OOP: A few Points on Snape and other things

[Kewpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 61945

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Tamara" <buffyeton at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "peggy baratto" 
<petalla at e...> 
> wrote:
> > S
> > P
> > O
> > I
> > L
> > E
> > R
> > S
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
> > *
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> > Malfoy however is very like Severus at that age.  He too has 
> > difficulties with his parents--he too is someone who was raised 
in 
> a 
> > very Slytherin like family.  He like many teens listen to what 
> their 
> > parents say, and live by it.  He believes what his parents tell 
> > him...Mudbloods, halfbreeds....
> > I think Snape feels a comaraderie with Malfoy. He does not wish 
him 
> > to have as a difficult time in school as he did.  
> > 
> > ~~~~~~~~~Peggy
> 
> I see Draco more like James than Snape.  Draco is a bully who 
bullies 
> for no reason.  He doesn't just treat Harry and co badly, he treats 
> everyone who isn't Slytherin badly.

Right on. If we were to compare Draco+Harry with Snape+James (as 
Dumbledore suggested in PS/SS), common pre-Book5 belief was that 
Harry is just like his father and Draco is like Snape. But now Book 5 
has proven that it's actually the other way around. Draco=James, 
Harry=Snape! As for the Abused!Draco theory, pur-lease! I just 
absolutely did not get ANY implication from JKR that Draco is having 
any kind of angst over his family's ways. He's much loved at home and 
very proud of his daddy and no doubt in following his footstep. The 
example of Sirius has already proven us that even though one was 
brought up in a dark wizard family, one could rebel against their 
ways and made a change for himself. Draco has done nothing of that 
sorts, or even any bits of hint that he's having any doubt. Draco 
enjoys being the prince of Slytherins and got lots of cronies and 
girls following him around. He's a cocky, arrogant bully just like 
James (though James's behavior is way more appalling and flat out 
disgusting than everything Draco has ever done that were mentioned in 
the book). Draco, like James, has no regard for others feelings. They 
gang up and bullied, humiliated the "weaker" (esp. the loner, 
the "outcast") for no reason. They hurt others feelings as pure 
amusement. Draco, Dudley, James, Sirius are all the same -- mean 
spirited, nasty, disgusting bullies, period! (I'm so sick of 
the "well they're only 15" excuses. Well Harry and Ron is 15, Fred 
and George were once 15, as well as many boys at that age, when 
does "being 15" made bullying "understandable" and an excuse of being 
so nasty?) 

While I believe that Snape and Harry shares a lot more common than 
they thought. Both has very unhappy, abused, neglected childhood. 
Both suffer and endured school bullies and family abused. Snape 
striked me as the Goth geek, the loner type who's bullied by the 
popular crowd just because he's the "oddball." From his fearful and 
timid reaction when James and Sirius approached him, Snape was their 
constant victim. What disgusted me the most was that what's between 
Snape and James/Sirius were not mutual to begin with. It's not 
a "rivalry" relationship at all, it's pure bully & victim 
relationship. Just like how Dudley & co. bully Harry for no reason, 
just for the fact that he "exists"."  And Snape didn't seem to have a 
gang of Slytherins to back him up as Lupin & Sirius claimed so. Snape 
probably get bullied by his own Slytherin mates for shaming 
Slytherins (being constantly defenseless and humiliated by 2 
Gryfindors). It's no wonder Snape wanted to get James & Co. expelled, 
because they have made his school life HELL. 

What angers me more was the indifference attitude of Dumbledore and 
McGonagall for overlooking James and Sirius' ongoing behavior (and 
the most unforgivable of all - completely undermine the seriousness 
and consequences of that infamous "prank".) That's Hogwarts for ya. 
No wonder when Snape became a teacher at Hogwarts himself he became 
one of THEM -- teachers who played favorism, gloss over bully 
incidents and just being plain unfair to students. It's just a 
tradition of Hogwarts and general behavior of headmaster and faculty. 
Snape's only fitting among the crowd of McGonagall and Dumbledore. 

D.