[HPforGrownups] Re: Questions concerning Snape and Lucius

Kriselda Jarnsaxa thorswitch at thunderhaven.net
Sun May 4 22:28:42 UTC 2003


No: HPFGUIDX 56960

darrin_burnett recently mentioned:

>Kriselda wrote:
>
>  Here he (Snape) is, this knowledgeable, powerful,
> > great wizard, and everyone focuses their attention on a fool boy
>who's only *real* claim to fame is that he managed not to get killed.
>
>Wellllll... considering that everyone else V-mort targeted HAD gotten
>killed by the exact same spell, it still is quite a feat, isn't it?

Just to clarify - the tone I was taking there was from what I think Snape's 
perspective might be - not what I think of Harry, but how I think Snape 
sees him.

Harry's survival was certainly miraculous, but from how I perceive Snape, 
he probably doesn't believe that it resulted from something *Harry* did - 
he sees Harry as the beneficiary of either great luck, or something his 
parents did that allowed him to survive.  As a result, I think Snape sees 
Harry as someone who is famous without actually having *done* anything to 
deserve it - and resents it greatly, given his own high opinion of himself 
and his abilities.  Snape likely feels that he has accomplished more, knows 
more, has greater abilities and deserves considerable recognition, and yet 
everyone's always fussing over Harry, letting him break the rules (and 
often praising him for the results) and acting like he's some kind of 
Wizarding "royalty" or something.

>And if Snape is so insecure as to feel threatened by a first-year who
>has been living with the Muggliest Muggles anyone has ever seen, then
>that says loads more about Snape's character than it does Harry's.

Yes, it does

>Hold on there. Draco is rich, spoiled and pureblood.
>
>He's got enough money to be able to buy his way onto the House
>Quidditch team -- so he's going to be better off than any Weasley.
>
>He's constantly getting pampered by his parents, all those snacks
>from the Eagle Owl and the Quidditch brooms -- so he's got more of a
>home support system than Harry.
>
>He's pureblood, which, in the Fudge-run ministry, will get him hired
>faster, and treated better on the job than Hermione, who is more
>talented and smarter.
>
>Tell me again how Draco has it worse off and needs favoring?

Draco has a lot of advantages, but what I think Snape sees is a talented, 
knowledgeable student from a powerful Wizarding family who is constantly 
being overshadowed by this "wizard-come-lately" who knew nothing about 
magic before he came to Hogwarts, and who can't seem to get a "leg up" in 
the competition between them.  Draco buys his way onto the house team and 
supplies the whole team with better brooms, but Harry and the Gryffendors 
beat them anyway.  No matter what Draco does, Harry comes out the 
better.  For Snape, I think he feels Draco is being just as mistreated as 
he (Snape) is - neither is getting the recognition they think they deserve, 
so Snape has sort of appointed himself as Draco's patron - he's going to 
help Draco out where he can, whether its by going a bit easy on him in 
class or doing what he can to knock Harry down a few pegs.

>I know MY answer. Draco lacks what the Trio has, namely Ron's
>courage, Harry's skills, and Hermione's brains. So of course, he
>needs a leg up in the form of having a teacher take away points that
>he himself couldn't earn.

I, personally, agree, but I don't think that's how Snape sees it....

>Darrin
>-- I myself think Snape favors Draco so as to not blow his cover and
>really hates the little git.

That's possible, too :)

Kriselda


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