Snape and Lupin's Character Arcs (was: Lupin's Char Arc)

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 119337


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at y...> wrote:
> 
> Nora wrote:
> > You have to love how JKR lets us know about how well 
Snape actually  teaches in that class, though.  There's really no 
other way to read  the revelations (annotated to make sure the 
reader does not miss it)  in Fantastic Beasts that Snape, taking 
off points in the class about Kappas, is actually wrong himself. 
<snip>
> 
> Carol asks:
> Are you sure this isn't just another example of JKR blaming the
> character for her own inconsistency <snip>> not to mention 
that it's out of character for him to make a pronouncement of that 
sort without being right. And the Pensieve scene seems to 
indicate that he really is knowledgeable about DADA.
> 
> Carol, wondering what Pippin thinks on this one

Pippin thinks it's only inconsistent if you believe that once a 
character is established as knowledgeable, he can't be wrong. I 
think Snape made the same sort of mistake Hermione did with 
those runes at the end of OOP. He just got mixed up. He 
probably wouldn't make the same kind of mistake at potions, but 
that only goes to underline Dumbledore's homily about the 
things we want most being the worst for us. Despite what Snape 
thinks, he's more suited to teaching potions than DADA. 

What I did notice rereading that scene is that Snape leaves 
Neville completely alone.  He also doesn't smirk at Harry when 
he punishes him, and saves all his twisted smiles for Lupin's 
supposed derilictions. Could it possibly be that all that 
supposed sadistic enjoyment of humiliating Harry and Neville is 
acting? Playing to the Slytherin gallery in potions class, and in 
the case of the first DADA class, to Lupin whom Snape thinks is 
ESE?

Not that Snape isn't a sadist, mind you, but maybe he has it 
under more control than Harry thinks.

Pippin