James Is Dead And That's Why Snape Can't Get Over It And Move On

[rowena_grunnionffitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 101119

   James died, leaving Snape with an unpaid debt and a bitter enmity. 
James is dead Snape can't repay him or revenge himself on him, he 
can't even forgive him. Snape is stuck with an unresolved and 
unresolvable relationship and some very bitter memories. Then Harry 
comes along, looking just like his father, and acting like him too to 
Snape's highly biased eyes. Harry does break the rules quite a lot, 
(always for good reason) but one can see how this could look like his 
father's arrogance all over again to Snape. And he gets away with it, 
just like James always did, (again in Snape's biased view).

   To have some sympathy for why Snape behaves as he does is not to 
say he is right, of course he isn't. But saying he should 'just get 
over it' is like asking Harry to 'just get over' how the Durselys 
have treated him, or Sirius to 'just get over' being framed and sent 
to Azkaban. The human, or wizardly, psyche just doesn't work like 
that.