What if other teachers behaved like Snape?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 101570

Wanda wrote:
> > 
> I have the impression that Snape has ALWAYS been a martinet.  
Nobody 
> messes with him, and all the students are quiet and fearful of 
> getting on his bad side - and this was probably the case during 
the 
> years before Harry got to Hogwarts, when play-acting wouldn't have 
> been as necessary for Snape.  For example, with all their pranks 
and 
> goofing off, does anyone remember a moment when Fred and George 
> tried to pull a joke in Snape's class?  I think even they knew 
> better than to tangle with him.  We see his unfairness to Harry, 
and 
> because we know more backstory than the characters in the books, 
we 
> can create theories about why he does what he does.  But it's 
> interesting that nobody in the books does this.  The other 
students 
> don't act shocked or perplexed that Snape is picking on Harry 
> Potter, they just keep their heads down and are grateful that it 
> isn't happening to them.  Maybe this is because Snape has always 
> done this sort of thing, and he's known to be a teacher who can 
> target students he doesn't like - he's acting entirely in 
character. 
> This year it's Potter, maybe the year before it was Jenkins, and 
the 
> year before that it was Judkins, etc.  Its always bound to be 
> SOMEONE.
>
 
Potioncat:
I think you are right. There are some few sentences in the the books 
that indicate that.  This doesn't justify what Snape does, but it 
may mean that he isn't just picking on Harry, it just seems that way 
to Harry.  Also in the first potion class, IIRC,  (and in Harry's 
opinion) Snape doesn't seem to like "any" of the students except for 
Draco.

He gives Harry, Hermione and Neville a hard time.  But he doesn't 
seem to target Ron or Seamus.  Ron, however has heard about him and 
says, "He can get nasty." Heard, no doubt from the Fred and George.  
We're also told that Bill doesn't like him, but it's hard to tell if 
adult Bill doesn't like adult Snape or if Bill had Snape for a 
teacher and doesn't like him for that reason.
Potioncat