Acceptable Abuses?

[lindseyharrisst]

No: HPFGUIDX 95709

I've been thinking about this issue myself. I think that with regard 
to neville specifically, Snape feels that the only reson he's not 
doing well is that he does n't concentrate, which is true. We see in 
DA lessons in book 5 that given the right sort of environment he can 
be as competent as anyone else and insome subjects that he is 
exceptional (herbology). I'm sure Snape thinks that by poisoning his 
toad he will make Neville see that mistakes can have serious 
consequences and in that way focus his mind. Don't forget that Snape 
better than anyone knows the days that are to come. I feel sure that 
when he looks at Neville he thinks of his (Neville's) parents and 
sees Neville in all his orphaned emotional poverty he is reminded of 
the consequence of not paying attention - assuming he was a spy 
then. I *do* think he would have had an antidote to hand. He must 
for all his lessons in case of accidents. It is the wrong approach 
but it is the way he operates and he *is* trying to prepare the 
studetns as best he can. 
He is a picnic compared to the man he used to be and the DEs are 
still. If they can't handle the psychological abuse he gives, what 
hope have they int he real world? I think his abuse of Gryffindors 
that is of a purely verbal nautre or involves giving of excessive 
punishments of a sanctioned type is to keep his cover with Slyths, 
most of whom report back to their DE parents.I think in the final 
analysis it's better that a few Gryffindors (or other houses not his 
own) take a few deductions in house points they don't deserve than 
Snape's credibility is reduced. We must remember that it must've 
been very suspicious to DE's when he started to work at Hogwarts and 
he can't afford to seem comfortable there. I don't truly think he is 
for aminute, but that's another story...

Sanpesangel x
(who is just an unredeemable Snape apologist!lol)