JKR's description of Snape

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 70357

Cindy: 

>What we have to is concentrate more on how other characters treat 
>Snape. Dumbledore comes to mind, so does Hermione. So does Draco, in 
>fact, as he shows a lot of respect for Snape in book 5.

Which of course must be balanced with Neville, Fred and George, 
Lupin, Sirius, Moody (with his look of deep skepticism during the 
trial flashback in GoF)

If we are to consider Draco's reactions, then Neville and Fred and 
George's should also be considered.

>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. 

So does Colin Creevey in GoF, and he has a perfectly legitimate 
reason, yet Snape bites his head off. 

Hermione addresses him with a "Please, Sir" all through the DADA 
substitute class in PoA, and he rips into her for daring to question 
him.

Harry asks him to help find D-Dore in GoF and Snape clearly enjoys 
making Harry wait, an action on Snape's part which has never been 
fully explained, considering it delayed D-Dore from finding Crouch Sr.

Ron asks him to look at Hermione with the large teeth, clearly 
expecting a teacher to do something, and Snape insults Hermione.

So, I think we can rule out that Snape only needs to be treated with 
respect in order to be respectful.

>Harry has never apologised to Snape for anything. When Harry grows 
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.

Let me take the last line first. "Whether it is childish or not."

I must state, AGAIN, that Snape is a man in his late-30s, is a 
teacher, which means he is a position of authority over children 
every day, and is the Head of a House, which means he has charge over 
an entire quarter of the student population, and we are debating 
whether or not it he is childish sometimes?

The very fact that he IS childish at all calls into question his 
credibility as a teacher.

But Harry is the one who has to grow up.

Let us remember where this started. Snape took off on Harry from Week 
One, insinuating that all Harry wanted to do was live off his 
celebrity, which Harry has shown time and again that he doesn't.

He is clearly punishing Harry for things Harry had nothing to do 
with, that took place before he was even born and continues to punish 
him -- and anyone unlucky enough to be his friend -- after countless 
reams of evidence that Harry at ages 11-15 is nothing like James was 
at 11-15.

But Harry is the one who has to grow up.

I wonder if the boy they called Snivellus could have stood up to the 
things Harry has had to stand up to? 

Dumbledore has said it many times, "Harry has shouldered a fully-
grown wizard's burden and been equal to it."

And what Snape does, in the face of someone who has shown this 
courage, is yell at him for calling Voldemort by his name. 

How dare he. How dare Snape suggest that he knows what Harry, who 
stood against Voldemort at age 11 when Snape was seduced by him at 
age 18, should call Voldemort. 

But Harry is the one who has to grow up.

If kowtowing to Snape's idea of respect, which is riddled with double-
standards, is polluted by past events Harry has no control over, and 
has clearly shown not to do one damn bit of good, is what Harry has 
to do to be graced with better treatment from Snape, then screw it.

Harry is better off with the bad treatment and his own self-respect.

Darrin