Snape Theories and Sirius

[Wanda Sherratt]

No: HPFGUIDX 73272

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "bibphile" <bibphile at y...> 
wrote:
> I agree that Snape was dead wrong hear.  Still,  I find it 
> understandable (not excusable) for 2 reasons.  The first is that 
> what Harry did was an incredible violation.  It was wrong on every 
> level.  From Snape's reaction, I got the impression that throwing 
> Harry out was a way to keep from hurting him seriously.  Have we 
> ever seen Snape put his hands on a student before?

I took it that way too - that Snape was almost out of control and 
could have hit Harry.  As it is, he flung a jar of cockroaches at 
him, and that struck me as pretty extreme for Snape.  Not even using 
magic, just picking something up and hurling it - that's not his 
usual style.  Reminds me of Harry socking Draco in the stomach after 
the Quidditch match; sometimes these "Muggle tactics" can really 
work!
> 
> Also, the lessons weren't helping at all.  Harry wasn't following 
> instructions.  He was more concerneed with finding out what was 
> behind that door than he was with keeping Voldemort out of his 
> head.  As long as Harry was trying to keep Voldemort out (in fact 
> was longing for the viions) the lessons weren't going to do any 
goos 
> at all, anyway.

It's left as an open question at the end, whether Snape was 
sabotaging the Occlumency lessons, whether consciously or not.  I 
note that Snape has a similar effect on Harry in Potions Class, and 
that when he's absent, Harry is able to do the work much better.  
But I believe that it was mostly Harry's doing - he was not 
cooperating, and was making it impossible for Snape's instructions 
to have any effect, even though the task of working with such a 
teacher was bound to be difficult anyway.  I think Snape was sincere 
in wanting to have nothing more to do with Harry after the Pensieve 
incident, but it might have been a case of doing the right thing for 
the wrong reason.  The lessons *weren't* working, and they weren't 
going to work, and it wasn't just because of Snape.  It was an 
impasse.  Snape isn't stupid - he knew that Harry should have been 
able to do what he was trying to teach him, that he was *capable* of 
it, and he correctly identifies the interference that's coming from 
Harry himself.  I think he just was a realist at the end, and 
figured there was no more point to aggravating himself in a useless 
cause.

Wanda