Lupin's resentment : An inside to Snape's resentment

[Jen Reese]

No: HPFGUIDX 94270

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> 
wrote:
> Okay. It seems to me that you've fallen for one of JKR's clever 
> bits of misdirection (haven't we all?) The lesson "imagine that 
> bully in his underwear" is  plainly and powerfully conveyed *to 
> the reader.* Unless you're paying very careful attention to that 
> one line that says Neville's problems with Snape are worse than 
> ever, you won't see that Harry and Neville didn't get it.
> 

Jen: Whenever I read a thread on this issue, I'm always reminded of 
this quote by JKR:

Q: "Why does Professor Dumbledore allow Professor Snape to be so 
nasty to the students (especially to Harry, Hermione, and Neville)? 

A: "Dumbledore believes there are all sorts of lessons in life; 
horrible teachers like Snape are one of them!"

(Barnes and Noble Chat, 2000)

By extrapolation, I imagine that if someone asked JKR why Hogwarts 
was the type of school that allows Lupin to make a mockery of Snape 
in his class, she might have a very similar answer, something along 
the lines of, "well, the WW believes there are all sorts of lessons 
in life and having to face the consequences of magic is one of 
them!" 

Maybe Lupin's motives *weren't* pure in that moment, maybe he didn't 
think ahead, or he did think ahead and decided Neville and Harry 
were up for the challenge. Snape certainly got the opportunity to 
get back when he trashed Lupin in front of the class and later outed 
him as a werewolf. Certainly the children felt Snape's actions 
deprived them of one of their best teachers. So if one has dirty 
hands, the other does as well. Are the kids losers in all this? Yes, 
by our standards.

I just think we are *supposed* to see these parts of the WW as a way 
to underscore how inherently dangerous it is by nature. You won't 
just get insults hurled at you for your actions, whether they are 
intentional or a mistake (and few characters bother to sort out 
which is which before firing!).

Jen