couldn't see that they weren't trying to hurt me).
Fortunately for me, I was rescued from one side of my family by the other
when I was twelve....I got a chance to see a 'normal', non-abusive family in
action and learn from it--something Snape never had. Let me tell you
though...it took me over  a year living in my new circumstances to believe
people weren't out to get me and start to make real friends, even with my
dad's family helping me out. Snape has never had that help...not really.

Some of his treatment may be 'unexcusable' to the normal, everyday person,
but it is understandable to someone who has lived through something similar.

Also, let me tell you...although having someone take verbal potshots at you
is a pain, no matter who does it, it's not abuse. Abuse is when they have
you, mentally torment you until you believe whatever they say (Usually along
the lines of 'You;re horrid, you'll amount to nothing, you're useless,
clumsy, stupid," etc), and physcially beat you, often for something as
simple as missing a spot on a pan when you washed it (And yes, I've had that
sort of incident happen to me--repeatedly--as a child). Snape my be
vindictive, perhaps he gives Harry (and Neville) a little too much credit
for being able to handle a direct (Although Harry seems to do quite well on
that count--no matter WHAT Snape does, it slips off Harry like he was coated
with teflon), no frills reaction to his antics, but he is NOT abusive. He
*is*, however, giving Harry hard and fast lessons on what he can expect from
his enemies once he stops being "Harry the Boy" and becomes "Harry the young
man who will defeat Voldemort".

Now if only Harry would LISTEN to that for once...

Anne,

Who knows that it's hard to understand Severus, but thinks folks have him
all wrong.