[HPforGrownups] Re:Snape & Harry

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 101258


> > >[Kneasy]:Snape *punishes* Harry? Some scathing comments, usually,
> > >>(though not always) when Harry has done something >particularly
> brainless,
> > or marks docked; marks, by the way that >don't matter. How many
> exams has
> > Harry failed? Zero.
> >
> > Christina: What about when he purposely broke Harry's potion vial
> in OotP
> > and gave him a 0? That was done deliberately. Snape is not my
> favorite
> > teacher and I admit there is something more we need to learn about
> him. We
> > just broke the surface in OotP. But after so many years of unfair
> behavior -
> > punishing Harry & other Gryffindors when Draco picks on them,
> breaking his
> > potions vial, making those scathing comments (which do hurt a
> person, BTW),
> > well I wouldn't trust him much either.
> >

K

I'm going to have to agree with Kneasy here (and bearing in mind my usual
reaction to Kneasy's posts I'm saying that through gritted teeth <g>). As he
said Snape has docked marks that don't count but Harry always seem to pass
his end of year exams and seems to have passed his Potions exam. Snape has
never failed him when it counts (in  fact I think that Snape probably hates
failing people, because he takes it as a failure on his part if he can't
pound at least a basic knowledge of Potions into the little darlings heads).

If I were in his class I might not like him much but I would trust him to
mark fairly when it counts (from the sounds of it he gave Hermione, who he
treats like an annoying know-it-all, not entirely unfairly I have to say,
better marks in his end of year exams than he gives to Draco even though he
probably has good reason to suck up to Malfoy and even if he doesn't would
no doubt infinitely prefer a Slytherin to top his class than any Gryffindor,
let alone one of Harry's friends)

Susan
> __
> BTW, there's also a part in CoS that says, without any explanation
> whatsoever, "Harry had been held back in Potions, where Snape had
> made him stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks" (9:146).
> Doesn't say anything about why Harry had to do it, and it clearly
> says desks, not just Harry's desk because he spilled tubeworms or
> something.
>

K

I don't think anyone was trying to argue that he was fair in the way he
treats Harry just that a) he's never caused him to fail a year and b) really
in the scale of things Snape's behaviour's not *that* bad. Detentions (can't
be *that*many or Harry'd never fit in all his extra-curricular
gallivanting), sarcastic/mean comments and a few failed assignments
(assignments which seem to exist only to show the teachers how well people
are doing - and I have no doubt Snape knows exactly where Harry is in his
class even when he does give him no marks). If I'd tried complaining about a
teacher treating me like that when I was at school I'd have been told to
grow up and stop acting like a baby - not to mention the ever cheering,
'It's not fair? Tough. Life isn't' and I'd certainly never have dared treat
a teacher (even one I hated, and I had some I hated for pretty similar
reasons to Harry's reasons for hating Snape) with the utter lack of respect
Harry has towards Snape. As I argued earlier - Snape is in a position of
authority and whether or not he personally has earned Harry's respect, Harry
is a student and should be respectful towards all his teachers.

K