Snape - Abusive?

[kmcbears1]

No: HPFGUIDX 114927


> > distaiyi:
> > The fact that Neville is afraid of Snape hardly amounts to 
> > abuse. And what I recall of Snape's interaction with Neville is 
> > hardly different from any other Gryffindor student must endure.
> >>
> 
> RedLena:
> In Chapter 7 of PoA, the Gryffindor third years are in Potions 
> class with Snape.  Neville is having such trouble with his 
> Shrinking Potion that it's coming out orange instead of the proper 
> green.  Snape sees this and tells Neville that at the end of the 
> class he will feed Neville's potion to his frog Trevor.  
> 
> This terrifies Neville... he knows his potion is wrong and has no 
> idea what his orange mistake would do to his beloved pet.  
> Snape knows that Neville would have that reaction to the threat... 
> particularly because it's not an idle one.  While I believe Snape 
> knows what effect the incorrect orange potion would have, he 
> certainly also knows that Neville wouldn't and the boy would 
> assume the worst.
> 
> This is intentional emotional abuse that Snape is inflicting on 
> Neville.  In interactions with other Gryffindors, Snape has been 
> strict and disdainful with his punishments, but I don't know of 
> anyone else whom he led to believe he would possibly poison 
> someone/thing that the student loves.
> 
> The fact that Neville is afraid of Snape is not the abuse.  It's the 
> fact that Snape recognizes that Neville is afraid of him and takes 
> advantage of that fact with interactions like the one I've related 
> above that is abusive.
> 
kmc:

Or did Snape just want Neville to have a compelling reason to figure
out what he did wrong and fix it?  In my first few readings of the
books, I would have argued along side of you but I gradually began to
realize that Snape is dealing with a dangerous subject.  Students must
 learn to correct their errors. I agree that Snape knew what the
results of the postion would have on Trevor.

Neville rises to the occasion as part of the DA group after Bellatrix
escapes Azkaban, in spite of his fears. Hermione's helping him may
have prevented him from fixing the solution himself.