Snape and Draco (Was: Despised Lackey or Social Equal?)

[severelysigune]

No: HPFGUIDX 90145

Eloise wrote:
<< I always envisaged [Snape] as coming form a pretty upper class 
background, myself. Part of the reason for that was that I always 
thought we were meant to see something of Draco in him. Not an exact 
parallel, but I've always believed that to an extent he identifies 
with the boy and goes out of his way to treat him in the way he 
wasn't treated when he himself was at Hogwarts: that he favours  
Draco, to somehow make up for deficiencies in his own childhood.>>

Sigune muses:
The Draco/Snape relationship has puzzled me a lot. Unlike you I 
cannot at all imagine Snape identifying with Draco. Malfoy Jr may 
have a certain talent for potion-making, but apart from that... Draco 
strikes me as much too stupid (sorry Draco fans) for Snape to be able 
to really respect him or care for him. Snape is very secretive and 
discrete; he berates Harry for flaunting his emotions and stuff - 
well, Draco is even worse than Harry in that respect, isn't he? He 
seems to me to be the greatest danger to his father's reputation 
also. Imagine Lucius Malfoy going through all the trouble of clearing 
his name after LV's fall, and Dunderhead Draco keeps boasting of all 
those things his father is trying to keep hidden. Draco misses all 
the thoughtfulness, subtlety and cunning a man like Snape is likely 
to admire in a person. I think.

It seems to me that Snape's favoritism of Draco has two reasons:
1) Draco is apparently the best Slytherin has to offer in this 
particular year (well, compared to Crabbe and Goyle he is a genius), 
and Snape as a good Head of House has to support his Slytherin 
students and use all the assets he gets;
2) Favouring Draco makes a good impression on Lucius Malfoy.

Just my two Knuts though.

Yours severely,

Sigune
- who started off as a Draco fan because of his style, but eventually 
lost patience with him for thoughtlessness