Snape and Neville

[Emily <ebwfadden@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49356

So, this is my first post to the group (I've been lurking for a 
couple weeks, just getting a feel for the dynamic), but this happens 
to be a topic I've been thinking about as I've been reading and 
rereading the books.

I don't necessarily think that Snape's attitude toward Neville comes 
from a sense of malice, but perhaps that Snape knows that Neville has 
a great deal of potential (son of an Auror and so on) that has gone 
unrealized for reasons that have yet to be revealed in the books 
(personally I reside in the Memory Charm camp - he shares a lot of 
the traits that Bertha Jorkins showed when we were introduced to her 
in GoF), which frustrates him.  We know that Snape isn't the most 
patient guy around and doesn't seem to relate to children especially 
well; combine that with a student who -just doesn't get it- and you 
have poor Trevor the Toad being threatened with poison.

On a side note, I think that this is similar to the way in which 
Snape treats Harry.  I agree that it has a great deal to do with 
Snape's hatred for James, but I don't think that is the whole story.  
The feeling I have gotten throughout the series is that Snape feels 
that Harry doesn't have the proper amount of respect for, in his 
opinion, the danger he is in, puts himself in, and puts his friends 
in.  Snape knows the magnitude of Voldemort's evil nature firsthand, 
and perhaps as a result of his life-debt to James, feels it is his 
duty to impress this upon Harry.

I'd love to see what others have to say on the subject - Neville is 
one of my favorite characters and personally, I'm looking forward to 
his growth as the series goes on.  Its pretty safe to say that we'll 
be learning a great deal more about him now that we know the history 
with his parents.

Thanks all!

Em - who only started reading the series after Thanksgiving, where 
her dad was shocked that she hadn't read the books and immediately 
gave her his copies.   

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, srsiriusblack at a... wrote:
> In a message dated 07/01/2003 02:39:25 Eastern Standard Time, 
> datalaur at y... writes:
> 
> 
> > Snape does a lot of threatening, it seems, but very little 
carrying 
> > out of real threats.  The worst I can think of, off the cuff, is 
> > threatening Neville's frog -- and surely Snape could tell if the 
> > potion was made properly.  And even if not, killing a frog can 
hardly 
> > be equated with using highly-regulated truth-potion on a 
student.  
> > Kind of a Snapey version of tough love in getting students to pay 
> > attention during danger.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, here, I love Snape......
> 
> However, I truly believe there is a lot of baddie in him. He 
psychologically 
> abuses poor Neville when I would think he would know of Neville's 
past, i.e. 
> his parents losing their mindsbeing raised by what seems to be a 
stern 
> grandmother, and the distinct possibility that Neville might be 
under a 
> memory charm, himself, thus causing some of his bumbliness ( I 
don't actually 
> think "bumbliness" is a word, but I like it.)
> 
> Now, could there be motive to Snape's harshness to Neville? 
Possibly. He 
> might be endeavouring to pull Neville's good mind from the memory 
charm, but 
> he is a right meanie about it all. 
> 
> Another possibility is that Snape deep down does not like to be 
feared; 
> perhaps a psychological scar left on him from having been a D.E. 
And, so he 
> wants Neville to stand up to him and overcome his fears. In this 
process, 
> Neville would grow as a person and learn to respect rather than 
fear Snape.
> 
> -Snuffles
> "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the 
dusty 
> recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: 
but the 
> dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their 
dreams with 
> open eyes, to make it possible. This I did."  T.E. Lawrence- Seven 
Pillars of 
> Wisdom
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]