[HPforGrownups] Re: OOP : Snape's worst memory (as far as we know)

[Irene Mikhlin]

No: HPFGUIDX 63742



Kathryn Cawte wrote:
>  
>
> 
> Those are almost exactly the words I used about Snape. Not about the way he
> treats the students in general because if he's a spy for Dumbledore then he
> needs to make himself look like a loyal, Slytherin, pure-blood DE, but about
> the lessons with Harry. Now don't get me wrong the only people who should be
> blamed for the death (sob) of Sirius are Lestrange and Voldemort but several
> people made mistakes that helped to cause the situation - Harry certainly,
> although we can't blame him for being rash when he wasn't really in a
> position to make any kind of informed decision, everyone told him how
> important Occulomancy was but no one bothered to tell him *why*; Albus made
> the biggest mistakes, keeping everything from Harry, helping to isolate the
> boy, making Snape teach him in the first place, and lastly Sev. 

I don't understand how it's possible to blame Snape for Harry's 
occlumency failure.
I thought he was extremely professional about it. Not nice, but if 
Dumbledore expected him to become nice to Harry about it, then he is 
"mental", as Ron would've put it.
Think about it - Snape tells Harry he expects him to succeed, 
acknowledging his Imperio resistance. Even better, he shows Harry he 
expects him to succeed - by removing his memories before the lessons.
Snape does not comment on any embarrassing memory, he even lies 
(probably) to Harry that he can only see "glimpses" of what Harry is seeing.

The problem is Harry has no motivation to succeed: he is angry with 
Snape, he is bitter with Dumbledore for wanting him to stop this 
connection in the first place. And it's difficult to blame him, because 
he was able to save Mr. Weasley using this connection, so it can't be 
that bad, right?
I was even thinking that Voldemort allowed him to save Mr. Weasley to 
keep Harry very interested in pursuing these dreams.

Irene



I feel very
> sorry for Sev, having learnt what we did about his childhood, even without
> the Shack incident I could understand his attitude to Sirius just because of
> the bullying, I would be feeling the need to hug the poor man, if it wasn't
> for the fact that I want to shake him till his teeth rattle over the lessons
>  Yes I believe Harry was being a lazy little brat over the lessons (although
> again why should he consider them important if no one will tell him why,
> just do as I say is a great attitude for dealing with a young child but not
> for dealing with a teenager), yes I believe that he should have been
> severely punished in some way for invading Snape's privacy like that, but he
> s still a 15 year old boy, Severus is  grown man with responsibilities. He
> *knew* how important the lessons were, he *knew* why they were needed and
> yet he let Harry treat them as unimportant and then gave Harry a way to give
> them up entirely just because he lost his temper. I mean *honestly* I do
> feel great sympathy for him but he is an adult with responsibilities and he
> needs to stop acting like a child and lashing out at everyone around him,
> grit his teeth and just get over himself.
> 
> Sorry about the rant, but while I have *never* considered Severus to be a 
> nice' person I always considered him to be a basically 'good' one at heart,
> the sort of person who did what he considered necessary, but there was no
> need to give up on the lessons and be so darn petty about it. I will add
> though that while he may be very good at Occulomancy is someone with the
> sort of memories Severus is likely to have really a good selection to teach
> the subject? Especially to someone he neither lies nor respects,.
> 
> K 
>