Why Hermoine trusts Snape

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 69377

I posted this in a response on a long thread, but I thought about it 
so much last night that I wanted to give it bigger play.

Why does Hermione continually defend Snape? I am re-reading GoF and I 
just passed the infamous tooth-enlarging scene (after all these re-
reads, I STILL want to hang Snape on a meathook by his overlarge 
nostrils) and it just jumps out at me, "Why does Hermione defend him?"

Obviously, there is a fundamental flaw already. Just because someone 
insults your front teeth doesn't mean he isn't in on the fight 
against V-Mort. She can trust him AND hate him.

But Hermione doesn't even seem to react to Snape any more. Here are 
some reasons, with my pet one last for maximum suspense. :)

1) This is just her way or arguing with Ron. He says the sky is blue. 
She says it's grey just to annoy him.

2) She has buried her humiliation in analytical discussion and if she 
gives in to her hatred of Snape by sharing it with the boys, she'll 
crack like an egg.

3) Being the show-stopper at the Yule Ball -- take THAT, dog-faced 
Pansy! -- made up for it.

4)*** My pet theory. Hermione knows the truth.

This can be accomplished with Redeemed!Snape or Good!But!Not!Nice!
Snape. Just switch the players around a touch.

Hermione is in the hospital wing, where Madame Pomphrey has insisted 
on her staying for a few hours after the teeth have been reduced. Or, 
she's still got the tusks and is waiting.

She's thinking dark and evil thoughts of revenge, which for her, 
would include going to McGonagall, Dumbledore, the school governors 
and whoever else she could go to that could get Snape fired.

And let us be clear. Snape crossed a big line here. It's one thing to 
taunt students, to bully them, to be harsh with them. You could 
argue -- you could, I'm not -- that such tactics could be used in the 
goal of improving the students. Tough love and all that.

(Hermione hardly needs such tactics to motivate her, but Snape isn't 
exactly selective when unleashing his venom.)

He insulted a student's appearance in front of her peers AND, most 
unforgivably, refused to get an injured student to medical attention. 
In the real world, he'd be facing disciplinary action, a possible 
lawsuit, and depending on the strength of the teacher's union and the 
guts of the school board, might be out of a job. 

Even at Hogwarts, he might have been in some doo-doo. Hermione had a 
very good case to make things difficult for Snape. 

So, she gets a visit in the hospital wing from either Dumbledore, 
Snape or both.

In that conversation, D-Dore, or Snape, or both, explain to Hermione 
that Snape has to play a role for the Slytherins, especially Draco's 
junior Death Eater League.

Hermione, being an inquisitive sort, and likely not satisfied with 
just that explanation, keeps pressing, and D-Dore finally tells her 
he trusts Snape, and why.

Now, if you want to believe in Redeemed!Snape, perhaps he is there 
and explains it himself, with D-Dore as backup. Is this possible? 
Well, when you take the Penseive Scene in OoP, I think it is. How 
different is enlarged teeth from being flipped upside-down? He might 
feel sympathy for her.

Or, if you want to believe in Good!But!Not!Nice!Snape (essentially, 
he's a bad guy who has picked the right side) then D-Dore is doing 
most of the talking and Snape is glowering about D-Dore telling this 
kid.

We know Hermione can keep a secret, even from the boys - Time-Turner; 
Lupin; Krum; Rita - so it fits she would keep whatever is going on to 
herself.

But here's the thing. Knowing what we know now about Snape, with the 
OoP Penseive scene, the GoF tooth thing makes me even angrier, so 
much so that I'm trying to reconcile it.

I mean, this guy knows EXACTLY what Hermione is going through. 
Taunted for a physical flaw, looked at differently because of her 
dedication to school, and he, an authority figure who is supposed to 
responsible for student safety, piles on? 

Why? Because she's the FRIEND of the son of the guy who tormented 
him? 

If he did this just for sheer jollies, then screw him. Let V-Mort rip 
his heart out with a melon scoop.

Darrin
-- And yes, the Melon Scoops would be a great band name.