Severus Snape's character

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 105954

Julie wrote:

>>3. Why does Dumbledore let someone like Snape teach?

I think Dumbledore lets Snape teach because Snape is in fact 
*teaching* the students something. Not only is he competently 
teaching them Potions, but he is also teaching them about the real 
(i.e. Wizarding) world. Yes, Snape is mean, even occasionally mildly 
abusive, and Dumbledore does call him on it when necessary. But it's 
a life lesson. If students can't handle Snape's vitriol, especially 
certain students like Harry and Neville who will likely be crucial in 
saving the WW, how will they ever stand up to Voldemort?<<

HunterGreen:
Although that is an important lesson to learn, I don't think that's 
why he permits Snape to act the way he does. Its just the way Snape 
is. I believe he hired Snape because he is a very compentent potions 
maker, he respects Snape, and perhaps wanted to both keep Snape busy 
and keep him close at hand in case he needed him. The fact that Snape 
is unpleasant is just part of the deal. Dumbledore strikes me as a 
rather indulgent person. You could also ask why Hagrid? Why 
Profressor Binns? Why Lockhart? I think one of the last things 
Dumbledore would do is interfere with a teacher's style. If he asked 
Snape to be less unpleasant, it might undermine his teaching method. 
Assuming Snape actually complied (which I doubt he would, he would 
quit first), he doesn't know how to be any different. He could go 
from being too strict to being too lax and suddenly a kid could get 
poisoned from a faulty potion. Would another teacher be able to get 
the seriousness of potion-making across without being so cruel about 
it? Perhaps. But if Snape tried it he'd most likely fail. 


>>BTW, I don't think for a minute there is some good cop/bad cop
thing going on here. Snape is simply Snape, and I don't believe he is
*acting* at all. He despises Harry, both because of his father, and
because of Harry's own actions and attitude.<<

And is that really so hard for people to believe? I am baffled each 
time I hear one of these "he's playing it up for the DE's children" 
or "he's trying to toughen Harry up" theories. Why can't it just be 
what it is? He doesn't like Harry, and he doesn't care about hiding 
it. The end. 
BTW, Harry didn't need to be 'toughened up' at the age of eleven. He 
had already gone through worse than a mean potions professor. And 
Dumbledore was very aware of that.

>>4. Snape's Boggart and Patronus?

I don't really have a clue! I do think Snape has both though. I am
wondering if his Boggart might be whatever drove him from Voldemort's
side. Something he was nearly forced to do, but realized he couldn't
go through with? Or, something he did, and then regretted enough
to leave? As for his Patronus, Snape has to have at least one happy
memory (I hope). It will be pretty fascinating to see what it is. 
(Though I can't quite wrap my mind around the image of a smiling 
Snape!)<<

I tend to agree that Snape wouldn't be able to think of something 
happy enough to produce a patronus. He'd probably be able to do a non-
corporial one though, I can't imagine Helpless!Snape surrounded by 
dementers.
As for the boggart, when he was young (as someone else suggested), 
perhaps it was failure, like Hermione. Now its bound to be something 
else...but I can't really put my finger on something visual. I can 
see him being afraid of being found out by the other DEs and 
Voldemort as a spy, but how would that be represented?