How should Harry deal with Snape?

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 107709

Pippin wrote:
>>> Well, he should stop lying and sassing back, because that is the
behavior that Snape interprets as arrogant. *We* know Harry only
does it because he's insecure and frightened of Snape, and the
more Snape insults him and accuses him, the more insecure
and frightened Harry becomes. But Snape doesn't dig that, and
maybe never will.

It doesn't really matter whether the core reason for that
misunderstanding is rage, social ineptitude, prejudice or sheer
cussedness--whatever it is, Harry didn't make Snape the way he
is and isn't responsible for making him change the way he
thinks -- on the other hand he can, by modifying his own
behavior, hope to change the tenor of their interactions.

Harry made a start at this at the end of OOP, when he freely
admitted he was about to curse Malfoy instead of lying about it.
And nothing very terrible happened, did it? He lost a few points.
The worst that could have happened was a detention, and
Snape's detentions, while not much fun, are certainly not in a
class with Umbridge's.

Now, if only, the next time Snape insults him, Harry could bring
himself to say "You could be right about that, Sir." I've stopped
bullying bosses in their tracks with that one.
[snip]
Harry knows that lying, sassing back, and matching insults aren't
constructive behaviors, but his attitude right now is "I only have to
behave myself if Snape does." What could convince him to go
the extra mile? <<<

Kyntor replied:
>> And of course all the bad feelings between Harry and Snape is
completely Harry's fault. Snape has no culpability at all. <<

HunterGreen:
Of course not. I don't think anyone would try to make *that* case. 
Clearly the *start* of the Harry/Snape rift is Snape's fault, he set 
that down quite firmly in the first potions class, but since then 
(five years later now), both of them are involved in the bad 
feelings. Snape has his sarcasm and his unfair classroom politics, 
and Harry has his not following rules, and occasionally not paying 
attention in class or talking back.
The issue at hand here is what, if anything, should Harry do to 
change the situation. It doesn't mean that its *Harry's* 
responsibility, but assuming that Snape continued being Snape, what 
could Harry do to improve things for himself. 

>> You do not stop bullies by giving into them, you stop them by
standing up to them. Letting them have their way just reinforces
their behavior. <<

Perhaps in the case of a pure schoolyard bully, but that's not what 
Snape is, now is he? Actually, I'll go so far as to say standing up 
for yourself doesn't always work (personal experience here - it can 
just goad them). The other 'wisdom' about bullies is to stop them by 
*ignoring* them. In the case of Harry and Snape, Harry "standing up 
for himself" would appear as disrespect and insolence in Snape's 
eyes. They are not peers or equals, Harry can't just talk back when 
Snape insults him, it doesn't work that way. (even in the cases where 
he has stood up for himself -- in PoA for example -- Snape always has 
an answer anyway, doesn't work at all). 
However, if Harry were to both ignore Snape (as in, not rise to his 
bait), and not GIVE him a reason to needle him (such as not working 
hard in class, or lying or blatently ignoring school rules), Snape 
would perhaps get bored and give up. This could actually help Harry 
out even if it *doesn't* get Snape to stop or change his behavior. If 
he just ignores Snape, then maybe Snape won't annoy him so much, even 
if he is still dripping with sarcasm, and trying to get at Harry.

>> I would deal with Snape quite differently that Pippin would. First,
I would go through official channels. I would request a meeting with
Dumbledore and McGonagall requesting that they take of the
situation. I would tell them that not only is his behavior unethical
and unprofessional, it is also unacceptable. <<

How so? I see it being perhaps unprofessional, but how is it 
unethical? What could Dumbledore do in this situation? Snape's 
teaching methods (as far as can be seen from the books), are 
sanctioned and allowed. It may seem extreme to OUR eyes, but in the 
context, its not that awful.

>> Snape is not only mistreating Harry, he is also setting a very bad 
example for the Slytherins to follow. His Slytherins are going to 
believe that being biased and a bully is totally acceptable 
behavior.<<

Most of them, though, probably already thought that anyway. Draco, 
for example, probably looks up to his father *far* more than Snape, 
so Snape may be reinforcing those behaviors, but they were already 
there. 

>>If Dumbledore and McGonagall does nothing about the situation, then
it is time for Harry to do something himself. Harry could send a
letter to paper detailing Snapes behavior. Harry could also mention
the dark mark on his arm and the way he coddles the Slytherins.
Everything Harry reported to the newspaper would be completely true
and it would not blow any cover that Snape had to maintain. As a
matter of fact the public scuffle between Snape and Harry would
strengthen his cover. Since the opinion of the wizarding world
regarding him has changed, I am sure people would value his opinion.<<

But would they really care? Umbridge, may I remind you, was a MoM 
official, and her teaching methods were far worse (IMO) than Snape's. 
Look at Binns, all he does is float around and lecture, his class can 
hardly stay *awake*. Or Trelawney, she keeps telling Harry that he's 
about to die. 
And all these things you mentioned, unless they get Snape fired they 
are going to make the situation THAT much worse for Harry. And if he 
does get fired, how do we know there's another potion teacher out 
there to replace him? That could very well be the reason that 
Dumbledore has kept him on all these years when Snape doesn't seem to 
like teaching all that well: there ISN'T anyone else out there.

>> I would keep up the campeign to get Snape fired until one of two
things happened. Either Snape was fired or Dumbledore requested that
Harry stop. If Snape is fired, end of problem. If Dumbledore asks
Harry to stop, he can agree to under certain conditions. Make
modifying Snapes behavior the condition. <<

It would be better to fire Snape (and actually, I think Snape would 
quit sooner than agree to treat Harry a "specific" way). His 
confidence would be undermined, and let me remind you that potions is 
a very EXACT study, as in, one wrong turn in a potion could turn a 
harmless one into a deadly one, so it IS necessary for Snape to be 
strict and unforgiving about mistakes. If Snape were told to tone it 
down, and one of the kids died as a result (from a poorly made 
potion), then it would be A LOT worse than a few saracastic comments 
that Harry has to endure.

I don't believe that Snape has done anything extreme enough where he 
HAS to change. The students are learning, and no one is being 
permanately scarred, (Harry isn't having nightmares about Snape or 
anything, he's just an *annoyance*), therefore I fail to see a 
problem.