What if other teachers behaved like Snape?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 101344

 
> SSSusan wrote:
>>snip<<
 I don't agree that everything on Pippin's list 
> was truly Snape watching out for Harry, but I *do* think she's 
right 
> that he has saved Harry's behind more than once and that Harry has 
a 
> blind spot for recognizing it.
> 
>>snip<< 
> To me this comment makes an eloquent case for an argument I've 
tried 
> to make many times before:  Snape's methods with Harry DO NOT 
WORK.  
 Who's to blame for that?  Both of them, in turns, though, yes, I 
> blame Snape more since he approached Harry w/ derisiveness & 
> loathing from the get-go *and* he's a teacher.  If Snape hadn't 
been 
> such an ass w/ Harry from the first moment, if he'd done ANYTHING 
to 
> give Harry a sign that he actually had a concern for his well-
being 
> or his success as a student, Harry might have been able to see all 
> Snape was doing.  
>>snip<<
> 
>
Poioncat:
Hi, SSSusan,good to see your posts again.

As far the thread itself goes, I think, that some of us have debated 
issues from so many directions that we forget the original point of 
view.  And some of us have had so much fun defending or attacking a 
character we forget that others may not know exactly where we get 
our hairbrained ideas.

We're told even before the first Potions class that Snape favors 
Slytherins.  Hagrid says Snape doesn't like any of the students. (I 
hope that isn't movie contamination.)  He is mean.  He is unfair.  
He is what he is.  I'm not sure why DD tolerates it, but who can 
understand DD? 

However, we're plainly told about some efforts Snape made to help 
Harry. And some of us began to wonder if there were more. Then we 
started finding episodes in canon that could be taken different 
ways.  Harry sees them as moments of cruelty, some of us see another 
possibility.  Not because we think he has a wonderful way with kids, 
but because we know he's on the good side and we think he is looking 
out for Harry in his own way.  And some of the incidents wouldn't be 
picked up if you weren't looking for them.

One of my favorites is in GoF.  Harry's trying to find DD and Snape 
appears out of DD's office and delays Harry and IIRC, taunts him. I 
think he even says DD is too busy. Then, DD appears from the same 
exit Snape came from and talks to Harry.  IMHO, both Snape and DD 
knew Harry was there and Snape was keeping Harry there while DD 
finished what he was doing and came down. (I suspect he was 
gathering his thoughts from the pensieve.) I think Harry still 
thinks Snape was trying to keep him away from DD. 

Anyway, that's my take on it.

Potioncat (Oh, SSSusan, the twins say hello.) ;-)