JKR's description of Snape

[susanbones2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 70353

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cindy" <xpectopatronum at y...> 
wrote:
  The difference between Draco and Harry is that Draco addresses 
Snape with *respect*, as he should, considering Snape is his 
Professor and Head of House, but Harry can never address him as 'sir'
> or 'professor' without making it sound pathetic. Draco even 
apologises for bursting into Snape's office, and then quickly 
explains why. Harry has never apologised to Snape for anything.

 [I burst in here, unable to hold back any longer....]

I am not in favor of treating people the way they treat you 
necessarily. Good behavior should just be there for its own sake but 
I just cannot stomach Snape getting a pass despite his best efforts 
to make Harry (and Neville, and Hermione at times) utterly miserable. 
The man needs help and thinking that Harry saying "Sir" 
or "Professor" in an amiable tone would have changed anything is 
ludicrous.

Cindy continues:
When Harry grows up ...

[ I ask "When will Snape grow up?"]


>and begins treating Snape with the respect that an older person and
> professor deserves, I think that Snape will start treating Harry 
more maturely. I think he really treats people the way that they  
treat him, whether it is childish or not.
> Forever Snape!
> -Cindy

I add:
Snape saw Harry at the end of GOF, bloodied, beaten, a wreck of a 
human being with a wand pointed at his heart by an insane devotee of 
LV. He saw him at his piteous worst, vulnerable, unable to help 
himself in any respect. He helped to save him. He administered 
veritaserum to the maniac and listened to him recount a year's worth 
of deception, murder and general mayhem, all intended to put Harry 
Potter at the scene of LV's return, to participate in that return and 
then to die at that return. That Snape could witness and listen to 
all he did and remain unmoved and perhaps even more determined to 
make life for Harry miserable, given all that occurs in the 5th year 
just scares me. Where is his humanity? Has he no heart whatsoever? I 
never expected him to embrace Harry. I know his role in the Order 
must make it necessary for him to remain aloof from Harry but the man 
has never for an instant acted as if Harry were anything other than 
the vile incarnation of James. How can an intelligent (and he is 
definitely that!) person behave that way? He has no empathy, nada, 
nyet. I'd hoped his delving into Harry's memories would help but that 
seemed to fail spectacularly. Many of you think it was he that 
provided the impetus for the party of concerned folk at the Platform 
but I just can not imagine it. He has a black hole where his heart 
should be. 
Ah, sorry, that has been building up for a long time....
Jennifer(ducking all the stunning spells coming her way)